A record $148,000 has been awarded to local charities following Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s 2019 funding round.
Grants included $63,000 awarded on behalf of The Tindall Foundation, for which Hawke’s Bay Foundation is the local funding manager.
Sarah Mulcahy, Chair of Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Distributions Committee says the organisation received the highest number of funding applications in its history, with requests far outstripping the available funding.
“There were applications from a wide variety of organisations, all of whom play a vital role in a thriving community sector,” says Mulcahy. “The gap between government funding and the costs of providing services in the social sector becomes more apparent every year.”
All funding applications are reviewed by the Distributions Committee – a volunteer panel comprised of Hawke’s Bay Foundation trustees and community representatives.
“We have a committed group of volunteers on the distribution committee who review each application and consider things such as financial stability, organisational governance and a proven record of delivery of services within the community,” adds Mulcahy. “Our priorities include initiatives that form part of an essential safety net, promote community participation, or support those people most likely to be marginalised.”
Among the 57 charities to receive funding is the Yoga Education in Prisons Trust, who received a $3,000 grant to support three tutors delivering yoga, meditation and mindfulness programmes at Mangaroa Prison.
Tutor Linda Trubridge, who has been teaching yoga voluntarily at Mangaroa for the past ten years, says the funding will help support a new influx of teachers.
“People think of yoga as a purely physical activity,” says Trubridge. “But yoga is a tool to bring about physical, mental, spiritual and behavioural change.”
Trubridge says yoga and meditation techniques help prisoners transform negative behaviour, and prepare for integration into the community following their release.
“We encourage students to take the changes from the yoga mat back into society,” says Trubridge.
With 90 local charities applying for grants in the 2019 funding round, Sarah Mulcahy says it’s heartening to know that Hawke’s Bay Foundation is now established as a local funder, which is well known to the community sector.
“We would love to be able to provide more support and can hope for a future when our funds for distribution have grown substantially,” she says. “That relies on the continued generosity of our donors.”