30 August 2018

Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT) has given almost $5.6 million to community organisations across its regions over the last financial year, ECCT Chair Shelly Mitchell-Jenkins announced at the annual public meeting held in Hastings on Wednesday evening.

“A total of 640 organisations - from East Cape down to Wairarapa, and across to Manawatu and Horowhenua - received grants from Eastern & Central Community Trust in the year ending March 31, 2018. This was slightly up on the amount we granted the previous financial year, and is a very pleasing result”, she says.

Grants ranged in size from $500 for the Hawke’s Bay Live Poets’ Society’s operating costs, right up to $250,000 to go towards the Hawke’s Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust’s new sporting and health centre at the regional sports park. The Trust also provides funding for regional programmes including Summer Reading in regional libraries, Maths is Fun, and the regional sports trusts - Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti, Sport Hawke’s Bay, Sport Manawatu and Sport Wellington.

“Over the last 30 years, we have worked hard to prudently manage the funds we hold, and they have grown to $174 million from an initial investment of $90 million. The returns on those investments enable us to give out grants each year. We are also working more closely with our communities to understand the priorities

that are important to them, and, from those discussions, provide grants that are effective in achieving those priorities.

“I would like to thank all those organisations that make applications to us for assistance to continue their work in our communities. The ECCT vision is to help build stronger, more sustainable communities. You are the ones that will deliver this vision. We are proud to be part of the larger group that will make a real difference to the lives of the people within our communities,” Mrs Mitchell-Jenkins says.

The regional distributions are broken down as follows:

$549,640 to 59 organisations in Gisborne District

$2,063,320 to 221 organisations in Hawke’s Bay

$132,880 to 30 organisations in Tararua

$1,067,620 to 131 organisations in Manawatu

$355,075 to 51 organisations in Horowhenua

$527,420 to 73 organisations in Wairarapa

$861,500 to 75 organisations with programmes across a number of regions

Totalling $5,557,455 to 640 organisations.

ends

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