The trust had been giving out about $6 million a year for the past few years but in the 2018-19 year would give away $9 million, CLT chief executive Susan Finlay said.
It was hoped the increased level of funding could be continued annually, although the amount would be reviewed every year, Mrs Finlay said.
She said the move was because of two things: a change in direction for the trust and its strong financial position.
Consideration of the change was initially prompted by the trust being oversubscribed for requests for funding for the first time in many years.
''This current financial year is the first time in many years the CLT has been over-subscribed. We haven't turned anyone away, but we have needed to take a breath and reaffirm our funding principles. In our case we went right back to our trust deed purpose ... the board has spent considerable time considering our grants distribution policies and ensuring there is a balance between the here and now (giving back to the community) and the long-term (funds in reserve). The trust's investments have performed well over the last few years, so we have an opportunity to recognise that.''
The shift in direction was being publicly communicated through a rebranding process that had resulted in a new logo developed for the CLT and launched this week. The trust also wanted to work more collaboratively with groups, in partnership with them, not ''owning'' or controlling the fate of projects, but working closely with groups to identify problems they faced and then solutions, Mrs Finlay said.
''The new brand signifies this change in direction for CLT - it is in line with our values. We are being open (not owning), proactive (prudent and fair) and collaborative, looking to the future environment, having integrity and valuing our connections with the community.''
The trust was streamlining its application process, developing guidance documents for groups with larger projects in mind, and making more detailed information available about the criteria for grants, Mrs Finlay said.
As a registered charity itself, the CLT was governed by the Charities Act, and could therefore only make funding available to territorial local authorities, registered public or state learning providers, faith-based organisations or registered charitable trusts.
All grants had to be ''of charitable purpose'' and must meet one of these criteria: the relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion, or other purposes beneficial to the community.
The CLT was also reminding the community of the trust's 100% ownership of Pioneer Energy, and the dividends Pioneer provided to the trust and therefore the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes community, Mrs Finlay said.
The Central Lakes Trust was formed in 2000 from funds bestowed from the Otago Central Electric Power Board following a restructuring of the national electricity sector. At present, the trust has net assets worth $384 million.
