Trust chairman Diccon Sim said the plan would allow the trust to work even more closely with Otago communities and key stakeholders in responding to, and facilitating, opportunities for the benefit of Otago.
The new pillars which will represent the trust’s four strategic focus areas of granting are: empowered communities; improved health and wellbeing; increased access to opportunities; and thriving children and young people.
Projects falling under the former funding-for-change strategic priorities of warm homes, regionally significant cycleways and youth health, wellbeing and employment would still be considered, but within the framework of the new funding pillars, Mr Sim said.
Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger said under the thriving children and young people funding pillar, the trust had developed a dedicated strategy to support Otago’s children (tamariki) and young people (rangatahi).
"This dedicated strategy follows years of work and consultation with the sector to understand the needs in the region and how the trust can best support the aspirations of the youth sector and the region’s young people."
Ms Bridger said details of what the trust would fund under the new tamariki and rangatahi strategy, and what the funding framework would look like, were being finalised and the trust expected to launch the new strategic fund in the first half of 2022, specifically to benefit tamariki and rangatahi.
Other changes included identifying priority communities.
Ms Bridger said the trust would continue funding what it always had but as part of the new plan, it had to fund strategically to have a lasting and beneficial impact.
As a result, from April 1, she said the trust might favour funding to "priority communities" with the aim of addressing the inequities they experienced.
"The new priority communities are children and young people, Maori, Pasifika, former refugees, new migrants, rainbow communities, those experiencing mental health issues, people living with a disability, rurally or in isolation, and those facing hardship," she said.
