Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS)

A national community grants scheme run through 37 Local Distribution Committees, naming Māori as a top funding priority.

Closes

2026 round: 15 April – 13 May

Who can apply

Non-profit community groups and organisations with less than $2 million annual operating expenditure in each of the past two years, delivering community-based social services, projects or events. Unregistered or informal groups may apply for grants under $10,000, using a fundholder if they lack a bank account or governance structure. Each of the 37 Local Distribution Committees sets its own local priorities from community consultation, but Māori is named as a national priority group alongside women, Pacific communities, older people, rurally isolated people, people with disabilities, and others.

Amount

Average grant around $3,000

Funding route

Grant

Applicants

Marae & hapū, Community groups, Iwi & Māori organisations

Before you apply

Does not fund individuals, capital items over $1,000, debt repayment, past/completed activities, or commercial/political/religious activities. An unregistered or informal group without a bank account or governance structure can still apply, using a fundholder. A national scheme comparable in reach to Lottery, but previously absent from this directory.

Official source →

Checked 17 September 2026

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Details change without notice. Check the funder's own page before you apply. Tōku Waka does not administer, assess or award this funding.