George Mitchell Charitable Trust - 2025 Grant Round
IMPORTANT: Please read the information below to assist you in completing your application online. Applicants should carefully consider the criteria which are very specific.
Applications are open until 5pm on 31st March 2025.
Public Information Meeting
The Trustee will hold an online and in person meeting for potential applicants to meet the committee and hear more about the Trust and the criteria for funding. The meeting is on Thursday 6th March at 11am, you can join us at the Salvation Army offices in Wigram or online. To find out more and register your attendance please email funding@publictrust.co.nz with George Mitchell Charitable Trust in the subject line. Attendance is by registration only.
The George Mitchell Charitable Trust was established in 1930 by the Will of the late George Mitchell, of Christchurch. Public Trust was appointed Trustee by the court in 1998.
The purpose of the Trust is to pay income:
To organisations in the Canterbury geographical region who upon application to the Trustee shall satisfy him that their clients have a requirement for assistance from the Trust.
Moneys allocated to those organisations shall be used by them for the purposes of providing such assistance or benefits as those organisations shall from time to time decide to young women who have had their first child during a period of accommodation-based care provided or organised by those organisations. Any such assistance is to be provided at the time they leave such care.
The funds must be used for the direct benefit of young mothers that are transitioning from accommodation-based care to their own accommodation after having their first child.
It is envisaged that the funds will enable young women to access what they need for themselves or their child in their new home. Funds can be used for a broad range of purposes that include and are not limited to, household items, furniture, baby equipment or supplies, and household set up costs.
Funds will be granted to the applying charity who will hold the funds and distribute them to eligible women or assist them in making the required purchases.
Eligible organisations are those that provide or organise accommodation-based care for women having their first child. This includes services such as emergency, youth or transitional housing where clients receive wrap around support including social work support, parenting programmes, child therapy, whanau safety etc.
Applications must be from a registered charity.
Applications are open to organisations that are based in or supporting people within the Canterbury geographical region.
Applicants must supply a set of Financial Statements completed in line with the Reporting Standards set by Charities Services.
Applicants will be asked to indicate approximately how many women in their service meet the criteria each year and funds will be granted by the committee based on this.
The criteria for funding from this Trust is very specific and established by court order, we strongly encourage interested charities to speak to the Trustee before applying, using the contact details below.
Applications from the following will not be considered:
Retrospective funding
Applications from individuals.
How are decisions made? All grant applications are considered by a committee established in the Trust Deed. The Committee’s decision is final. No further communications will be entered into. This includes providing applicants with the reason why they have been unsuccessful, justifying why an application was successful or reconsidering an application.
A grant may be approved subject to certain conditions. In such circumstances the funds will normally be held by the Trustee until the conditions have been met. It is important that all details on the application form are concise and easy to read. Decisions relating to grant applications are made on the information provided in the application and other general enquiries.
Important dates:
Late applications will not be accepted.
Contact us: Any questions should be directed to Public Trust Charities by email to funding@publictrust.co.nz or by phone on 0800 371 471.
How to apply
Step 1: Determine eligibility
Step 2: Register or login to apply online
First time users will need to register.
Hint: you will need an email address to register. If your organisation has a ‘generic’ email (e.g. info@organisation.org) using this may allow other staff members to use the same login in future (as long as they know the password).
Your login can be used for any trust managed by Public Trust granting via SmartyGrants and can be used in future grant rounds.
Note: Please store your login details in a safe place for future reference.
Once registered, you can login to the system and start your application.
Step 3: Complete your application
The application is best viewed/completed on a non-mobile device.
Complete all of the required questions – mandatory questions are marked with an*
Attach all required supporting documents
Note: Our preferred format for attachments is PDF, Excel, Word or JPG. Supporting materials cannot exceed 25MB in size, as files exceeding this will not upload.
Hint: Save your work regularly so it is not lost if you time out or lose your connection.
You can save your application at any stage and return to it later.
Make sure the spell checker is switched on in your browser to prevent spelling errors.
Step 4: Review and submit your application
When you are satisfied with your application press the review button to ensure that all required sections of the application have been completed (you must do this before the submit button is enabled).
Submit your application.
Note: Once you have submitted your application no further editing or uploading of supporting documents is possible.
Step 5: What happens next?
You will receive an automated email confirming your submission with a copy of your application attached and information about how/when your application will be assessed. This will be sent to the email you used to register.
If you do not receive a confirmation email then your application has not been successfully submitted (don’t forget to check your spam email folder when looking for the email).
We will contact you if we require any further information to consider your application.
If you need more help using this form, download the help guide for applicants or check out applicant frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
If you have any technical difficulties using the online SmartyGrants portal email service@smartygrants.com.au
