We want to acknowledge the team behind the SuperGrans Dunedin Charitable Trust and the work they do in providing a free, holistic mentoring support service for individuals and families in the community.

The SuperGrans Dunedin Charitable Trust offer a one-on-one home-base support and group workshops to help families develop life skills, enabling people to help themselves. Specifically, they offer classes and programmes in the following:

• Cooking, including understanding and implementing economical shopping, meal planning and food preparation
• Basic sewing, knitting and mending
• Gardening, growing fresh produce to serve on the family table
• Household management and hygiene

Their ‘grans’ (community mentors) come from all walks of life and have life experience and practical skills to share. The mentoring service focuses on knowledge sharing of useful life skills and encouraging sustainable lifestyles. It is based on Te Whare Tapa Wha - the four cornerstones of Māori health. 

We at the Catalytic Foundation are really proud to be able to contribute towards the programmes being run by the SuperGrans Dunedin Charitable Trust. The grant they received has helped to ensure that the charities worthwhile programmes can reach more in the 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'd like to acknowledge the team behind the Dunedin Night Shelter for providing free emergency accommodation to both men and women in need.

Located at 18 Lees Street, the Dunedin Night Shelter is open everyday from 6pm until 9am. The people who arrive at their shelter face a lot of challenges and a lack of resources. The Dunedin Night Shelter offers:

• An evening meal
• Showering facilities
• Laundry facilities
• A warm and safe bed for the night
• Breakfast and a chance to pack a lunch for the day. 

The Dunedin Night Shelter staff are made up of community workers. From April 2021 to August 2021, they hosted a total of 97 guests, 22 women and 75 men, for a total of 311 bed nights.

Recently, due to the recent COVID-19 lockdowns, they've had a need to increase the numbers of Night Supervisors. The grant they received through the Catalytic Foundation helped to ensure that the Dunedin Night Shelter was able to remain open, providing 24-hour accommodation under Levels 3 and 4. The Catalytic Foundation are proud to have helped this worthwhile charity, especially during these trying 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. 

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. 

Grant applications are open from 1 October to 22 October, 2021.

We are passionate about supporting the work of community charities, iwi and not-for-profit organisations who work hard to build healthy and resilient communities. We invite regional community groups, which meet the criteria, to apply to our annual grant in October this year. 

In the upcoming October funding round, we invite organisations from the following regions to apply: Manawatu/Horowhenua, Whanganui, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago and Southland. 

We are thankful to The Tindall Foundation who have chosen the Catalytic Foundation as their donation manager in the above areas and our workplace donors who collectively contribute to our Community Chest for these Grants. We concentrate funding on where it is most needed and will make the greatest difference. 

Priority Areas:

Whanau/Family, Early Years Support, Youth Development, Accommodation/Housing, Food security, Community Services, Refugee/Migrant and Cross-Cultural Communities, Skill Development / Training / Financial Literacy.

Who we fund:

We fund small to medium sized, community-based organisations who do not have large inhouse marketing or fundraising resources. Applications will be considered for project costs and operating expenses including: rent, utilities, salaries/wages. 

We Do Not Fund:

Schools, core early childhood education programmes, Government agencies, art organisations, sport organisations, animal charities, fixed assets or purchases over $3,000, capital projects, sports equipment, overseas travel, medical treatment or individuals, and health organisations (except in Otago).

Online applications only will be accepted after 1 October 2021 and the closing date for applications is 22 October 2021. Applicants will be advised before March 2022 if successful for funding.  Determining eligibility for funding is at the discretion of our regional volunteers and the Catalytic Foundation Board of Trustees.  From the 1st October, please click here to start your application. 

Thank you to the Servants Health Centre in Dunedin for their commitment to providing free medical care to those who need it most. 

Servants Health Centre was initially founded by two doctors and a midwife in 2010. The free clinic is operated by volunteers and helps those people in Dunedin who are struggling financially and cannot afford to pay for healthcare services.

The location of the clinic is strategically placed to benefit the majority of their patients who depend on public transportation. They offer a variety of medical tests and services.

In the last few months alone, the Catalytic Foundation community grant has contributed towards:

• 81% of their patients have received education about smoking and advice on how to quit
• 89% of their patients have had a cardiovascular risk assessment
• 82% of their eligible patients have had a cervical smear
• 76% of their ‘at risk’ patients have had a flu vaccine
• 44% of their patients have had a comprehensive health assessment
• Approximately 425 people living in poverty received free healthcare services

The Catalytic Foundation acknowledge and appreciate the inspirational work done by Servants Health Centre and their volunteers. We are proud to have supported their ability to service patients throughout Dunedin.

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 Stopping Violence Services (SVS) Christchurch, a specialist provider of non-violence programmes in Canterbury.

SVS is dedicated to ensuring people in the community live a safe and violent free environment, providing support to all, irrespective of age, gender or financial status. They have seen a rising demand for services to help young people in Canterbury who exhibit problematic behaviors impacting the wider whānau, school and general community. Often it stems from complex mental health problems and family issues.

“The complexity of issues young people are presenting with has also increased, with a significant number struggling with anxiety and/ or depression”                                       

    - Stopping Violence Services (SVS) Christchurch    

Every young person referred to SVS is provided personalized support and services based on their specific needs. SVS has various approaches and programmes to suit the individual. One important service is giving access to clinicians who can work to support the young person in a holistic way, linking them to additional specialist services where appropriate.

An ongoing challenge for SVS is the lack of specialist services in rural areas. The Catalytic grant helps to support the work of SVS so that they can help more young people in the Canterbury region. 

We would like to thank SVS for the work they do to help change the lives of young people in Canterbury, which is undoubtedly benefiting families and the wider 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. 

In the recent findings from our Covid-19 Community Needs research, Kiwi charities across the board identified "mental health" as the most important issue affecting their communities during times of lockdown. 

“Since covid lockdowns the levels and complexities of issues young are having has increased our workload by 50% with an 80% increase in risk and spike in mental health issues around anxiety and depression, suicide ideation and self-harm, abuse and with the need for more care and protection interventions from our teams” - Nationwide Youth Charity

The survey conducted by the Catalytic Foundation received 560 responses from New Zealand charities across the three different COVID-19 lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. The top three issues identified by charities in regards to the communities they serve were "mental health", "adequate housing" and "financial security" (which includes access to food and basic needs).

Practically all charities have been affected by the pandemic and many experienced an increased demand for services this year. For many charities, obtaining additional funding remains a priority and the amount needed has increased compared to last year, largely due to operational costs/expenses, and efforts to keep staff employed. 

“We are witnessing much higher levels of anxiety in our clients and staff” Social services charity in Otago

As community charities and not-for-profit organisations seek to address major social issues, most of them lack the resources, secure funding or even volunteers to help them work effectively and Covid-19 has only added to this strain. Charities have similar costs to commercial organisations yet they are trying to operate on the smell of an oily rag and they need our support!

“There has been a huge increase in demand for our services, especially for food parcels, emergency housing and mental health support” Community charity in Northland

In response to the findings from the Community Needs Surveys, the Catalytic Foundation has established donation pages for the following mental health charities: Youth in Transition (Auckland) and Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust (Otago).

Please click on their names for further details about how you can help

Thank you to the Dunedin Community House for being a centralized space for charity and local groups to welcome and assist the community

Dunedin Community House (DCH) provides a convenient inner-city community services’ hub for Ōtepoti Dunedin. The team works hard to achieve a vision of thriving and connected communities through the provision of a welcoming, safe, and supportive place for individuals, groups and communities to access services and resources. 

DCH is a place where people seek and receive advice, support, advocacy and practical assistance for a broad range of health and social issues. There are approximately 17 charities that are office tenants of DCH, with a further 13 other charities and community groups also delivering their services from rooms in the DCH.  

The Catalytic Foundation grant enabled the DCH to continue to serve their communities and charities. Specifically, the grant contributed to the payment of the contracted reception services so that that the DCH offices, meeting rooms and spaces were welcoming, safe and accessible to all. With so many charities and groups sharing the space, receptionist services is essential as they are the first source of contact for people seeking services or information.

The Catalytic Foundation are glad to have helped Dunedin Community House as we know how important it can be to provide strong support to the charities that are using them as a base and point of contact.

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. 

While Covid-19 has hit Aotearoa hard, the 'Love Soup' team have been collecting, sorting and distributing good food to assist communities, whanau and people in need around Auckland, the Waikato and Tokoroa regions.

DONATE HERE

Julie and her team are getting good supplies of food to redistribute, however, they still have to pay for the vans, petrol, storage rent, salaries, operations and volunteer costs.

How can you help? By donating to Love Soup via the link above.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the team and volunteers at Camellia House in Manawatu.

Their annual impact report shows they utilised our community grant for maintenance and smooth running of the house. Camellia House is known for being a safe haven for women and their children in Manawatu, offering temporary accommodation and support services to enable them to be independent. They have directly supported 21 women and 15 children between March 2021 and July 2021. 

During these tough times, mums with children were able to benefit from their stays at Camellia House and were helped with parenting and budgeting courses. They ensured that every child that left Camellia House was enrolled in kindergarten/school and sought ongoing support if required with mental health and addiction services.

The Catalytic Foundation (donation managers for The Tindall Foundation and Workplace donors) is proud to supporting Camellia House and their amazing services for women and children in need in the Manawatu.