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The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund provides one-off grants to not-for-profit organisations and for projects that fall outside the scope of the Lottery Grants Board distribution committees.

Lottery Minister’s Discretionary Fund does not fund requests for business-as-usual activities.

The Lottery Grants Board provides funding for natural disaster emergencies recovery through the Lottery Minister’s Discretionary Fund.

The Lottery Grants Board committees cover a wide range of community purposes so please check these before requesting a grant from the Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund. If a grant request is the responsibility of one of these Lottery committees then it cannot be considered through this Fund.

Ngā kaupapa matua / Priorities

The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund provides funding for one-off projects.

As well as considering funding requests for projects that fall outside the scope of other Lottery funds, the Lottery Minister’s Discretionary Fund has 3 priority areas:

  1. volunteer firefighting and emergency ambulance services projects
  2. animal welfare projects
  3. learning and development projects:
    • financial planning and/or good governance training (with an emphasis on support for children’s organisations).

These 3 priority areas are not covered by other Lottery funds.

Ngā kaupapa ka tautokona ā-pūtea / What we fund

Volunteer firefighting and emergency ambulances services projects

The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund may fund one-off volunteer firefighting services and emergency ambulance services projects.

Organisations need to demonstrate how the grant will benefit the community and provide evidence that funding is not available from Fire and Emergency New Zealand or through existing government contracts.

Requests from emergency ambulance services must be for providing emergency services.

The Lottery Minister’s Discretionary Fund does not fund vehicles for emergency ambulance services.

Animal welfare projects

The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund may fund animal welfare projects.

Organisations need to show how the community will benefit from their animal welfare project.

Learning and development projects

The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund may fund one-off learning and development projects in:

  • financial planning and/or good governance (with an emphasis on support for children’s organisations).

Examples of costs that organisations may seek funding for include:

  • costs associated with guest speakers (including domestic and inward international travel)
  • reasonable related venue and equipment costs
  • catering and event promotion
  • a recognised professional training establishment, or
  • an individual with suitable qualifications and experience, and
  • a trainer that is independent of your organisation and the people receiving the training.

All learning and development project requests must demonstrate how the training proposed will achieve wider community benefit.

Ngā Hua / Outcomes

Grants are made to organisations whose requests show how they will achieve and measure the outcomes and benefits for New Zealand communities of their projects.

Ngā kaupapa kāore e tautokona ā-pūtea / What we don't fund

The Lottery Minister's Discretionary Fund does not fund:

  • registration or training that maintains an individual’s registration with a professional organisation
  • requests for business-as-usual activities
  • vehicles for emergency ambulance services
  • permanent residential housing services or community housing
  • gambling education, prevention or treatment services
  • a second request for the same project or location of benefit in the same funding year (1 July to 30 June)

The Lottery Minister’s Discretionary Fund is unlikely to fund:

  • where there is limited benefit for the New Zealand community or a significant sector of the community
  • sporting projects
  • arts projects

Lottery grants may not be used for any of the following:

  • repaying or servicing debt
  • refinancing loans, deposits or underwriting projects
  • commercial, political and/or religious objectives, including employment and/or business initiatives, commercial enterprises, political advocacy or projects which seek to change legislation
  • fundraisers and projects which seek to raise funds in or for a specific sector, or are involved with the training or employment of fundraisers
  • projects which seek to redistribute funding to others
  • overseas aid or disaster relief
  • alcohol and drug treatment, education and support services
  • medical expenses, operations, treatments or the purchase of major items of health equipment
  • capital investment or trust funds
  • projects or activities completed (retrospective funding) or items bought before the request.

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