$5.1 Million distributed across Eastern & Central region

$5.1 Million distributed across Eastern & Central region in 2016/17

592 organisations from East Cape to Wairarapa, and across to Manawatu and Horowhenua, received funding from Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT) in the year ending March 31, 2017.

At the Annual Public Meeting held in Carterton recently, ECCT Chair Geoff Milner told an attentive audience that those organisations were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of applications.

“We always receive more applications than we have money for, so we try to do the best we can with what we have. Fortunately, this year, despite the global instability, we’ve been able to grow our investments, so we can continue to assist organisations across our region to help build stronger, more sustainable communities at similar levels to previous years.

“We are so heartened by the work done by community groups in our region. They’re the glue that keeps us together, whether it’s through the arts, sports, education, or environmental endeavours. We feel privileged to be able to work alongside them.”

Mr Milner also reviewed ECCT’s activities over the past year, including a series of community consultations across the region that were designed to assist communities to identify the strengths, challenges and vision for success in their regions, and help ECCT understand how it can provide the support needed to achieve successful outcomes.

“Philanthropy is changing, and, as a Trust, we are very aware that we are stewards for an inter-generational legacy that we need to hand on to future generations. We have to evolve and ensure we have an ear to our communities to assist them in ways that they need.

“Our funding strategies need to have the greatest impact, so we have been working on some research, and developing our thinking about the ways we fund. This includes testing our thinking with our community. We’ve just sent out a feedback document to organisations and we’re waiting on any further comments before we proceed. This is an interesting time for us, as we work with our communities to discover what their priorities are, and the ways that we can work together.”

ECCT approved over $5.1 million in donations for the year ended March 2017, with regional distributions as follows:

$595,440 to 47 organisations in Gisborne District

$1,788,966 to 214 organisations in Hawke’s Bay

$195,900 to 26 organisations in Tararua

$708,870 to 127 organisations in Manawatu

$196,850 to 43 organisations in Horowhenua

$657,000 to 60 organisations in Wairarapa

$1,026,100 to 75 organisations across all regions

Totalling $5,169,496 to 592 organisations.

Copies of the Storyboard and Financial report are available on the ECCT website:http://www.ecct.org.nz/publications/index.htm

ENDS

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