Funding Criteria
Our vision is an Aotearoa in which all disabled people have equal opportunity to live good lives.
To achieve this vision and support those with the greatest need, we’ve developed an approach to funding that is guided by key principles. These principles shape how we allocate resources, ensuring our funding is impactful, inclusive, and supports long-term change. Our approach focuses on the following areas:
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We are focused on supporting the independence, self-determination and mana - enhancement of disabled people. All funded initiatives should have a strengths-based approach and align with Enabling Good Lives principles*.
As a disability-led philanthropic funder focused on outcomes specifically for disabled people, a key part our impact - along with putting funding decisions into the hands of those with lived experience - is representing the disability sector in the philanthropic funding community.
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Across our funding we focus on those with greatest need and least access to opportunities. Rural communities, Māori and Pasifika are communities of particular interest.
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Spectrum Foundation is committed to ensuring decision-making is guided by people with lived experience of disability. This reflects the value we place on self-determination. Our Philanthropy Moderation Panel ensures people with lived experience review eligible applications and make recommendations. Along with the expertise of our Panel, our role as a service provider in the disability sector gives us an understanding of issues and opportunities, informing our open and closed funding streams.
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We are focused on how our funding can help to achieve genuine, lasting social change that will benefit disabled people now and in the future.
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We seek to maximise access by simplifying our processes and offering guidance to applicants and those we fund. We maintain an open funding space to ensure we provide access to funding for organisations or initiatives we don’t yet have a relationship with.
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We build trust and relationships with people and organisations that we support. Our collaborative approach involves brokering relationships with other donors, funders and interested parties.
Other areas of consideration
Funding is usually directed into communities that the Group has existing connections to and knowledge of through its subsidiary organisations, i.e. initiatives based in the North Island of New Zealand with either a local or national reach
Funding is usually provided for initiatives that are not funded by the Government. Initiatives that are similar to those provided by government funded disability service providers such as Spectrum Care are unlikely to be funded. This includes:
After school and overnight care
School holiday programmes
Independent Living Support
In-home support
Supported accommodation
Spectrum Foundation supports housing through an investment into the Spectrum Group entity and community housing provider, Homes of Choice. Further capital investment into social housing is therefore unlikely.
Projects should reflect the principles of Enabling Good Lives (EGL), such as choice, control, and self-determination. Learn more about EGL here.
Projects should be designed with participation from and through consultation with user groups including tangata whaikaha (disabled people).
We prioritise projects that can show understanding and respect for the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in its governance.
We’re looking for projects that are sustainable and create lasting impact.
Before you apply, please note that Spectrum Foundation will not generally fund organisations or providers:
For political purposes.
To build endowments (i.e. to build capital bases).
For the repayment of debt.
To solely support the spiritual activities of religious organisations. This includes facilities and halls on church/mosques/temple grounds, etc.
To only create profit.
Spectrum Foundation prefers to fund registered charities. Please contact the team if you would like to apply for funding but are not a registered charity.