Sunrise announces twenty new grants

The Sunrise Foundation’s second funding round has commenced with the announcement of twenty grants to local community groups and charities.

Glenda Stokes, Sunrise Executive Officer, is delighted Sunrise is funding so many good causes this year.  “The donations we’ve had from our community have been phenomenal and as a result we are able to award three times more grants in 2016 than in our first funding round last year.”

Sunrise, a community endowment foundation, was launched in 2014 by The Warehouse founder and philanthropist Sir Stephen Tindall. Although new to New Zealand, community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide and have been operating for over 100 years in North America.

The strength of the community endowment model is that all donations are invested, protecting the capital, and grown each year to inflation proof the capital.  The surplus income is granted to charities and community organisations in the Gisborne District.  All money raised here, stays here.

The Sunrise Grants Committee includes trustees Richard Briant, Colin Christie, David Clark and Lilian Tangaere-Baldwin. Rob Dymock has joined the committee as a secondee. 

Rob didn’t hesitate when approached to join the Sunrise Grants Committee as she believes the long term benefit of Sunrise will be significant.  She says Sunrise is poised to help local charities and community groups as they struggle to raise the funds needed to carry out their important work. 

“Sunrise is an organisation for local people to give for local needs. This coupled with the fact that donations are invested with a long term view, will help to build a stronger future for Gisborne.”

David Clark chairs the Grants Committee and has been a trustee since Sunrise was established in 2015.  He has been involved in the charitable sector in Gisborne for many years and is a family member/trustee on the Clark Charitable Trust.

David commented that the quality of applications this year were high and most complied with Sunrise’s funding policy. “We were very pleased with the wide variety of applications received and were able to award grants to many of the organisations that applied.”

He added that as Sunrise only distributes the surplus income from the endowment funds invested there is a limit to how much they can grant each year. “As Sunrise’s endowment funds grow over time we will be in a better position to support many more worthy causes.  The future potential for Sunrise and its contribution to our community is significant.”

Sunrise grant recipients in the 2016 funding round are Centre Stage, Citizens Advice Bureau Gisborne, Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Gisborne City Vintage Railway, Gisborne East Coast Cancer Society, Gisborne Land Search & Rescue, Gisborne Rowing Club, Gisborne Volunteer Centre, Growing Through Grief, Hackfalls Aboretum, Horouta Waka Hoe Club, Hospice Tairawhiti, Mangapapa Playcentre, Mangapapa Union Church, Ngatio Porou Hauora, Heart Foundation Gisborne, Surf Lifesaving Gisborne, Swim for Life Tairawhiti, Tairawhiti Community Law Centre and Victim Support Tairawhiti.