News that community based youth services in the Kāpiti region like Kāpiti Youth Support and Youth Quest are under huge financial pressure and may even have to close is distressing.
Many believe now is the time for communities to step up and support their local charities.
Nikau Foundation has just announced a grant of $5,000 for Youth Quest, following a grant made to them last year. But this alone will not solve the problem. Other Nikau Fund grant recipients just announced this year include Birthright Ōtaki, C4U, Ngahina Family Trust and Volunteer Kāpiti. In the last two years, Nikau Foundation has donated over $43,000 within the Kāpiti region to diverse projects but the need is growing as the number of applications for funds continues to climb each year.
Fortunately, now there is a way for Kāpiti residents to target their giving directly into the region. The Kāpiti Coast recently became the first area in the Wellington region to establish a community based endowment fund the Nikau Kāpiti Fund. District funds cater for those people who want to contribute directly to their local community.
Financial advisor and Nikau Trustee, Liz Koh is a keen supporter of this initiative and is herself a Nikau Kāpiti Fund founder donor: “Everybody in the Kāpiti region, including myself, is a potential recipient of services from local charities. I believe it is important to ensure they have a sustainable future so they are there when needed by ourselves or future generations”.
For Kāpiti residents this endowment fund provides the vehicle to appreciate the community where they have lived, worked, played and brought up a family. Income from this fund will be distributed to Kāpiti charities from Paekākāariki to Ōtaki once the fund has reached $75,000.
The special appeal of this fund, as with all funds under Nikau Foundation, is that donors know that the capital is invested and the income distributed, and they are helping Kāpiti charities every year, forever.
“We aim to grow the Fund to $5million to benefit the our community.” Liz Koh explains. “It will be great when our district can be self-sustainable for our charitable needs, so that we don’t have to read about organisations like YouthQuest having to struggle to survive”.
Donors can make a gift now, or leave a gift to the Nikau Kāpiti Fund in their will.
www.nikaufoundation.org.nz/NikauKāpiti.html
About Nikau Foundation
The Nikau foundation is part of a worldwide family of community foundations created to provide a simple, effective and long-lasting ways for people to leave legacies to local causes and to ensure these gifts will achieve maximum benefit into the future. Nikau Foundation is an independent charitable trust created for the benefit for the people of the greater Wellington region. The Foundation attracts funds and bequests from generous donors and invests the funds to preserve the capital and generate income. It provides grants from the income for charitable projects. www.nikaufoundation.org.nz
