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by Jayne Macdonald, Trustee of Mactodd Community Charitable Trust

It is exciting to be at the helm of the Mactodd Community Charitable Trust as it enters a new era – its formal grants funding application process. We recently launched it to the community, and it’s been a surreal and somewhat nerve-wracking step, as over the years, we have made relatively anonymous ad hoc donations to worthwhile and impactful initiatives. These donations have amounted over $2 million so far.

I’m writing in this column to draw attention to our Trust and to let people know that applications are currently open for grants between $50,000-$150,000, as well as $5,000-$50,000. Our goal is to donate between $200,000-$300,000 within this application round. And for those who miss out, we intend to do it all over again next year, and the year after that.

I’ve been involved in charitable endeavours for many years. You could say it’s in my DNA. I’ve sat on charitable boards, chaired meetings of community leaders, and held the bucket at fundraising events. When you’re involved in charities, you’re involved in the community, and one of the benefits of this is the great people you meet along the way and the connections you make. You also truly get a feel for what is unique and special about the community. This applies to myself and my fellow trustees of the Trust – we have all been involved in charities throughout our careers and have seen firsthand the needs of our community, faced funding gaps and made decisions we would have preferred not to make.

With the Trust, we have an opportunity to help community groups and charities or those with a fantastic idea that they need financial assistance to implement. At Mactodd, our firm values are Accessible, Collaborative, Innovative and Diverse, and they shape how we work and who we are. They also apply to this Trust – we want it to be accessible for our diverse community, and for the funds to help support and uplift innovative and collaborative work and ideas.

Over recent years, the Trust has grown to a size that enables simultaneous growth alongside regular gifting. Sitting at $17 million, the long-term goal of the Trust is growth. A fitting goal, in times of unprecedented growth across our district. We have this goal because with growth we can gift more, be relevant for longer, and effectively address the needs of the Southern Lakes District for generations to come.

If you have an initiative or project that will help create a stronger, healthier, and more connected community, we want to hear from you. Get your application in by 31 December: www.mactodd.co.nz/communitycharitabletrust.