Strategic Funding Paves Way for Social Change

Head of Community Investment Kate Sclater talks about how Rātā Foundation Strategic Projects and Partnerships is paving the way for more equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Over the last year, Rātā has been pivoting its strategic funding programme to reflect key areas that contribute to our purpose.

The intent behind our strategic partnerships aligns with the trustee's objectives to collaborate to create inter-generational and social change. Being clear on our purpose for these projects is critical, as is building relationships with partners to help us understand where we can make a difference.

We enter strategic partnerships across our rohe to support community organisations in their mahi to create a more equitable and sustainable society. To help us understand the needs in our four pou and guide where we can make a difference, we have spoken to stakeholders and reviewed learnings. We have also commissioned our own research to support our mahi.

Our focus for our strategic partnerships is on areas that have a significant impact on equity and sustainability. The pou for Rātā are Housing, Health, Education, and the Environment.

We have learnt that to create social change, the projects we support and partner with need to have the following qualities:

• the potential to be significant in scale and impact
• addressing a need in the community, and the removal of any barriers
• that the project is well supported by research
• good management and governance
• excellent community leadership
• have measurable outcomes at various stages of the project

Over the year in review, our strategic funding has focused on landscape-scale conservation in Te Tauihu, housing projects across the rohe, and the Early Years in Canterbury. We have already seen significant and transformational outcomes in these three areas.

In health, we will focus on projects that will remove barriers to effective mental health for young people from Māori, Pasifika, and rainbow communities; and maternal mental health for young Māori mothers. We look forward to sharing more on the outcomes of these projects as they cycle through.

In the coming years, you will see Rātā looking to extend our strategic funding. We also have plans to look at other areas which are key determinants of social wellbeing.

Next month we will release our new Strategic Projects section on the Rātā website.

This is our opportunity to share with you the research we have done and the news and outcomes from the Strategic projects we have funded. We will let you know when we go live!