Community Response Fund Assessment Process
Regional selection panels will meet to assess applications at least three times a year beginning July 2009. The selection process will be transparent, equitable and impartial.
Funding will be distributed in three tranches during the year with the first distribution in September 2009. The distribution of funding is based on local need.
Panels will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Social Development, funding advisors from other government organisations and community representatives.
We have used local networks from within government and across the NGO and philanthropic sectors to identify people with the community knowledge needed.
Community representatives will have a good knowledge of the social support sector but will need to be seen to have no vested interest in the organisations making applications.
Panel Locations by Territorial Local Authority
| Northland | Far North |
| Whangarei | |
| Kaipara | |
| North Shore / West Auckland / Rodney | Rodney |
| North Shore City | |
| Waitakere City | |
| South Auckland / Central Auckland | Auckland City |
| Manukau City | |
| Papakura | |
| Franklin | |
| Hamilton | Thames-Coromadel |
| Hauraki | |
| Waikato | |
| Matamata-Piako | |
| Hamilton City | |
| Waipa | |
| Otorohanga | |
| South Waikato | |
| Waitomo | |
| Rotorua / Tauranga | Western Bay of Plenty |
| Tauranga | |
| Rotorua | |
| Whakatane | |
| Kawerau | |
| Opotiki | |
| Taupo | |
| Taranaki / Wanganui | Ruapehu |
| New Plymouth | |
| Stratford | |
| South Taranaki | |
| Wanganui | |
| Rangitikei | |
| Hawkes Bay / East Coast | Gisborne |
| Wairoa | |
| Hastings | |
| Napier City | |
| Central Hawkes Bay | |
| Palmerston North / Manawatu | Manawatu |
| Palmerston North City | |
| Tararua | |
| Horowhenua | |
| Wellington | Masterton |
| Kapiti Coast | |
| Carterton | |
| Upper Hutt City | |
| Porirua City | |
| Lower Hutt City | |
| Wellington City | |
| South Wairarapa | |
| Nelson / Marlborough / West Coast | Tasman |
| Nelson City | |
| Marlborough | |
| Buller | |
| Grey | |
| Westland | |
| Christchurch | Kaikoura |
| Hurunui | |
| Waimakariri | |
| Christchurch City | |
| Selwyn | |
| Ashburton | |
| Timaru | |
| Mackenzie | |
| Waimate | |
| Otago / Southland | Queenstown-Lakes |
| Waitaki | |
| Central Otago | |
| Dunedin City | |
| Clutha | |
| Gore | |
| Southland | |
| Invercargill City |
What are the requirements for being selected on a panel?
The panel is selected to ensure that they are skilled and knowledgeable enough to articulate and reflect the key issues facing providers of critical social services in this time of economic uncertainty. Specifically they:
- can demonstrate a broad community knowledge, and clearly have the community networks and confidence of the sector, community and applicants
- are people sufficiently experienced and/or knowledgeable to ensure that their approach to the task will be robust, decisions will be soundly based
- have knowledge and understanding of financial records and audited accounts
- are clearly and transparently independent of any agency which makes application for a grant in the region. We would not expect anyone on the panel to be associated with any other applicant organisation.
Additional panel members may be recruited to reflect regional variance, ensuring a level of customisation of the regional panels to better reflect the community composition, differing level of needs.
Community representatives will be selected on their ability to represent their communities rather than their organisations. Panels will meet to jointly assess applications over two to three days, depending on volumes of applications received.
The core panel members with scoring rights will include funding advisors with experience of the needs and available services in each of the regions from Family and Community Services (FACS), Child, Youth and Family (CYF) and the Department of Internal Affairs.
There will be a minimum of two community representatives and the panel may also include where appropriate persons representing Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs or Pacifika and other ethnicities.
As part of the assessment process the Ministry will undertake due diligence and this may include contacting other funders, including government agencies, who have previously funded the applicant. Additional information may also be requested from the applicant to assist the decision making process.
It is important to stress that this Fund is limited and the selection process is competitive. Not all applications will be successful.
