The Community Education Fund provides small grants to local organisations so they can encourage their communities to enrol to vote.
This includes providing education opportunities and supporting electoral preparedness in communities that have lower rates of enrolment and participation.
The fund is split into two parts: Māori Electoral Option and General Election.
Applications for the General Election part of the fund open on 25 May 2026 and further details will be published closer to that date.
Applications for the Māori Electoral Option part of the Community Education Fund closed on Monday 11 May 2026.
The Community Education Fund
- Will accept applications for up to $25,000
- Will only fund community education that uses the Electoral Commission’s messages
- Will only fund politically neutral community education projects
- Will only fund projects that can safely collect, store, and transfer sensitive personal information
- Will only fund organisations that can successfully manage any potential, actual, or perceived conflicts of interest
Before you apply
We have received a high volume of applications to the Māori Electoral Option part of the fund and we expect even more to the General Election part of the fund.
Please note the following before you apply to the General Election part of the Community Education Fund.
We will not consider any applications that are submitted after the deadline date.
We will not consider incomplete applications. Please ensure your application form includes:
- Your application
- Your project plan, budget, and risk register
- Your organisation’s most recent financial reporting
- Your organisation’s bank details
- Quotes for any capital expenses over $100
We will not require you to submit an Eligibility Questionnaire but we recommend you use our eligibility criteria as a guide while you are writing your application.
We will not consider any applications that include any budget for activity that occurs outside the dates of 17 August – 25th October. This includes budget for planning or reporting time.
We will not consider any application that includes a meet-the-candidates-type event or a policy debate.
We will not consider any applications from Limited Companies or other for-profit businesses.
We will not consider applications from nationally-operating organisations and their regional offices. We recommend having an internal discussion to decide if your organisation is going to apply with one regionally-based application or with one national application.
Please note that all successful applicants to the fund must agree to attend a two-hour training webinar as a condition of receiving the fund. The webinar date will be Monday 3rd August.
Who can apply for funding?
Your organisation must be a legal entity to apply to the Community Education Fund. It must have a governance structure, financial information, and an organisation bank account.
The fund will accept applications from iwi, hapū, marae, registered charities, incorporated societies, or churches. The fund cannot accept applications from schools, libraries, for-profit businesses, or local or regional councils.
If your organisation is not a legal entity, please get in touch to discuss further at cef@elections.govt.nz
Māori Electoral Option
Applications for the Māori Electoral Option part of the Community Education Fund were open to all community organisations across Aotearoa to provide education about the Māori Electoral Option and the choice this offers to all eligible Māori voters. Projects must be delivered between 18 June 2026 and 6 August 2026.