Social isolation is a growing concern across Aotearoa New Zealand. Vital Signs Tauranga research found that 36% of local residents in the Western Bay of Plenty are experiencing loneliness — a challenge that Acorn Foundation and local funders have been working to address through initiatives like the Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund and the Kaupapa Māori Event Fund.

This February, Acorn Foundation is launching five Local Impact Funds across Tauranga Western Bay to support the places locals live in, work in, and care about. Designed to nurture grassroots projects that help neighbourhoods thrive, the funds will generally provide grants of $500–$1,500.

"The idea of providing grassroots funding is so appealing," says Lori Luke. "With New Zealand's strong volunteer culture, we know there are so many individuals and unregistered groups doing amazing work in their local areas who don't currently have access to our base funding." Charity Commission regulations require funders like Acorn to concentrate support on registered charities and Incorporated Societies — but through an innovative partnership with SociaLink Tūhono Pāpori, founded in 2012 to serve the social sector in the Western Bay of Plenty, the team found a way to bridge that gap.

"We wanted to meet people where they are — in their own neighbourhoods, with their own ideas," says Matty Nicholson, from the Acorn Foundation. "These funds are about giving everyday locals the ability to take their ideas and turn them into something great for their neighbourhood.”

Launch events are being hosted in each community:

• Waihi Beach – Te Ara Mātauranga (Waihi Beach Library), Wednesday 11 February, 11am
• Katikati (relaunch of the Katikati Acorn Fund) – Pātuki Manawa Digital Hub, Monday 16 February, 10:30am
• Tauranga Moana – Merivale Community Centre, Wednesday 18 February, 10:30am
• Te Puke – Te Puke Public Library, Tuesday 24 February, 11am
• Kaituna (Maketu, Pongakawa, Paengeroa and Pukehina) – Maketu Community Centre, Wednesday 25 February, 11am

The funds have been seeded by an anonymous donor who generously left her estate for Acorn to use at its discretion. Additional substantial contributions by Local donors like David and Susan Campbell of Maketu, and anonymous donors in Katikati and Waihī Beach have been made as well, which have increased the size of the funds and will help create more opportunity for funding in each community. Their support reflects a broader shift in how the community thinks about philanthropy — less about large-scale programmes and more about empowering the small, everyday efforts that quietly hold neighbourhoods together.

Each fund is guided by a local Giving Committee of volunteers, ensuring that decisions — and dollars — stay rooted in the priorities of each area. These committees bring deep knowledge of their areas to the table as they live in the community, and by keeping funding decisions local, the impact of every grant will be felt where it matters most.

Applications are now open, and close on 14 March. For more information on donating or applying, visit Acorn's website: https://www.acornfoundation.org.nz/apply-funding/local-impact-funds. or contact Matty Nicholson at matty@acornfoundation.org.nz

About the Acorn Foundation:

The Acorn Foundation, the Western Bay of Plenty’s local community foundation, enables generous people to make a bigger impact in their communities, by investing donated funds and distributing the returns to causes that matter – forever.

Since 2003, the Acorn Foundation has distributed more than $25M to the Western Bay of Plenty community and beyond, supporting more than 300 local charities and award programmes.

In 2025, the Acorn Foundation gave over $5.1M to 308 local and national charitable organisations, scholarships, and award winners. Scholarships and awards surpassed $840,000 in total, including the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, given annually at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Find out more at: www.acornfoundation.org.nz

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