BayTrust Covid-19 Update

As you will be aware the impacts of Covid-19 are being felt far and wide and are having a massive impact on our BOP communities.

As a community funder, BayTrust is not deemed to be an essential service, so our office will be closed for four weeks from Thursday 26 March.  However, as much as possible BayTrust wants to assure its grantees and partners that we are committed to business as usual, providing appropriate support throughout this period of heightened risk and uncertainty.   

To facilitate this all BayTrust staff have the ability to work remotely from home and can continue to be contacted on our usual phone numbers and email addresses.

What this means for Granting

-    If you have an application in the current March 2020 Community Impact $15-100k round, you will know the outcome by the end of March with approved grants being paid by the mid-April.

-    Future grant rounds are still open (except for the Community Amenities funding round which will be deferred until next year), and applications will be received and processed as per our normal guidelines.

-    We will continue to honour all of our multi-year funding obligations as well as honour any other existing commitments.

-    Our granting Budget for next year is likely to be reduced due to the large decline in our investment values, however this will be largely offset by the deferment of the Community Amenities funding round with many of these projects not likely to commence this year.  We will endeavour to hold to last year’s budget for our standard monthly and quarterly grants rounds.

Emergency Rapid Response Funding

We anticipate that a number of organisations may experience a significant increase in demand on their services over the next few months.  In relation to this, we’re working with key regional funding partners to develop a joint rapid response application for funding process. 

Initial details are outlined below:

-    Funding will be available for organisations that are experiencing an immediate funding shortfall and/or a significant increase in demand on their services as a result of Coronavirus (and its associated impacts) where these services have the ability to make a meaningful difference to our communities.
-    A single and simple one-page application lead by the key local funder (please call your local funder in the first instance):
o    TECT in the Western Bay  - https://www.tect.org.nz/
o    Rotorua Trust in Rotorua -  https://rotoruatrust.org.nz/
o    BayTrust in the Eastern Bay and the Taupo/Turangi region
-    Fast turn around and payment.

Once further details of this funding have been worked through, information will be posted on our website and Facebook page, as well being communicated by our key funding partners.

Keeping Safe

As we all process what it means to self-isolate at home it is important that we take care of our health and wellbeing. Our friends at New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience have just released this great webinar which gives tips on coping during COVID-19. Visit their website for more resources www.nziwr.co.nz. 

Lastly as CEO of BayTrust I know how challenging it is for everyone dealing with these uncertain times and whilst we do not know how this we will play out, we do anticipate it will have a significant impact on the BOP.  We will do all we can to help support groups over this period, however, we also are aware that we will have to make some difficult funding decisions.

Often in times of uncertainty, our first impulses are not always our best ones. This is why the Trust has initiated its ‘Funding in the Event of a Disaster Policy’ and its emergency continuity committee. This along with our key policies, our purpose and our values will provide guidance to ensure we remain flexible and nimble whilst making the best decisions that we can during these volatile times.  

Also, as we work through the impacts on ourselves and our communities it is also worth remembering Churchill’s quote ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’ and it is times like this we can find new and better ways to support our great communities.  

Stay safe, and look after your whanau and neighbours.

Nga mihi,

Alastair Rhodes
Chief Executive
BayTrust
E: alastair@baytrust.org.nz
P: (07) 987 2206
M: 021 921 737
W: www.BayTrust.org.nz