Ministry for Pacific Peoples — Pacific Languages Community Fund

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Pacific Languages Community Fund

This fund is designed to support Pacific-led projects that help Pacific communities to learn and use their languages across Aotearoa.

This year we are looking for projects that will:

Help communities learn Pacific languages, or improve their Pacific language skills
Target or involve Pacific young people
Meet the needs of Pacific communities
Be able to demonstrate their impact.

You can apply to one of our four funding pools:

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

Applications close on Thursday 7 November at 12.00pm
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application before mid-December
Successful applicants will receive funding from January 2025
Progress reports (Signature/Tier 1) must be submitted by Friday 30 May 2025
Initiatives must be completed by Friday 31 October 2025
Completion reports must be submitted by Friday 28 November 2025.

To be eligible for Signature Project and Tier 1 Funding (above $50,000), applicants must: 

be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand
service a Pacific audience
be a registered entity
provide a budget outline
only apply once for MPP language fund per year
not hold other Ministry contracts for language learning or resource development in 2025; and  
be able to deliver a language initiative targeted at Pacific communities within the timeframe (completed by end of October 2025) and allocated funding.

To be eligible for Tiers 2 and 3 Funding (below $50,000), applicants must:

be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand
be of Pacific descent or service a Pacific audience
represent an unregistered or registered community group
provide a budget outline
only apply once for a Ministry for Pacific Peoples language fund per year
not hold other Ministry contracts for language learning or resource development in 2025; and  
be able to deliver a language initiative targeted at Pacific communities within the timeframe and allocated funding.

Income  
academic research and other research activities
education institutions including early learning, primary, secondary and tertiary providers (funding that sits in other sectors) 
programmes and activities delivered overseas including the New Zealand realm countries
debt repayment or debt servicing 
travel, accommodation, or fact-finding tours.

Registered organisations are: charitable trusts, incorporated society, churches, statutory bodies, branch of an organisation registered under an Act of Parliament, registered under relevant legislation or a company with a charitable status.

If you are not registered as a charitable organisation, you can still apply but you must clearly articulate the charitable purpose of the initiative and differentiate between for-profit and not-for-profit activities.

A group that has charitable purpose and experience meeting a need of the community they work with.

This supports projects that involve the development and production of a language resource or resources.

This could be the development of an app, video content, written materials, books etc.

Funding conditions would include provision that the final resources are shared with the Ministry and the Ministry is able to use and share the resources developed (with credit to the group or person who developed it).

This support language education initiatives focused on language teaching and learning.

This could be language classes through basic conversations, multiple mediums, and oratory, cultural and traditional practices.

Funding conditions would include provision that there are a minimum 10 classes.

Follow the link to apply and it will take you to our application portal Kātoatoa.

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