Small-scale community projects in South Dunedin are in with a chance for micro-grants from innovative organisation Thankyou Charitable Trust.
The trust opened its 2018 South Dunedin-9012 Postcode grant round on July 1 and will be accepting applications until the end of the month.
Thankyou Charitable Trust community grants manager Carolyn Timms said the trust gave $15,000 in grants to South Dunedin organisations during its inaugural funding round in the area last year.
Recipient organisations, which included the Breast Room, Rape Crisis, Dunedin Curtain Bank, Studio 2/Connections Trust, Catholic Social Services and Caversham Community Group, would be involved in making the decisions on this year's grants.
The grants available through ThankYou Charitable Trust range from $100 to $3000 and are for projects that contribute to community wellbeing, resilience or sustainability.
The trust receives funding from Thankyou Payroll, which leverages government subsidy to provide payroll services to charities and businesses at no cost.
At the same time, it donates 25cents per person per pay to the trust for distribution via grants rounds in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Since it was set up in 2014, Thankyou charitable Trust has given out 139 grants to 105 groups.
Ms Timms said the trust tended to focus its grants on a post code area for about four years before moving on.
For the past four years, organisations in Dunedin's West Harbour area have received a range of grants totalling $30,000.
``Every year, as Thankyou Payroll grows bigger, there is more money coming to the trust, and the more we can give out.''
Involving grant recipients in decisions on future grants was a good way to help organisations ``pay it forward'', she said.
As the recipient of an $1800 grant last year, the Breast Room would be involved in the decision-making.
Breast Room manager Bushie Calvert said the grant had been invaluable for the breast-feeding support organisation, enabling it to provide volunteers with bright green T-shirts.
``In a survey of our mums, we found that on busy days it was hard for them to identify who was a trained supporter - so the T-shirts have been great for that.''
The T-shirts had also been helpful in the Breast Room's new peer support service at Queen Mary maternity centre.
• For more information on the grants, visit www.thankyoucharitabletrust.org.
BRENDA.HARWOOD @thestar.co.nz
