We work to grow local generosity to support local needs – guided by the unique purpose of each donor fund entrusted to us.
It’s all part of our long-term mission: to grow local generosity and invest it back into the people and places that make Taranaki thrive — now and for generations to come.
As one of 18 Community Foundations across Aotearoa, we’re proud to be part of a movement focused on local giving, lasting impact, and community-led change.
We invest and grow the gifts we receive, so that the income generated can be distributed to our community – year after year, forever.
This endowment-based approach means we can offer sustainable, long-term funding for the grassroots mahi that keeps our communities thriving.
As a community foundation, we are not dedicated to supporting one single cause. Instead, we are here to support the changing needs of our region while working alongside our donors to honour their giving goals.
When someone sets up a Named Fund with Taranaki Foundation, they choose how it will give back – to a specific organisation, a broad cause like youth development or conservation, or wherever the need is greatest.
Each September, we run an Annual Funding Round, inviting local charities and community groups to apply. Applications are carefully reviewed and matched with available donor funds, like fitting pieces of a puzzle.
We also distribute other donor-directed and pass-through grants throughout the year.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, these modest grants support a wide range of projects that reflect donor wishes and create meaningful local impact.
Some causes may receive more support than others in any given year, depending on the wishes of our growing whānau of donors. This means that even very worthy projects may not receive funding if there aren’t donor funds designated for that particular purpose at the time.
When retired Hāwera teacher Winifred Knight passed away in 1991, she left a gift in her Will to support education, culture, community and recreation in South Taranaki.
Transferred to Taranaki Foundation in 2015, her $206,000 gift became our first Named Fund, invested in perpetuity.
By June 2025, it had grown to $231,784 and granted over $70,000 to local causes — including Swimming Taranaki, Awatuna Playcentre, Road Safety Education and South Taranaki Whānau Centre.
In 2024, one of the grants from her fund supported House of Science, delivering a volcano-themed science kit to schools.
“My confidence and knowledge increased… Thank you.” — Normanby School
Her legacy also funds the annual Ōhangaī School Centennial Scholarship for Hāwera High School graduates entering teacher training.
