Toloa Community Fund

To be eligible for funding, proposed initiatives must align with the purpose of the Fund and demonstrate a clear focus on the following five objectives:

1. STEM-focused

Projects must support Pacific peoples — especially youth — to engage with and participate in STEM. This could include:

• building awareness and interest in STEM subjects.
• strengthening STEM capability and confidence.
• supporting pathways into STEM education, training or employment.

2. Community-focused

Projects must demonstrate strong connections to Pacific communities and be designed in response to community needs. This includes:

• culturally grounded delivery that reflects Pacific values and practices.
• collaboration with Pacific families, schools or community organisations.
• approaches that are accessible, inclusive and relevant to the target audience.

3. Youth-focused

Projects must target Pacific youth or meaningfully involve them in design and delivery. This could include:

• co-design with Pacific youth.
• youth-led or youth-informed delivery models.
• initiatives that build leadership, confidence or identity through STEM.

4. Impact-focused

Projects must include a clear plan to measure success and demonstrate impact. This includes:

• defined outcomes and indicators of success.
• collecting feedback and performance data.
• a commitment to learning and continuous improvement.

5. Access-focused

Projects should reach Pacific communities that have limited access to STEM opportunities. This could include:

• communities in regions with fewer services or lower participation rates.
• initiatives that reduce barriers to participation.
• approaches that extend reach beyond urban centres or traditional delivery settings.

To be eligible, your organisation must:

• be a legal entity registered in New Zealand (for example, a charitable trust, incorporated society or company).
• be Pacific-led and serve Pacific communities in Aotearoa.
• have delivered STEM education or engagement programmes within the past three years or present a strong, well-supported proposal demonstrating capability to deliver STEM programmes or engagement activities and alignment with the Toloa Fund’s objectives.

You must also hold, or agree to obtain before funding is released:

• public liability insurance (recommended minimum $1 million).
• professional indemnity insurance (recommended minimum $1 million) if your initiative includes tutoring, mentoring or advisory services.

• personal financial assistance.
• debt repayment or debt servicing.
• academic research and other research activities.
• programmes and activities delivered overseas, including the New Zealand realm countries.
• travel, accommodation, or fact-finding tours.

All eligible applications are assessed against key criteria to ensure the strongest community outcomes.

Applications are scored on:

• strategic alignment – how well the project supports Pacific youth in STEM (30%)
• STEM focus – quality and relevance of STEM content (15%)
• community connection – relationships with Pacific communities and cultural grounding (15%)
• reach and impact – who will benefit and what change is expected (15%)
• organisational capability – readiness, experience and systems to deliver (15%)
• budget and value – alignment of costs with outcomes (10%)

You can view the full assessment matrix here: Toloa Community Fund Assessment Matrix (PDF 92 KB)

Applications are now closed for the Toloa Community Fund.

If you have questions about the fund, please email [email protected].