Sharing our funding practice: action funding
Through our ‘Change’ funding stream, The Todd Foundation supports communities to tackle some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most pressing social issues, such as housing, digital equity, food resilience, and diversity and inclusion.Our community partners tell us that sustained funding is key to achieving their mission. The issues they are trying to shift require a long-term focus so we offer flexible, untagged, multi-year funding where we can – alongside other funders.We’ve observed that our...
May 14, 2024Inspiring Communities: long-term funding with relationships at its heart
After more than 15 years of working together, the Todd Foundation and long-time community partner Inspiring Communities have developed a relationship based on shared learning and mutual respect that has seen both organisations change the way they work.When Todd first started funding Inspiring Communities in 2008 both were committed to the concept of community-led development and the importance of allowing communities to use their knowledge to create local solutions to local situations. But they ...
May 14, 2024Pasifika Funders Network: working collaboratively to make philanthropy more equitable and Pasifika-friendly
What began as a handful of Pasifika individuals looking to connect with others working in the philanthropic sector has grown into a nationwide network of more than 30 people advocating for greater visibility and more equitable funding for Pasifika groups and organisations.“We’d get together and talk about our frustrations with the sector, why our communities weren’t being better supported and why they were not being seen,” says Hainoame Fulivai, co-founder of the Pasifika Funders Network...
May 14, 2024E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services: Supporting Teen Parents into Secure Housing
The current housing crisis is making life hard for many New Zealand whānau, but for teen parents – who cannot legally sign a tenancy agreement until they are 18 – having nowhere to call home has been a source of stress and anxiety for years.“They’re living in cars or sleeping on couches in really unhealthy environments, says Cindy Kawana, Housing Lead and Whānau Violence Advisor for Auckland teen parent support organisation and long-time Todd Foundation funding partner E Tipu E R...
May 14, 2024Reflections from and farewell to David Todd
After 13 years of dedicated service, Trustee David Todd reflects on his time at the Foundation.Late last year we farewelled David Todd as a Todd Foundation Trustee and Investment Committee Chair. After careful consideration, David announced his intention to retire, offering a “chance for someone else to step up and add value with a fresh lens”.The Foundation Chair, staff, and trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank David for his significant contribution over the years. When ask...
February 26, 2024Voices from the Front-lines of Systems Change in Aotearoa
Whether you're a community leader, funder, or supporter of social change, we invite you to take a deep dive into 'Voices from the Frontlines: Community-Driven Pathways for Systems Change in Aotearoa.'This fantastic report provides actionable next steps to guide more impactful systems change for a more equitable and inclusive Aotearoa.We'd like to acknowledge SASS (Systems-change Advocacy, Support and Solidarity), the group of experienced and diverse community leaders who have generously shared t...
May 18, 2023Three community partner visions for the future
We asked three of our community partners to share their visions for the future. Here's what they said....
May 9, 2023Supporting Match | Te Puna Taurite
In 2021, the Todd Foundation and other funders from the Weave collective supported Philanthropy New Zealand to develop Match | Te Puna Taurite (MTPT) – a digital platform that ‘flips the model’ of funding.Launched in May 2022, MTPT provides an easier way for fundseekers to get in front of multiple funders at once. Fundseekers can upload a profile and funding requests to one place rather than having to approach funders individually with tailored applications.Anika Speedy, the Manager of the...
May 9, 2023Tuanui - A mana-enhancing approach to healthy homes
When the Tuanui: Wainuiomata Healthy Homes for All initiative was launched in May 2021 the Steering Group had ambitions for a fivefold increase in the number of homes being repaired by its team of local tradespeople during the first two years, from 20 in the first year to 100 in the second.Tuanui’s long-term goal is to support whānau living in the Hutt Valley suburb’s most unhealthy homes to live in warm, dry, healthy homes. A key element to achieving that goal is a home-repair programme fo...
May 9, 2023Driving Change Network: Unlocking $86.5 million for community driver education and training
An $86.5 million government funding boost for driver licencing programmes in the 2022 budget was a milestone moment for the Driving Change Network. The aim of the funding is to support 64,000 New Zealanders to gain their licences over four years.“The press release announcing the extra funding was a huge moment for us,” says Driving Change National Coordinator Wendy Robertson.“We’ve been calling for more government support for driver licencing since we began; this announcement shows ...
May 9, 2023Hui E! - Building recognition and support for the the community and voluntary sector
A large majority of Aotearoa’s 115,000 tangata whenua, community and voluntary groups are used to operating on the smell of an oily rag, delivering important services into the community despite a lack of funding and not enough bodies on the ground.But two years of dealing with the fallout from Covid 19, followed by a cost-of-living crisis and, more recently, a series of weather-related disasters, means these groups are under even more pressure.“The needs of the community have increased since...
May 9, 2023Renewed Funding for Community Partners: Our commitment to long-term social change
In 2022, we were pleased to be able to renew funding for 10 of our fantastic community partners.Our approach to supporting long-term social change is to form high-trust partnerships with organisations and collaboratives that align with the Todd Foundation’s vision of an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand where all families, children and young people can thrive and contribute.We know that to innovate, retain staff, and plan ahead, organisations working to address some of our society’s most challe...
May 9, 2023Young Enterprise: A Sir John Todd favourite still going strong after 40 years
Terry Shubkin, CEO of the Young Enterprise Trust, remembers feeling quite nervous the first time she met long-time supporter, the late Sir John Todd.But as those who knew Sir John, a founding trustee of the Todd Foundation and board chair for 28 years, there was no need to feel nervous: he had a knack for putting people at ease.“I actually called my friend beforehand to say how nervous I was about meeting him,” recalls Terry.“But when I walked in, he just made me so comfortable. He was fab...
May 9, 202350 Years of the Todd Foundation
December 2022 marked 50 years of the Todd Foundation, and $100 million of donations to New Zealand communities. Foundation Trustees and Staff decided to mark the occasion by creating a timeline and short film reflecting on changes and milestones over those years.We hope you enjoy this look back at 50 years of giving in Aotearoa New Zealand....
December 8, 2022Reflections on Funding Youth Employment
Seumas Fantham reflects on eight years of funding youth employment initiatives in Aotearoa. When I first started at the Todd Foundation, I held the youth portfolio. I had also come from a youth development background, so had many years’ experience walking alongside young people in their journey to employment. If they were successful, it was a stepping stone towards independence, and if not then they were cast back to the stigmatising label of being a NEET, a category that defines you bas...
August 25, 2022Youth Inspire - empowering young people in the Hutt Valley
The impetus for Youth Inspire (YI) came from a deep concern amongst key Wainuiomata community members that young people were being neglected in terms of education and employment opportunities. YI is part of the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs and the organisation has strong partnerships with Hutt City Council and local Wainuiomata community and business. According to the YI website, “our focus is to see all young people under 25 engaged in meaningful employment, training, or education.” Y...
August 8, 2022Trust Tairāwhiti and the Licence to Work Youth Employability Programme
As a cross sector, business led initiative, Licence to Work (LTW) is intended to respond to business and industry concerns that young people may not be developing the employability skills they need to succeed in the workplace. It is particularly beneficial for those transitioning directly to the workforce from school or training (15-24 years), and people returning to work. This programme is delivered in local schools by school-based facilitators as well as an independent external facilitator.&nb...
August 8, 2022Growing the Eastern Bay of Plenty - Toi EDA and Youth Employability
Acknowledging the unique communities, contexts, common agendas and opportunities across the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Toi EDA has built and supported cross-sector partnerships that create and support connections between education, industry, iwi, rangatahi and communities. Toi EDA focus on several youth employability projects, such as Link Up and Licence to Work programmes in Bay of Plenty schools, driver's licencing support, and fit-for-work programmes. They have also encouraged employer enga...
August 8, 2022Tāiki e! Tairāwhiti's First Impact House
In their own words, Tāiki e! describes themselves as Tairāwhiti’s first impact house; a collaborative space with a shared agenda for social and environmental action. They ‘lead with aroha’ and are focused on bringing people together who are passionate about creating systemic change by using collaborative design principles and entrepreneurial thinking. Growing and supporting rangatahi, whānau and communities in Tairāwhiti is the focus of Tāiki e!, which is led by Cain Kerehoma and Rena...
August 8, 2022Helping Christchurch Rangatahi to Blossom
A story about youth leadership programmes in Christchurch....
May 16, 2022Measuring Levels of Food Insecurity to Help End It
To move beyond the food parcel model to food security we first need to measure what's being distributed....
May 16, 2022Building Warm, Dry Whare for East Coast Whānau
Read about housing innovation from our community partners Hikurangi Enterprises....
May 16, 2022How Funding Systems Change is Changing Us
Staff reflections on being funders of systemic change....
May 16, 2022Our Learning Partners Point and Associates
Read about our new approach to evaluating long-term change....
May 15, 2022Te Hiko: Sparking and Supporting Community Solutions to Complex Problems
After more than 30 years of working alongside communities in Porirua and the Hutt Valley, Wesley Community Action knows the power of letting communities take the lead when it comes to solving complex problems such as poverty and food insecurity.“We have learned that community-led development is where real, profound change can happen,” says community innovation lead Kena Duignan.At the heart of this way of working is the belief that people are the experts in their own lives. Rather ...
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