Athlete finishing GenX/Marra Tinman Triathlon. Photo supplied by Triathlon Tauranga.
Tauranga and Western Bay event organisers will be pleased to hear that the Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund is confirmed for 2024/2025.
The joint event fund between partners Acorn Foundation, BayTrust, Tauranga City Council, TECT and Western Bay of Plenty District Council was established two years ago to streamline the process for community event organisers to access funding support.
The single point of application has significantly reduced the administration burden of smaller and often volunteer-run event committees and has been received with immense positivity.
The fund will offer at least $900,000 in funding for community event organisers this coming year, with the maximum grant amount remaining at $50,000 for events in Tauranga City district and $15,000 for events in Western Bay of Plenty.
“We continue to see the benefits of collaborating with other local funders, and the Community Event Fund is one key example,” says Wayne Werder, TECT Chief Executive.
“Not only does it allow event organisers to be exposed to more funding than ever before throughout Tauranga and Western Bay, but it also makes their funding applications less demanding.”
This year, the fund’s application process will be streamlined even further. Groups that previously had to complete individual applications for each event they hosted during the year will now be able to complete one funding request form, which can apply to multiple events.
This will mean less administrative work for event organisers seeking funding.
“Triathlon Tauranga has been lucky enough to secure funding from the Community Event Fund since its inception,” says Paul Miller, Triathlon Tauranga Events and Development Manager.
“It helps the club provide safe and affordable events to the larger Bay of Plenty community, says Miller. This means filling out four grant application forms, but for 2024/2025, there will be an amazing new way for us to combine all four events and only have to fill out one form.”
“This will be great for groups like ourselves, and Triathlon Tauranga appreciates the work that has gone into making this time saving form possible.”
Last year’s funding supported 79 events throughout the region. Funding ranged from $1,500 to $45,000 for individual events, and 13 event organisers were required to complete individual funding forms for multiple events.
“The ability to prepare just one submission that covers several events for one event organiser will mean they have more time to concentrate on event planning to bring the best possible events to our community,” says Lori Luke, Acorn Foundation Chief Executive.
“This collaborative event fund was created to streamline how funders approach funding for local community groups. We are proud to find another method to continue to do this for our community event organisers.”
The current funding year will be open to events held from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, with the funding rounds for this year being:
Round One: Open now and closes 20 April 2024. Decisions released by 20 May 2024.
Round Two: Opens 21 April and closes 20 June 2024. Decisions released by 20 July 2024.
Round Three: Opens 21 June and closes 20 August 2024. Decisions released by 20 September 2024.
Round Four: Opens 21 August and closes 20 October 2024. Decisions released by 20 November 2024.
Round Five: Opens 21 October 2024 and closes 20 January 2025. Decisions released by 20 February 2025.
Fund decisions are made by a panel of representatives from each funding organisation, and event organisers are encouraged to submit their applications at least four months before their event date.
Youth finish Gen X / Marra Tinman Triathlon. Photo provided by Triathlon Tauranga
