Past grants

*This grant round has closed*

Recipients of grant

The grant recipients were announced on 16 April 2024 in the blog: Grant announcement web accessibility.

On 17 July 2024, we announced a second cohort of successful applications in the blog: More pūtea given for web accessibility.

Details of grant 

• Applications open: 14 November 2023
• Applications closed: 15 December 2023 

Purpose: We stand for an Internet that is accessible and inclusive. We are using a part of our .nz domain sales revenue to improve web accessibility in Aotearoa.

What can this funding be used for? Applications that seek to ensure a new or existing website is accessible in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. That means aligning with the principles of being perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

This could include:

• making sure colour contrast between the text and the background meets the minimum requirements
• ensuring that hyperlink names are meaningful
• including appropriate alternative text for all non-text content
• ensuring there is a language element on each page
• including captioning and transcripts for multimedia
• making accessible forms and organisational documentation such as annual reports
• training the team to make these changes or paying someone external to do them.

Applications that seek to translate content to better serve the intended community, for example: where there is a need for your content to be accessible in different languages or Easy Read format.

Priority was given to applications by:

• charitable organisations that are disability-led and serve disabled people | tangata whaikaha
• whakapapa Māori organisations.

You weren't eligible for funding if you were:

• a for-profit organisation or business
• an individual
• a government entity
• working on social media content
• working on an app

Application process

You will need to provide the following information:

• background about your organisation and its purpose
• identify what you will do to ensure web accessibility, what elements of your website need to be upgraded or how accessibility will be built into your new website
• identify who will do this work and what qualifies them to do it
• how you will prove the website is fully accessible upon completion
• timeframes and a budget, including quotes for anything over $2,000.

We understand that $10,000 may only be a contribution, and may not go all the way towards making your website accessible. This funding can be used alongside other funding sources. When you start drafting your application, consider what accessibility measures will make the most difference to your community or audience and the content you provide.

If you have any questions or need help, get in touch with our team by emailing funding@internetnz.net.nz. 

Here at InternetNZ, we are committed to ensuring we meet accessibility standards, and we know we have mahi to do. We will be commissioning experts to do an accessibility audit of our online channels. This will give us a good indication of what we are doing right and where and how we can improve.  

Assessment criteria 

This is a contestable grant fund. Applications are internally assessed with approval by the Kaiwhakahaere ā Hāpori / Community Engagement Manager. All decisions are final.

Assessment is based on:

Alignment with purpose

• Applicant has outlined an initiative that will increase the accessibility of their website or ensure accessibility of a new website.

Potential benefit

• Applicant has indicated that the work will be done with, by, and for the community it will benefit
• Web accessibility will mean the applicant’s organisation can better serve the community and create public impact.

Likelihood of success

• Applicant has provided a clear plan, including what accessibility measures are required, costs and timeframes
• Applicant has identified a disability-led provider to carry out the work and what credentials they have to ensure the final product is fully accessible.

*This grant round has closed* 

The New Zealand Government defines disinformation as “false or modified information knowingly and deliberately shared to cause harm or achieve a broader aim.” Misinformation is defined as “information that is false or misleading, though not created or shared with the direct intention of causing harm."

Purpose of this fund:

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | Te Tari o te Pirimia me te Komiti Matua has partnered with InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa to establish a one-off fund. The purpose of this fund is to support efforts by the community to build resilience against the harms of disinformation in Aotearoa. The fund will support initiatives to develop domestic expertise and capability and initiatives for education and community outreach.

Along with administrative support and collaboration sessions, we have $750,000 available to give out in grants towards initiatives, outreach activities and educational resources. The grants will go to initiatives that ensure public trust and confidence and demonstrate principles of transparency and a commitment to human rights, including protecting freedom of expression. 

The fund will have two aims:

• Developing domestic expertise and capability: This is for existing and new initiatives to build capability and capacity, and strengthen collaboration for counter-disinformation efforts in Aotearoa, drawing on international best practice where appropriate to our context.
• Supporting education and community outreach: This is for existing and new community-based initiatives to support the development of accurate, audience-appropriate, engaging resource material. This material should help to build critical thinking skills, and digital and media literacy among a broad range of affected New Zealand communities.

Priority

Priority will be given to applications from communities in Aotearoa that are particularly impacted by disinformation narratives, or groups working to support these communities, including:

• Tangata whēnua and kaupapa Māori groups
• Members of Pasifika communities
• The rainbow community and gender minorities
• Recent migrants and former refugees
• Disabled people | Tangata Whaikaha 
• Faith-based communities
• Older people (65+)

Applications

Due to an overwhelming number of interest so far, we are no longer receiving applications for this fund. We want to ensure that everyone who has shown interest has the time and support to work through their application with us. If you have any questions about this, you can email us at funding@internetnz.net.nz

We had planned to run a webinar early in October to talk more about this funding, and answer any questions about how to apply and what information you need to provide. Due to low interest in the group webinar, it was cancelled, and instead, we spoke directly with each of our applicants.

Eligibility criteria — what can the funding be used for?

• development of resource materials
• delivery of educational programmes including venue hire, koha and kai 
• operational costs, within delivery of initiatives, for organisation whose kaupapa aligns.

Who and what is excluded?

• website or app development not related to the development of resource material for the initiative or tech systems upgrades
• research, monitoring or analysis of the online information ecosystem in Aotearoa, and the impacts of disinformation 
• initiatives that counter and build resilience to violent extremism and radicalisation (there is another fund available for this purpose, find out more here)
• proposals that require multi-year, long term, recurring funding — initiatives should be delivered in the specified time period (from 12 September 2023 to 31 August 2024).

Assessment criteria

Alignment with purpose

• applicant has explained how the initiative aligns with the funding purpose of building resilience to the harms of disinformation in Aotearoa
• applicant has identified relevant community engagement and how this will be tailored to effectively engage and benefit the intended group. 

Potential benefit of the initiative

• applicant has given an indication of the expected outcomes and the impact of those outcomes
• applicant has identified the benefits to the intended communities
• applicant has given an indication of who and how many people would benefit from this initiative
• applicant has identified any opportunities for sustainability, ongoing commitments and viability if any.

Likelihood of success of the initiative

• applicant has shown a clear plan for how this initiative will unfold, grounded in international best practice, a theoretical framework or its relationship to existing mahi
• applicant has outlined their approach and management of any ethical considerations or risk factors
• applicant has provided evidence of the commitment of others, ie. existing relationship and buy-in from involved/affected communities
• applicant has provided evidence of relevant experience or expertise of those involved in implementing the initiative.

Successful initiatives of the one-off fund to build resilience to disinformation (phase 1)

We’re delighted to share the initiatives that have been awarded funding for Phase 1

*This grant round has closed* 

Recipients of the grant 

The grant recipients were announced on 1 August 2023 in the blog: Grants announcement — Conference attendance awards.

Details of grant 

• Applications opened: 8 May 2023
• Applications closed: 9 June 2023

Purpose — the awards are intended to assist the successful applicants to:

• • Engage in shaping the future of the Internet for New Zealand, both domestically and internationally.
  • Gain expertise and experience which will benefit the New Zealand Internet community and the development of the Internet in New Zealand.

You may wish to attend something local in Aotearoa, across the ditch, or across the globe. The world is reopening and in-person — kanohi-ki-te-kanohi is back! Meanwhile, for many of us, online attendance has enormous advantages. 

This award is open to all. To be considered, conferences, events, or hui must be relevant to shaping the future of the Internet for New Zealand.

Priority will be given to:

• Applications by tangata whenua (individuals or organisations that can identify their Māori whakapapa)
• Applications from groups who support and are led by Pasifika peoples, migrants and refugees, faith-based communities, the Rainbow community and gender minorities, and people with disabilities.

Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis, so be quick.

Application process

How to apply

Simply apply online. You will need to provide the following information:

• details on the event
• rationale of how the event is related to the purpose of this award
• costs, including quotes for anything over $2,000.

If you have any questions, get in touch with our team by emailing funding@internetnz.net.nz. 

Assessment criteria (conference attendance)

This is a contestable grant fund. Applications are internally assessed in batches with approval by the Kaiwhakahaere ā Hāpori / Community Engagement Manager. All decisions are final and you should have an outcome within four weeks.

Assessment is based on

• Alignment with purpose
• Potential benefit
• Sharing of mātauranga back into the community ie. sharing resources, running presentations from what you learnt etc. 

*This grant round has closed*

Recipients of grant 

The grant recipients were announced on 08 June 2023 in the blog: Grants announcement — follow up grants 

Grant details 

• Applications opened: 7 December 2022
• Applications closed: 8 March 2023

Purpose:

Part of our work is connecting and supporting the digital inclusion community in Aotearoa so that more people can benefit from the Internet. But with more people online, there is a rising tide of harmful mis/disinformation and hateful material.

The best solutions are designed by and for the people. Communities know what works for them. 

This grant will empower communities working on issues of digital inclusion, mis/disinformation, online harms, online extremism, reporting mechanisms, counter speech, platforms, AI, transparency, and moderation.

Grant amount: The total funding available for this round is $230,000. Funding requests can be up to $10,000 (per initiative).

Priority was given to:  

• Applications by tangata whenua (individuals or organisations that can identify their Māori whakapapa).
• Applications from groups who support and are led by Pasifika peoples, migrants and refugees, faith-based communities, the rainbow community and gender minorities, and people with disabilities.

Application process

The first step — Get in touch with us for a kōrero:

Our team is happy to chat and offer support. You can start by emailing us at funding@internetnz.net.nz with a brief introduction about yourself and what you are planning so that we can arrange a time to speak. You can expect to hear from us within seven working days. 

The next step — After our kōrero:

You will need to complete a written application. We are here to help you as much as you need. If your idea doesn’t quite fit, we will do our best to save you some time with a quick response and any advice that might be useful. You can preview the application form.

Applications will be assessed in 4-6 weeks.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, you must be able to demonstrate a link to our grant round purpose, and we fund any of the following:

• individuals and/or groups with no formal legal structure
• not-for-profit, charitable and voluntary 'community' organisations with a formal legal structure
• academic institutions 
• social enterprises (e.g., charitable trusts, cooperatives or unions, etc.)

What is excluded?

• We don’t fund website or app development. 

Assessment criteria 

This is a contestable grant fund. Applications are internally assessed in batches with approval by the Tumuherenga Waka  |  General Manager Public Impact. All decisions are final.

Alignment with purpose — Applicant has:

• identified how the initiative matches the InternetNZ purpose for this grant round
• outlined engagement within the community relevant to this initiative
• identified how the initiative can help address community goals and objectives

Potential benefit — Applicant has:

• indicated the expected outcomes and intended change to the community
• identified how and to what extent the initiative is addressing community/research needs
• identified the initiative’s ongoing commitments and viability if any
• identified the initiative’s relationship to any other related initiatives in New Zealand or internationally

Likelihood of success — Applicant has:

• shown clearly how the initiative will be implemented
• outlined their approach and management of any ethical considerations
• provided evidence of commitment and support — ie. of involved or affected groups/communities, co-funding, in-kind support
• described the experience of the people applying, i.e. a successful track record of implementing the initiative of this kind
• stated what qualifications they have that are relevant to the requirements of the initiative

*This grant round has closed*

Recipients of the grant 

The grant recipients were announced on 9 May 2023 in the blog: Grants announcement — supporting diverse voices. 

Grant details 

• Applications opened: 10 October 2022
• Applications closed: The grant will close when all funding is distributed or on 31 March 2023

Purpose:  Our goal is to support people to contribute, influence, and get involved in key Internet issues. For example, this funding could be used to attend an event such as a conference, hui, or forum. It could go towards registration fees, travel costs, accommodation, childcare, accessibility needs, and/or translation.

Grant amount: we have a funding pool of $85,000. Funding requests can be up to $10,000 (per initiative). 

Priority will be given to:

• Applications by tangata whenua (individuals or organisations that can identify their Māori whakapapa)

Application process

We welcome anyone to get in touch with us if your work aligns with the purpose of this grant. 

READ MORE about this funding in our blog.

The first step — Get in touch with us for a kōrero:

Our team is happy to chat and offer support. You can start by emailing us at funding@internetnz.net.nz with a brief introduction about yourself and what you are planning so that we can arrange a time to speak. You can expect to hear from us within 2-3 working days. 

The next step — After our kōrero:

You will need to complete a written application. We are here to help you as much as you need. If your idea doesn’t quite fit, we will do our best to save you some time with a quick response and any advice that might be useful.

Applications will be assessed in 4-6 weeks.

Eligibility criteria (on-demand)

• individuals and/or groups with no formal legal structure
• not-for-profit, charitable and voluntary 'community' organisations with a formal legal structure
• academic institutions 
• social enterprises (e.g. charitable trusts, cooperatives or unions, etc.)

Who and what is excluded?

• For this grant, those who have received funding from us in the past will have a lower priority.
• We don’t fund website or app development. 

Assessment criteria (on-demand)

This is a contestable grant fund. Applications are internally assessed in batches with approval by the Tumuherenga Waka | General Manager Public Impact. All decisions are final.

Assessment is based on:

• Alignment with purpose
• Potential benefit
• Likelihood of success

*This grant round has closed*

Recipients of the grant 

The grant recipients were announced on 26 May 2022 in the blog: Digital inclusion grant announcement 2021/22. 

Grant details

• Applications opened: 10 November 2021 
• Applications closed: 14 January 2022

Purpose: InternetNZ is working to increase the evaluation capabilities within the Aotearoa digital inclusion community.

Grant amount: The total funding available for this round is $250,000.

Priority will be given to: 

• organisations with strong evaluation planning, or wishing to increase their evaluation capability and capacity,
• organisations which are kaupapa Māori.

Application process 

This is a two-stage contestable grant round. Applicants will be required to provide at least a draft evaluation plan in their stage 2 application — check out our evaluation toolkit for guidance.

We recommend you get in touch with us before you apply so we can provide advice and support. You can start by emailing us at funding@internetnz.net.nz with a brief introduction about yourself and your mahi so that we can arrange a time to speak. Our shutdown period for the summer holiday break is 20 December–10 January, so if you can, get in touch before then.

Applicants can expect to learn the outcome of their submission at the beginning of April 2022. Applications are assessed by an external Funding Panel and then approved by our Chief Executive. All outcomes are final.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible you must be able to demonstrate a link to our grant round purpose and we fund any of the following:

• not-for-profit, charitable and voluntary 'community' organisations with a formal legal structure
• academic institutions 
• individuals and/or groups with no formal legal structure
• social enterprises (e.g. Charitable trusts, cooperatives or unions, etc.)

While we do have listed commercial entities as organisations we fund, we are always open to collaborative opportunities that support our grant purpose. Talk to us if that is the case.

Assessment criteria

Our larger grant rounds are assessed by our Funding Panel, based on the following extended criteria:

Alignment with purpose — Applicant has:

• identified how the initiative matches the InternetNZ purpose for this grant round
• outlined engagement within the community relevant to this initiative
• identified how the initiative can help address community goals and objectives

Potential benefit — Applicant has:

• indicated the expected outcomes and intended change to the community
• identified how and to what extent the initiative is addressing community/research needs
• identified the initiative’s ongoing commitments and viability if any
• identified the initiative’s relationship to any other related initiatives in New Zealand or internationally

Likelihood of success — Applicant has:

• shown clearly how the initiative will be implemented
• shown strong evaluation capabilities and planning; or the capacity and willingness to evaluation capabilities 
• outlined their approach and management of any ethical considerations
• provided evidence of commitment and support - ie. of involved or affected groups/communities, co-funding, in-kind support
• described the experience of the people applying, i.e. a successful track record of implementing the initiative of this kind
• stated what qualifications they have that are relevant to the requirements of the initiative