New Zealand Communities Growth Trust
(NZCGT) Scholarships 2024
IMPORTANT: Please read information below to assist you in completing your application online. Applicants should carefully consider the criteria and Terms and Conditions, which may be varied from time to time (New Zealand Communities Growth Trust (NZCGT) Education Scholarship - Public Trust)
Public Trust is the Trustee of the New Zealand Communities Growth Trust (NZCGT). The Trust was established by a Court Order dated March 2000.
Who is eligible: Individuals who have been disadvantaged by religious cults and/or spiritual communities and in particular past residents of the Centrepoint Community in Albany and their children. Also those disadvantaged by these cults or community wishing to study in the areas of counselling and education, and those disadvantaged by a religious cult or spiritual community studying in areas that may not directly support the objectives of the Trust but are consistent with them. The relevant clauses in the Trust Deed are as follows:
- 2 (a) To support the provision of educational opportunities for the development of work and life skills consistent with the purposes of the Trust.
- 2 (b) To provide scholarships or grants to enable selected participants to increase their knowledge or experience consistent with the objectives of the Trust including scholarships or grants for research on the establishment and operation of spiritual communities and/or cults.
Any applicant who has received a Scholarship from the New Zealand Communities Growth Trust towards the course of study that they are currently completing in the past, (that did not include continuation years) is ineligible to apply for a further Scholarship for the following academic year for the same course.
How much funding is available: Scholarships will be awarded minimum of $3,000 to a maximum of $10,000 per person per year for up to 3 years each on reapplication.
What can the Scholarship be used for: Scholarships can cover assistance for course costs, books, accommodation, or computers. Priority is given to those applicants who are in hardship. There is no guarantee that funding will be provided for future years if approved for more than 1 year initially. Scholarships awarded can range in both value and in number of years.
How to apply: Complete the application form via Public Trust online Granting System ‘Smarty Grants’. A full application will require you to fill in the form and upload the required documents. This includes providing academic details, proposed course of study, financial information and supporting documents. You can save the form as you go and log back in at any time to complete and submit before 5pm on the 15th of December 2024.
Scholarship Terms and Conditions:
- The course of study must be delivered by a recognised tertiary provider and must be at least 1 year in duration.
- You must be commencing the course of study in 2025.
- Application form must be completed in full with all the required documentation provided.
- In most instances, payment will be made direct to the tertiary education provider on proof/confirmation of enrolment. If you require part of the payment to allow you to purchase books, accommodation, computer or travel, these costs will need to be broken down and clearly shown in your application.
- If a scholarship is awarded for more than 1 year, applicants will be required to re-apply annually for continuation of the scholarship. This will be outlined to the applicant when the Scholarship is awarded.
- The applicant acknowledges that the information supplied in this application may be made available to other parties in the course of enquiries regarding applications or in publishing the result of the application. Personal information collected will be held by Public Trust for the purpose of assessing applications for the NZCGT Scholarships and will be held for no longer than is required in order to assess my application and to meet their legal requirements. Individuals have the right of access to, and correction of personal information held about them.
- Please also see further Important Notes below
Application Requirements
Applicants must;
- Explain how they have been disadvantaged by the religious cult or spiritual community.
- Provide certified and valid identity documentation (Birth Certificate/Passport/Citizenship Certificate).
- Provide all details requested on the application form.
- Complete the relevant religious cult or spiritual community background description.
- Confirm the course of study is delivered at a recognised tertiary institution.
- Confirm the course of study is at least 1 year in duration.
- Provide an overview of their anticipated future career prospects.
- Outline if they have received or applied for any other financial assistance.
- Provide an overview of their financial position (income, expenditure, assets, liabilities).
- Provide a written or typed and signed character reference (from employer / counsellor / health care provider / School Counsellor or Dean or Principal / church minister / parent).
- Provide copies of past academic records and or other achievements.
- Provide a brief outline (maximum of 500 words) on why they should receive a Scholarship.
- Sign and date the declaration.
Important notes
- Special consideration will be given to applicants who have shown a high level of academic achievement and who through personal or family circumstances would suffer financial hardship by undertaking tertiary education.
- The value of the Scholarship may differ from year to year and may also differ between applicants.
- The Scholarship may be awarded from one to three years on reapplication. Continuation of the scholarship if awarded for more than one year, is subject annually to Trustee approval. The Trustee reserves the right to change the value of the award and continuation of the award.
- The Trustee reserves the right to withhold the payment of any amounts due under the Scholarship in the event of the misconduct of any person holding the Scholarship.
- Any applicant who has received a Scholarship from the NZ Communities Growth Trust towards the course of study that they are currently completing in the past, (that did not include continuation years) is ineligible to apply for a further Scholarship for the following academic year for the same course.
Important dates
- Applications are open on 6 November 2024 and close at 5pm on 15 December 2024.
- Applicants will be advised of the outcome by the 28th of February 2025.
- Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Contact us: Any questions should be directed to Public Trust Charities Team by email to nzcgt@publictrust.co.nz or by phone on 0800 371 471.
The applicant acknowledges that the information supplied in this application may be made available to other parties in the course of enquiries regarding applications or in publishing the result of the Scholarship. Personal information collected will be held by Public Trust for the purpose of assessing applications for the New Zealand Community Growth Trust. Individuals have the right of access to, and correction of personal information held about them.
In submitting the application form the applicant acknowledges they:
- have read the information and eligibility information and accept any terms and conditions stated.
- will contact Public Trust immediately if any information provided in the application changes or is incorrect.
- that the information contained in the application is stored in the Smarty Grants database and will be held by Public Trust for the purpose of assessing the application to NZCGT or any other conjoint Trust/s.
- the information may be made available to other parties such as Committee Members/Independent Auditors in the course of enquiries regarding applications or in publishing the results of scholarships awarded.
- that if they do not provide all of the information requested, Public Trust may not be able to assess the application.
- give consent for Public Trust to hold their information for no longer than is required in order to assess the application and to meet their legal requirements.
- understand they have the right of access to, and correction of, the personal information held about them.
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 Team on 0800 371 471 or nzcgt@publictrust.co.nz.
Step 2: Register or login to apply online
First time users will need to register.
Your login can be used for any trust managed by Public Trust granting via Smarty Grants 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.
We will contact you after the board meeting has been held to consider the applications either successful/unsuccessful.
If you have any technical difficulties using the online SmartyGrants portal contact SmartyGrants at;
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