A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
In its ninth annual funding round, the Sunrise Foundation has given a funding boost to 35 worthy causes in Tairāwhiti-Gisborne, awarding $200,753 of grants across the arts, education, environment, health, social and sports sectors.
Sunrise invites grant applications once a year from local community organisations with a charitable purpose, whichare then assessed by their grants committee of Richard Briant (chair), Leslynne Jackson, Stephen Thomson and Natasha Ashworth.
As a community endowment foundation, Sunrise raises money through donations and legacies. All money raised is invested and the capital protected and grown each year to keep in line with inflation. Due to the generosity of donors, funds invested have grown to $7.7 million since the foundation’s inception in 2014.
Sunrise executive officer Glenda Stokes said the quality of applications this year was high and the need in the community for support was very evident.
“As Sunrise distributes only the surplus income from the endowment funds invested, there is a limit to how much we can grant each year. As our endowment continues to grow it means every year we will have more funding available and be in a better position to support more groups in our community,” she said.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, this year Sunrise awarded an additional $201,087 locally in “pass-through” funds. Various philanthropic individuals and groups contacted the team at Sunrise, asking them to fund on their behalf, confident they would have a solid grasp of where the greatest need in our community was and how best to respond. All the funds donated were passed through to the various recipients.
“Funding to our community is our core business and what we love, but when so many were affected by the Gabrielle, we had to offer support in any way possible.”
