Rural Wellbeing Fund
Funds rural New Zealand wellbeing projects through contestable grants to organisations.
The Rural Wellbeing Fund sits under New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (Manatū Ahu Matua) and is delivered jointly with Health New Zealand. It is a NZD 4 million contestable grant spread across 2025 to 2029 for organisations running wellbeing programmes in rural communities. The target audience is rural New Zealand, including farmers, growers, fishers, foresters, and the communities that support them. The fund backs non-profit organisations based and operating in New Zealand, with matching industry funding required. It is designed for work that strengthens existing wellbeing programmes, expands access, improves organisational viability, or fills gaps with new activity. The 2025 expression-of-interest round selected 18 organisations, which shows the fund’s preference for organisations that already have a practical delivery path. This is a delivery-focused route rather than an open-ended research call. Applicants need a credible community presence, a clear link to rural wellbeing needs, and enough partner support to satisfy the matching requirement. The next round is still to be confirmed, so the immediate signal is less about cadence and more about readiness to deliver useful services in rural areas.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.