Changes in funding practice occurred during the first COVID 19 lockdown but many have not been sustained. However, many funders are now exploring alternative ways to fund that are relational, rather than transactional, and that more closely align with the values and practices required to build community capacity and enable collaboration.

There’s no evidence that traditional competitive funding models and practices produce better funding decisions or outcomes. But there is evidence that they actively undermine the potential for community-led change by creating competition and patch protection, and soak up a massive amount of time, resource and creativity that could be directed to building community strength and tackling issues.

Rather than being based on actual constraints, barriers to creating change are often due to historic practice and fear of risk. There’s also gatekeeper mindsets and a lack of insight or rigour to think critically about funding practices and ensure they’re well designed to support the outcomes (e.g., equity, collaboration, local leadership) that many funders desire.

In this webinar we will looked at how changes in funding practices can unlock greater funding effectiveness, providing examples from our panellists who are deeply embedded in the challenges with the funding system and new responses. Together they offer insights that will unlock the power that comes when communities and funders work together to realise their aspirations.

Seumas is the Executive Director at the Todd Foundation and current Chairperson at Philanthropy New Zealand. 

Seumas has over 20 years experience working with youth and community-led initiatives in Aotearoa, and believes that with adequate resources and support –  communities will solve most of their local challenges and maximise their own aspirations.

Ko te Ūpoko o Tahumatā te mauka 
Ko Ōkana te awa 
Ko Wairewa te roto 
Ko Uruao te waka 
Ko Makō te whare tupuna 
Ko Te Rōpūake te whare kai 
Ko Kāti Irakehu, Kāti Makō kā hapū 
Ko Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu kā iwi 

Nō Wairewa ahau 

Born in Ōtautahi – Christchurch and raised in Whakatū – Nelson by his parents of English and Maori heritage, Blair has worked in the social and community sectors for over 20 years.  Spanning a number of sectors such as youth, aged care, disability and Kaupapa Maori among others.   Blair has worked as a Community Advisor for the Department of Internal Affairs for the past 4 years.  A significant focus of his work over the past few years has been to coordinate and strengthen the housing and homelessness sector in the region, establishing collaborative forums and working within Civil Defence to house a large number of homeless individuals during the Pandemic.   

Blair is a strong collaborator, innovator and person-centred practitioner with a focus on supporting marginalised populations in our communities to thrive and flourish.    

Based out of the DIA Nelson office, Blair is a co-developer of the Nelson Tasman Community Colabs, a multi-agency initiative focused on improving the impact of community led initiatives in the region.   

Supporting the growth of strong and resilient communities is at the heart of Anna’s mahi. Anna has diverse experience of grassroots community development – having worked on peace building efforts with indigenous women leaders in Bougainville (PNG) to activating the community-led vision for the Valley Project in North Dunedin.

Youth development is a particular passion – often Anna is called in to build processes with young people from the ground up – and to enhance the ways groups and organisations work with young people.

Anna is a reflective practitioner and a systems thinker committed to social justice. Anna thrives when working cross-culturally and enjoys supporting communities to navigate their journey with Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Currently Anna is director of Mātāwai Consultancy and supports a number of Otago based organisations to think strategically and grow their impact. Mātāwai offers facilitation, mentoring, strategic advice, research, Te Tiriti o Waitangi education, event and project management.

Originally from Ōtautahi/Christchurch, Anna has called Ōtepoti/Dunedin her family home for more than 10 years.