Funding for age friendly communities
Apply to us for funding to help your city or community to become age friendly.
The Age friendly Fund
Our Age friendly Fund supports communities to become age friendly and funds projects that promote the inclusion and contribution of older people in all aspects of community life.
Applying for a grant
Key Timeframes
The annual funding round opens on 1 August 2023 and applications can be submitted until Sunday 24 September 2023. Successful applicants will be notified in November 2023. Projects should not be scheduled to start before January 2024 to enable “Letters of grant” to be agreed. Projects should be completed within 12 months of start date.
Who can apply
Councils, community organisations and registered non-profit organisations can apply for an Age friendly fund grant. Businesses and individuals are not eligible.
Projects we support
You can apply for funding to:
- start development of a local age friendly strategy or action plan
- plan for population ageing taking a whole of council and community approach
- test and implement innovative local solutions to help create age friendly communities that can be adapted for use in other places
- develop age friendly solutions that address more than one social issue and connect people of all ages.
- implement a new project in support of an age friendly strategy or action plan (which is supported by your council)
- projects that encourage connection between people of all ages
- development of Kaupapa Māori or other culturally specific approaches to creating age friendly communities
- innovative ways to address social isolation and loneliness
- promotion of age friendly business practices
- projects that aim to create local system level change (eg changes to local transport or recreation systems)
- projects that support older people in rural areas to age in place, participate and be included in their communities
We will not fund:
- projects that do not demonstrate benefits for older people and their participation in the community
- existing programmes, projects, products or services or projects that duplicate existing programmes or services available in your community
- activities that are the legislative responsibility of a council or Health New Zealand (previously a District Health Board)
- projects that are funded by or duplicate an existing government programme or service eg, falls prevention, exercise and health promotion programmes
- new capital works or upgrades to existing infrastructure such as construction costs, building repairs or alterations
- recurring maintenance or operational costs of existing programmes or facilities
- general on-going operational expenses
- any salaries or wages for permanent or existing staff
- professional development activities
- activities that involve commercial ventures for personal gain or fundraising activities
- the purchase of vehicles or similar depreciable assets
- funding solely for the purposes of designing/planning work or concept plans
- fundraising activities
- international travel
- funding for one-off trips, excursions, meetings or events
- recurrent or retrospective funds – this includes enhancements to existing work or programmes, the reimbursement of costs already incurred or expended, and any projects or activities or expenditure that has taken place prior to the application being approved.
Funding available
The total funding available for the next grants round is anticipated to be $150,000 excluding GST.
Applications are invited for grants in the range of $5,000 up to $15,000 excluding GST, depending on the size of the project.
If you wish to apply
The application form and detailed information in the fund guidance document is available now. Please contact the Office for Seniors about your project before you finalise your application, so that we can clarify any issues and help you strengthen your proposal. Contact us at agefriendlyfund@msd.govt.nz.
Application form can be downloaded here
Guidance document can be downloaded here
Projects we’ve funded
Atamu EFKS Porirua: Delivering a series of weaving (lalaga) sessions, to offer an opportunity for their older generation to share valuable knowledge about this dying art with younger people and encourage intergenerational engagement in the community.
Te Runanga o Ngai Tamawhariua: Creating a series of kaupapa Māori events for kaumātua and kuia from Te Rereatukahia, Otawhiwhi and Tuapiro Marae - each of the events will have education, health and intergenerational aspects that kaumātua and kuia will get to learn about.
Presbyterian Support Upper South: Delivering retirement workshops that aim to provide participants with a framework to prepare for retirement. Weekly sessions over a period of six weeks will include topics such as; wellbeing, health, finance, employment and community engagement.
North Otago Art Society: Delivering the Creative Connections program, an initiative to assist in addressing the growing need for support for people living with dementia in the Waitaki District. The program is designed to encourage people with dementia to try new experiences, create new social relationships and engage and be included in the local community.
Manchester House: Connecting Seniornet and Feilding High school students to assist seniors to write their memoirs, with the end result being a book in both digital and hard copy, preserving the senior client’s history for future generations.
Te Whare Toi o Ngaaruawaahia Inc: Creating a suite of cultural programmes for the seniors of Ngaaruawaahia. The programme will be delivered over 4 terms of 10 weeks from February to December.
Age Concern Auckland: Progressing implementation of the Age Friendly Auckland Action Plan. The grant will enable Age Concern Auckland to identify gaps and opportunities for developing new Age friendly activities and initiatives, and collaborative ways of working.
Alpine Community Trust: Engaging with a researcher to complete a survey and focus groups with older adults to collect data, specifically about living conditions health and social needs in the Upper Clutha region.
Northshore CMA: Engaging with seniors and local stakeholders, to form a steering group to develop and carry out a community age-friendly assessment in the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast areas of Auckland.
Takutai Charitable Trust: Engaging seniors and youth of the Pohutukawa Coast through workshops to help identify and develop an intergenerational activity or event that they would like to organise and participate in.
Age Concern Whangarei: Delivering the Live Alone Senior Service Project. The aim is to provide contact each month with a senior who is living alone, to enhance their health and overall wellbeing.
Cycling Without Age Eastern Bay of Plenty Inc: Carrying out the International Cycling Without Age Movement by providing free recreational outings primarily for older, low mobility residents and others socially isolated by illness and disability in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Timaru District Council will collate and analyse the Timaru District Age friendly community engagement activity and will develop an Age friendly strategy and Plan for the Timaru District.
Whanganui District Council will use the funding to engage directly with older people, to understand their needs and barriers in accessing current digital inclusion initiatives, and will be working with them to design interventions and supports for digital inclusion.
Mackenzie District Council will develop a Mackenzie Age friendly Community Strategy and Terms of References to implement the Age friendly plan, as part of a wider South Canterbury Age friendly Alliance with Timaru District Council and other neighbouring Canterbury Councils.
Kawerau and District Ageing in Place (KADAP) will undertake a community survey to provide feedback to Kawerau District Council on the Age friendly and Accessibility Strategy review. KADAP will identify ways to enhance connections between youth and older people and areas they can strengthen their support of older people.
Kāpiti Coast District Council will create an Age friendly environment for kaumātua that focuses on addressing the needs of Māori in the Kāpiti District. This includes trialling a co-ordinator role to liase and work with kaumātua to implement activities and events as part of the District’s Age friendly Plan.
Foto Iwi Charitable Trust will bring together young people and seniors to record and capture stories, and socially connect sharing skills and interests captured through digital media.
Te Hau Awhiowhio O Otangarei will use the funding to bring togther kaumātua and kuia from Otangarei to provide culturally appropriate advice and support, and to enable them to identify and take a leadership role in projects to make Otangarei more Age friendly. A project to develop a Te Ao Māori library to access information, stories and community histories through the eyes of residents will also be created.
HBH Senior Living will develop a virtual village plan and resources to set up a new virtual village to support and connect vulnerable older people living in Mount Roskill and New Windsor areas (Virtual Village West)
Alzheimer’s Marlborough: Alzheimer’s Society Marlborough will use the funding to employ a project facilitator to provide dementia-friendly awareness education to businesses and organisations in Marlborough.The aim of the project is to create a community that supports people living with dementia to continue to be actively engaged and connected community members.
Tauranga City Council: Tauranga City Council will be facilitating a project on Successful Ageing in a Post-COVID Environment, which aims to ensure that the community enables seniors to be well, active, connected, and secure.
The Family Centre: The Family Centre in Lower Hutt will be developing an age friendly plan for Pasifika seniors in Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata.
Waikato Indian Senior Citizens Association: Waikato Senior Indian Citizens Association will provide a weekly programme for local Senior Citizens where they can get together, play games, share views and learn from each other. At times speakers will be invited to address the group on topics including physical and mental health and general wellbeing.
Rotorua Multicultural Council: The Rotorua Multicultural Council is collaborating with Parksyde, the community centre for the 55+ age group, and with SeniorNet, a community training network that supports older adults in improving their computer skills. The programmes will introduce older migrants in Rotorua to the activities available through these two organisations and involve them in multicultural events to improve their community connections.
Nelson Tasman Age Concern: Age Concern Nelson Tasman will help encourage social connection in rural parts of the region, using a community-led approach. They will work directly with older people, volunteers and existing networks to find the gaps and establish more socialising opportunities according to the local needs.
Age Concern Auckland: Piloting a social connection programme (that could be expanded if successful) making Auckland more age friendly via Social Connections Local Area Co-ordination. Building strong networks of local volunteers to support and assist isolated older people in their community.
Age Concern Wellington: Connect! An initiative to reduce isolation among older people and strengthen communities through increasing participation and engagement. Piloting use of the existing volunteer network to support older people into new activities and networks. Creating relationships with older people then linking them through to existing clubs and opportunities in their area.
Alexandra Community House: A Feasibility Study to develop a model to address isolation and loneliness in Alexandra. Work includes a community survey to identify community issues and priorities to support development of a virtual village.
Alzheimer’s Otago: Raising awareness of dementia to the public and supporting local businesses/organisations to become dementia friendly and trialling a third tier Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme as an entry level award for businesses interested in supporting people with dementia.
Connect the Dots: To develop and pilot free community art workshops in Māori, Pacific and Asian languages for people with dementia to provide social connection and meaningful activity.
Coromandel Independent Living Trust: This Project will engage with older people and key local stakeholders to form a steering group to develop and carry out a community age-friendly assessment in the Coromandel Colville ward. It will be guided by the WHO framework and form a seniors hub (networking group)
Dementia Wellington: Living well with Dementia - a pilot programme to enable people with dementia and their carers to remain connected and engaged with their community
Hutt Timebank: Supporting older people with transport needs and social connection using a time banking model.
Waitaki District Council: to develop a Waitaki District action plan to address the needs of older community members identified in the 2017 Senior Wellbeing survey.
CNSST: Carrying out targeted consultations with Chinese communities in Auckland to help develop an age-friendly action plan.
Hauraki District Council: Developing a feasibility study to establish an intergenerational and age-friendly social support hub for older people in Waihi.
Horowhenua District Council: Developing an Age-friendly Communities strategy and review of Horowhenua District Council’s Positive Ageing Action Plan.
Howick Baptist Virtual Villages East: Developing a virtual-village model to build an age-friendly community for the seniors of Howick and surrounding areas.
Kāpiti Coast Grey Power: Engaging with the four unique communities in the Kāpiti Coast area to identify and prioritise age-friendly actions.
Nelson Tasman Community Transport Trust: Researching the transport needs for the older people in the Tasman district, and trialling a community bus service to inform the development of an effective community transport service model.
New Plymouth Age-Friendly Trust: Engaging with key stakeholders in rural and remote areas of the district to identify and agree on the key priority areas for the Age Friendly New Plymouth Action Plan and to oversee implementation.
Toa Pacific: Facilitating an introduction to older Pacific people engaging and connecting with a range of age-friendly community-led and council activities, to help reduce social isolation and loneliness.
Taupō District Council The Council is developing an Age-friendly Communities Strategy. The first step is to develop a project plan to engage and work with the different communities in the Taupō district.
Wesley Community Action This project will design and develop an Ageing Well Network for the Hutt Valley. It will involve establishing a core design group, workshops with community stakeholders, and creation of a stepped implementation plan to start an ageing well network. The intent is to create a model that can be shared across New Zealand.
Enliven Woburn This project will pilot a volunteer buddy programme to support Hutt Valley community members experiencing early to moderate dementia, and their family members. The project will train and up-skill the volunteer work force and pool the resources currently available in different parts of the community, helping to address the risk of social isolation for people with dementia and their families.
Nelson City Council Running a project to investigate the experiences and challenges of ageing from the perspective of five different groups in Nelson: Māori, Pasifika, former refuges, older migrants and LGBTI. This work will inform the development of the wider Nelson Age-friendly Strategy.
Carterton District Council: Carterton District Council is co-ordinating with South Wairarapa and Masterton District Councils to create a Positive Ageing Strategy for the whole Wairarapa district. The project includes background analysis, needs assessments and community consultation and will be used to develop an age-friendly strategy and action plan.
Te Kokoru Manaakitanga - Eastern Bay Villages: This project links residents from the Whakatāne district to share ideas, host hui and develop policies. The project will prepare a report on ways to reduce vulnerability and isolation in rural Māori communities and finding culturally appropriate ways to address these issues for different organisations and their communities.
Hurunui District Council: Assessing current and future needs and understanding the issues affecting older people. It will engage with older people and organisations to gather ideas on what the Council can do to create age-friendly communities and create a plan to present to the council with actions.
Napier City Council: Napier is one of six cities trialling the use of OPERAT (Older People’s External Residential Assessment Tool. The council will train and support older people to use the tool to assess their local neighbourhoods. It will test the suitability of the tool for use in New Zealand, and identify areas where local improvements could be made, and help implement the plan for the Napier Positive Ageing Strategy.
Waimakariri District Council: Supporting the development of a Waimakariri Age-friendly Community Plan. The project will establish a Steering Group to co-create an engagement plan to gather views of older people in the community. The council has prepared a discussion document to stimulate discussion in the community. The project will assess current council activities and identify priority issues and gaps. Information will be used to develop an Age-friendly Community Plan.
Well-Able: A community-based group working to design and develop resources for pre- and primary school children to build empathy and understanding of the needs of older people in the Kāpiti community. The resources will be tested in schools and with older people.