IMPORTANT: Please read the information below to assist you in completing your application online. Applicants should carefully consider the criteria, which may be varied from time to time.
Thomas George Macarthy of Wellington, was a Brewer who died in Wellington on 19 August 1912. The Trust created by Mr Macarthy's Will, as varied by two Acts of Parliament, provides for as much of the income as the Board of Governors sees fit to be distributed among registered charitable or educational organisations operating in the old Wellington provincial district. Learn more about Thomas George Macarthy here.
Applications are open from 9am on 1 May until 5pm on 13 June 2025 Please note this closing date is earlier than prior years.
The Thomas George Macarthy Trust makes grants to registered charitable or educational organisations operating within the funding region who:
More information relating to the Trust’s funding eligibility criteria can be found on the Public Trust website.
All registered Schools, Kindergartens, Playcentres, Kohanga Reo, Plunket, Pacific Island language groups and Toy Libraries in the funding region receive grants on an annual or biennial basis and do not need to submit an application.
The Trust will not consider applications from individuals (directly or indirectly) or service clubs.
Applicants are expected to have a formal governance structure and must supply the following information to support their application:
Grants will be grouped in categories from 1 to 3: (you must select one group only)
Group 1 grants for:
small equipment purchase / replacement, capital purchases under $10,000.
operating expenses and / or core business services (e.g. social, mentoring, counselling services) including a contribution towards existing salaries or wages.
$5,000 to $10,000 per grant
Group 2 grants for community impact funding for:
Specific projects or programmes – requests can include salaries, operating expenses and equipment associated with the project or programme.
Medium to large capital grants.
$10,000 to $100,000 per grant.
Group 3 Grants for:
Investment funding which would support capital projects that will facilitate and enable the delivery of:
new community assets
expansion or preservation of an existing, community asset
Larger non-capital projects or programmes such as investments in social service delivery, social enterprise start-up, etc.
Grants between $100,000 and $300,000.
Applications in Groups 2 and 3 must demonstrate the identified need, how the plan will be implemented being specific (what, why, how, who - working in collaboration may be advantageous) and measurable outcomes. The Trust wants to see how the applicant will improve outcomes for the communities it serves.
The median grant size in each group for 2024 was:
Group 1 - $5,000
Group 2 - $10,000
Group 3 - $50,000 – with 2 grants of $100,000.
In 2024, we faced significant challenges in our funding round. We had a 51% increase in applications compared to the previous year. This surge in demand highlighted a critical issue: the total amount of funds requested was nearly ten times our available granting budget.
These numbers underscore the growing need for support and the importance of our work. We are very aware that many organisations are struggling with increased demand for their services, increased costs and a challenging fundraising environment.
The median grant sizes above are to give charities a realistic expectation of the funding levels they might expect from T G Macarthy in 2025.
Incomplete or late applications
Requests for retrospective funding
Accountability requirements from the previous year’s grant have not been met
Applications from individuals and service clubs.
Applications requesting funding for overseas projects.
Applications not based in or supporting people within funding region.
Applications submitted under $5,000 or over $300,000.
Applicants who are not:
o Registered with Charities Services or;
o A registered incorporated society or;
o A school registered with the Ministry of Education
All funding is GST exclusive.
Only one application from an organisation will be considered.
Applications from controlling bodies are preferred, however, in certain circumstances applications from both a controlling body and branch may be considered.
Applicants are expected to have made endeavours to raise funds independently.
The significance of government funding will be taken into consideration when assessing applications.
Grants for purposes not yet commenced will only be considered if the Board is satisfied that the applicant can achieve the purpose(s) of the grant.
All Early Childhood Education, Care Centres and OSCAR programmes must apply under the Early Childhood – Special Grant Round.
Applications for religious purposes will only be considered if the organisation provides a full general secular education.
Applications for assistance or promotion of drama, music, arts and crafts will only be considered if they are primarily for educational purposes or public benefit.
Applications from sports organisations will only be considered if they can clearly demonstrate advancement of education or promotion of health, for a significant section of the public.
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.
We will contact you after the board meeting has been held to consider the applications either successful/unsuccessful.
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
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