Frequently asked questions

Who can apply?

Any organisation, or an individual, can apply for funding for an activity that has a community purpose. However, Lottery grants must provide a community benefit and can not directly fund activities that are for private pecuniary profit or gain. (See Does Lottery fund individuals). You will need to register before you apply for a grant.  You can register online, or call free phone 0800 824 824

Does Lottery fund individuals?

Some funds provide grants which assist individuals.  However, Lottery grants must provide a community benefit and can not directly fund activities that are for private pecuniary profit or gain. For example grants to individuals are provided by Lottery Individuals with Disabilities, to assist participation in the community.

Do you fund medical expenses?

Demand for funding is far greater than the amounts available.  For this reason, the Lottery Grants Board has excluded some types of projects from receiving lottery funding, including medical expenses, operations, and treatment.

Do you fund vehicles?

With the exception of the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities committee, which provides mobility-related equipment for people with disabilities, none of the Lottery Committees provide funding for vehicles.

Why don't you fund sports?

The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board distributes the profits from the state lotteries operated by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission.  Each year, the Board allocates at least 42% of the lottery profits it receives to three statutory bodies (Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand, and the New Zealand Film Commission).  The remainder of the available lottery funding is distributed back to the community through a system of distribution committees, each committee having its own specific funding focus.  Because the board already provides an annual allocation to SPARC, Creative New Zealand, and the NZ Film Commission, none of the Lottery distribution committees are able to allocate funding additional to this towards sports, arts, or film-related projects.

Does Lottery make grants for ongoing programmes or activities?

Applications for both projects of a one-off or short-term nature, and ongoing programmes and activities may be funded.

Does Lottery exclude any particular activities for funding?

Yes, Check out What we do not fund

Can I apply for funding to help my business?

Projects seeking to promote commercial, political or religious objectives, including political advocacy projects, employment and / or business initiatives, and commercial enterprises are excluded from receiving lottery funding.

Do you fund admin expenses (paper, postage, etc.)?

Yes, some of the Lottery committees provide funding to assist with administration expenses.  Check out what we fund.

Does Lottery fund salaries?

Some committees do.  However, salaries are more likely to be granted if they are directly linked to an activity or programme with proven benefit to the community.  Usually, there is only enough funding available to make a contribution to a salary.

Does Lottery fund new activities and projects?

New initiatives are encouraged.  However, applicants seeking funding for new initiatives are less likely to receive funding for salaries. 

Does Lottery fund new applicants or newly established organisations?

Yes, though some committees may limit the dollar amount of a grant.

Do applicant organisations have to be legal entities?

No – but it will affect the amount you are able to apply for – organisations that are not legal entities may apply for a maximum of $10,000.

Do applicant organisations have to be registered with the Charities Commission?

No, though they may choose to register with the Charities Commission for other reasons.  Please note that registration with the Charities Commission does not in itself confer legal status.  An organisation also needs to be registered under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957.

Can we apply for funding for a project on which we are collaborating with an un-related organisation?

Lottery encourages collaboration between community organisations through accepting joint applications from organisations that are not legally related. However, a grant will not be made to an umbrella organisation that, at its own discretion expects to redistribute grant monies.  A grant application for a collaborative project, programme and/or activity must show a clear project/activity management structure that specifies the responsibilities of the various parties for delivering the intended benefits, and for accounting for the grant expenditure and its outcomes.

Can we seek funding for our project from other sources?

Yes; you should not rely on Lottery funding all of your activity. Lottery encourages applicants to work with others for community benefit. Lottery committees fund a wide range of initiatives, but are rarely able to provide funding for the full range of activities that the community or applicant is involved in. This does not necessarily mean that activities that are not funded are unworthy of support, but rather that there is simply not enough money to accommodate all funding requests.  You may wish to refer to other funding options listed on the Funding Information Service's website.

Do we need to raise funds ourselves?

As Lottery grants are rarely sufficient to fund an entire project or all an organisation’s activities, some committees require applicants to have secured a portion of their funding prior to applying for a grant.  Check the fund information you wish to apply to, or discuss with an advisor, free phone 0800 824 824.

Do we need to have all approvals in place before applying for a grant?

Applications for projects requiring building and resource consents must generally have the necessary approvals in place prior to the application closing date. Conditional grants may be made but not paid out until all regulatory and consent requirements are obtained. Some specialist committees have additional criteria before making a grant, such as ethics approval or professional endorsement.  Please refer to specific fund information for further information.

What financial information do we need to supply with our application? 

All applicants to Lottery committees need to provide information about their organisation's finances before an application can be processed.  The type of information required depends on how much funding is being requested and how long the organisation has been in existence.  In summary: Applicants requesting up to $10,000 must provide annual accounts approved by the organisation’s governing body; Applicants requesting $10,000 to $50,000 must provide their most recent audited annual accounts or independently reviewed accounts signed by the reviewer  - an independent person with reasonable knowledge of finance and accounting; Applicants requesting $50,001 and over must provide audited annual accounts, accompanied by the auditor’s report. Details are set out in the application documentation. It is preferable that audited accounts be provided if available. The financial information provided must meet the requirements of your group's constitution or trust deed.  For example, if your trust deed requires that your accounts be audited, then audited accounts must be provided.  See also Financial requirements.

How do we know our application is successful? 

You will normally find out if your application has been successful within 15 working days of the distribution committee meeting, or of receipt of your application to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.  Grantees will receive a letter setting out any specific conditions of grant.  You may also track the progress of your application online. Applicants to the Individuals with Disabilities Fund will be notified on receipt of their application when they may expect to hear the outcome.  This is normally within six to sixteen weeks.

How do we acknowledge our grant?

Grant recipients must acknowledge the Lottery Grants Board's support in publicity materials, such as event programmes, and in annual reports.  You may be contacted for information about your grant to be utilised in publicity material by the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board or the New Zealand Lotteries Commission.

How should we account for our grant? 

The Lottery grant, and expenditure against it, should be shown as separate entries, or in a note to the recipient’s annual accounts. Where practical, if supplying audited accounts, a note should be included explaining how the grant money has been spent, and detailing the amount and source of any other funds used for your project.

Why does the Lottery Grants Board perform audits of grant recipients? 

The Lottery Grants Board reports annually to Parliament, and is ultimately responsible to the New Zealand public for the way it distributes the funds it receives. Carrying out audits is the way the Board discharges this responsibility.  Each year, a number of grant recipients is selected for auditing. Audits are also carried out on any grant recipients who do not submit required accountability reports or where other concerns have been raised about how the grant has been spent. In signing the relevant form of client agreement, you agree to allow the Board to audit grant expenditure, and to co-operate with on-site audits and investigations by making available all records and accounts relating to the grant.

If my project or activity runs for more than one year, do I have to reapply for funding every year? 

You may apply, and funds permitting, committees may make multi year grants, covering up to a three year period.  Check with an advisor (free phone 0800 824 824) whether the committee you intend to apply to is offering this type of grant.  Lottery funds are limited.  There can be no guarantee of continued funding for an ongoing activity (except within the provisions of multi year funding).