Denise Pimentel

Donate before March 31st and get a third of the money back as tax credit from IRD.

With tax filing season coming up, many businesses will looking to finalize their plans for the end of the financial year. 

Corporate social responsibility is increasingly becoming a focus for businesses. This is encouraged by the New Zealand government with donations eligible for a 33.3% tax credit up to the amount of tax paid during the year.

We are thankful to all of our business, payday and campaign donors, which is why we are reminding you of this service by the IRD. It's great to give and even better when that giving has an added win-win benefit. 

If you'd like to claim your tax back, IRD provides two ways to file for a tax credit when you make a one-time donation or participate in regular payroll giving:

• Submit copies of your donation receipt electronically throughout the year to your myIR account and claim donation tax credits as part of your end of year income tax process.
• File tax credit claim form (IR526) for the relevant tax year from April of the following year.

The good news is that if you have missed filing tax credit forms for donations made in past years, the IRD allows you to go back up to four years, for tax years 2018 through 2021.

See more about tax credits for donations on the IRD website

Thanks again to our sponsors and we hope you will consider donating again this financial year or next. 

The Catalytic Foundation would like to acknowledge the Dunedin Community Transport Trust for the essential accessibility services they provide to members of the community.

The Dunedin Community Transport Trust provides low-income elderly individuals with access to flexible and affordable transport to allow them to simply get on with their lives. It's more than just helping to get people from A to B, but also about encouraging independence and maintaining well-being. 

Currently, they arrange and transport approximately 35 people on a weekly basis to and from the supermarket. This simple act of empowerment means many of these people can continue to live in their own homes independently. Shopping together as a group has also created a certain sense of belonging. 

We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers of Dunedin Community Transport Trust for the work they do in assisting these low-income individuals/families to access an affordable and reliable transport service on a regular basis.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

We'd like to acknowledge and appreciate the work done by the Heart Kids Otago team. 

Heart Kids Otago is one of the affiliated branches of Heart Kids NZ. They are a small dedicated and passionate team that provide support to families and individuals affected by heart issues. At the moment they  support over 400 heart members located in the greater Otago region. 

Heart Kids Otago provide support to people of all ages, individuals as well as their extended whanau. They provide practical aid and emotional support during and after treatment. This includes things like:

• Home or hospital visits
• Connecting people to professional help and community services
• Matching families to others who are experiencing a similar journey
• Assisting with access to specialised medical equipment
• Hospital/home food care packages 

We are delighted to have been able to provide funding to this amazing charity. The work done by Heart Kids Otago is absolutely inspiring and makes a big difference to patients and their families. 

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

We'd like to thank Pregnancy Help Dunedin and their volunteers for the amazing work they do serve pregnant women and their families throughout Dunedin.

Pregnancy Help is a charity offering a range of services to pregnant women and their families throughout Aotearoa. They provide useful information to pregnant women and their families to help them make informed decisions. They provide a safe space for pregnant women to get support through their different stages of pregnancy and also post-pregnancy. 

Servicing their clients is at the core of what they do. Each regional Pregnancy Help branch has a local telephone number that any woman who is pregnant or who has recently been pregnant can ring for a friendly listening ear or guidance. The local focus means they can also assist with arranging appointments such as referrals for specialised counselling, maternity services, and WINZ, which is specific to each area. 

The Catalytic foundation is happy to know that our grant assisted with the set up of Pregnancy Help Dunedin's Covid-19 Response Fund, which enabled courier services to send essential practical support out to their clients during Level 3 and 4 lockdowns. Pregnancy Help Dunedin have had to think outside the box in terms of how to service clients during a pandemic and it is good to know we were able to assist in some way.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

The Catalytic Foundation acknowledge and appreciate the inspirational work done by Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge and their volunteers. We are proud to be supporting this organisation with Christmas boxes this year and to with our community grant funding.

Women's Refuge is New Zealand’s largest organisation that supports and helps women and children experiencing family violence. The organisation strives to ensure all women and children in Aotearoa can live free from domestic and family violence.

Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge in particular are more than just a safe house - they are a pillar of strength to vulnerable families in the Dunedin community. The regional branch provides various solutions under one roof such as:

• Confidential support through a 24 hour crisis line
• Home and community visits including in isolated regions
• 24/7 access to safe houses
• Advocacy when dealing with police, legal, court, WINZ, housing, doctors, immigration, school’s and Oranga Tamariki
• Referrals to counsellors, doctors, lawyers and other support services
• Education and support groups for women and children, as well as providing information and presentations to community groups, schools and workplaces 

We at the Catalytic Foundation are glad to know that our grant was used to help the charity obtain essentials like furniture for their safe houses. For women and children with nowhere else to go, the safe house is the closest they have to a home so it's important that it provides some comforts of home, especially during what's sure to be one of the most challenging periods of their lives. 

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

The Catalytic Foundation acknowledges and appreciates the inspirational work done by Presbyterian Support Otago and their volunteers. We are proud to have supported their ability to provide community services throughout Otago.

Presbyterian Support Otago helps the community through services such as:

• Social events for the elderly
• Social services for families and youth
• Emergency food parcels for people in financial need

They also offer locations for the community to come together such as Shop On op shops, Youthgrow community gardens and the Ross cafe so that people can come together and socialize in safe community environments.  

A highlight piece of work they do is their Buddy mentoring programme. It is a way to support the emotional and social well being of children by matching them with carefully selected and trained adult volunteers. The Catalaytic Foundation are delighted to know that our grant was able to help in the smooth functioning of this worthwhile programme.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

We want to acknowledge the team behind Home & Family who work with children, youth, adults and families in Christchurch facing challenges to build positive outcomes in their lives.

Home & Family has been in support of the Christchurch community for over 120 years. Some of the work that they do include:

• Providing children home with whānau who cherish them, keep them safe and nurture their potential.
• Residential parenting programme which has 24 hours supported accommodation for parents with children.
• Help with affordable, professional and confidential counselling services for couples, youth and children.

Their work in the family violence sector aims to ensure that the voices of children and young people impacted by family violence are heard and their needs met.

"Post Lockdown we noticed a 30% increase in demand for our child therapy services.”
- Home & Family Christchurch

Catalytic Foundation is proud to support Home & Family with a grant to ensure that they can reach even more people in need. We would like to thank all the volunteers and staff for their amazing work through these tough times.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

Thank you to Age Concern Whanganui, a community based non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of the elderly.

Age Concern Whanganui offers a variety of services and information to help cater to the needs of older people, families, and communities in their area. Their wide range of services include: 

• Calling service for people who don't like face to face interaction
• Arranging transport and subsidising taxi fares for the elderly to make it easy for them to reach hospitals or their place of need.

Since the last two lockdowns, the charity has seen an increase in demand especially within the Elder Abuse Service and support services. Through their team of staff and volunteers, Age Concern Whanganui were able to provide support to over a thousand elderly people in need in the past year. This is an amazing accomplishment given the lockdowns and the current uncertain climate.

The Catalytic Foundation is really proud to have provided a grant to Age Concern Whanganui to support the incredible service they provide to the elderly in our community. We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers of Age Concern Whanganui who work tirelessly towards helping their community. 

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

We want to acknowledge the Citizens Advice Bureau Dunedin for the work they do in helping people know and understand their rights and obligations, and how to use this information to get the best results for their problems.

The Citizens Advice Bureau Dunedin is about empowering people with the confidence and support they need to take action. They work towards building positive social change in the community. 

Citizens Advice Bureau Dunedin work in various sectors and reach out to several people facing challenges. In the past year, they have provided:

• 37 JP clinics in their community
• Awareness about their services to the new refugees that have arrived at Red Cross
• Radio recordings that provide settlement information for migrants.

With such extensive programmes, they help multiple migrants & former refugees in the community. They also organise free settlement information workshops for migrants. The workshops cover various topics such as employment, health and wellbeing in terms of ACC, Red Cross help during Covid-19 and currently, a workshop that covers visas and individuals’ rights amidst Covid-19.

The Catalytic Foundation is really glad to be able to support the work of the Citizens Advice Bureau Dunedin. We are very thankful for their initiative and services for the community especially to the migrants and refugees.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

ChatBus Trust is the safe place for children to go when they don’t want to talk or are unable to talk to anyone in their family circle.

ChatBus Trust is based in Dunedin. To be able to assist the youth in the community, ChatBus works with counsellors. In 2020, ChatBus had only 8 counsellors, but that number has since increased to 10. To help the ChatBus cause, the counsellors working with them are:

• Professionally trained to help the youth understand difficult situations, while guiding them through it.
• Based in schools and similar establishments.
• Members of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC).
• Assigned to different communities in Dunedin that require their assistance.

It is very difficult to quantify a changed life, but they have many anecdotal stories of lives that have been changed by their experience at ChatBus. Chatbus is becoming an increasingly essential service requested by and offered by schools so that the children in the community can access counselling.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Chatbus Trust for guiding the kids of the Dunedin community. We know how hard it can be to organise and support such services, and Catalytic Foundation is proud to have supported them and be part of this amazing family.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most. 

Thanks to all the staff and volunteers of the Otago Neighbourhood Support Charitable Trust for creating unique and tailored safety programmes for your community.

The Otago Neighbourhood Support Charitable Trust is a regional branch of the nationwide charity Neighbourhood Support New Zealand. They work closely with New Zealand Police and like-minded partners to:

• Create safe and caring neighbourhoods
• Prevent crime in our communities
• Build resilience and strengthen community connectedness 
• Improve the quality of life and well-being for all

They provide various programmes and awareness campaigns such as Scam Savvy - an educational programme, providing information and resources to help prevent people from being victims of scams. The course was presented in partnership with a local bank, Age Concern, service clubs and retirement villages to create more awareness.

As Otago Neighbourhood Support Charitable Trust work in association with the local police department, most of their programmes are in response to the reports and crimes recorded in the neighbourhood which makes it more beneficial for the community.

The Catalytic Foundation are happy to have provided a grant to enable the work that you do to help improve the safety, resilience and wellbeing of your residents.

The recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research has found that community charities need our help now more than ever. Please consider a donation or setting up workplace giving so we can get support to where it's needed most.