George Mitchell Charitable Trust 2026

This round will open at 9:00AM 23 February 2026 (NZDT) for submissions.

George Mitchell Charitable Trust

2026 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 close at 5:00 pm on 31 March 2026.

The George Mitchell Charitable Trust was established in 1930 through the Will of the late George Mitchell of Christchurch. In 1998, Public Trust was appointed as Trustee by the court. The Trust’s purpose is to distribute income to organisations within the Canterbury region that, upon application, can demonstrate to the Trustee that their clients require assistance from the Trust.

Use of Funds
Funds allocated to approved organisations must be used to provide assistance or benefits to young women who have had their first child during a period of accommodation-based care provided or organised by those organisations. This assistance is to be given when the women leave such care.

  • The funds must directly benefit young mothers transitioning from accommodation-based care to their own accommodation after having their first child.
  • It is intended that the funds will help these women access what they need for themselves or their child in their new home. Funds may be used for a wide range of purposes, including but not limited to household items, furniture, baby equipment or supplies, and household setup costs.
  • Funds will be granted to the applying charity, which will hold the funds and either distribute them to eligible women or assist them in making the required purchases.
Accommodation-Based Care
Eligible organisations are those that provide or arrange 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, parenting programmes, child therapy, and whānau safety.
 

Funding Eligibility Criteria

  • Applications must be from a registered charity.
  • Organisations must be based in, or supporting people within, the Canterbury region.
  • Applicants must supply a set of Financial Statements prepared in accordance 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. Funds will be granted by the committee based on this.

The criteria for funding from this Trust are very specific and established by court order. We strongly encourage interested charities to contact the Trustee before applying, using the details below.

Applications will not be considered if they involve:

  • Retrospective funding
  • Applications from individuals
  • Applications from organisations not based in or supporting people within the Trust’s funding region

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

  • Applications open at 9:00am on 23 February 2026 and close at 5:00pm on 31 March 2026.
  • Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 30 April 2025.

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

  • Please ensure you have read the Trust’s funding eligibility criteria on the Public Trust website.
  • If you are unsure if your organisation is eligible to apply or of the suitability of your funding request contact Public Trust Charities on 0800 371 471 or funding@publictrust.co.nz.

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