Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Fund

Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Fund is sponsored by Department of Internal Affairs. Provides grants for equipment to disabled individuals to enhance their community participation.

Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Grant » Community Matters Te Komiti Rota mō te Tangata whai Hauātanga Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Providing grants to people living with disabilities to help them have better access and be more connected to their communities.

For Lottery Individuals with Disabilities, a disability refers to a long-term (six months or longer) limiting condition that affects a person's ability to participate in the community. Lottery Individuals with Disabilities funds vehicles, vehicle modifications, scooters, assistance dogs and other mobility equipment, that will enable better access to the community.

It also provides grants to people with disabilities that affect their communication, to buy equipment to help them communicate. Vehicles/Vehicle Modifications Funding requests for vehicles/vehicle modifications are subject to a professional transport assessment by a registered occupational therapist which must confirm the disability-related need for the equipment.

A grant for a transport assessment does not guarantee a further grant will be made for a vehicle/vehicle modifications. Applicants must demonstrate how their request will contribute to one or more of the following outcomes. Supporting Pacific people with disabilities to participate socially and culturally.

Enabling people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate and participate. Increasing accessibility and connections for rural people with disabilities. Enabling people with disabilities to participate in their communities by increasing accessibility and mobility.

Increasing Māori cultural connections for tangata whaikaha Māori and Tangata turi Māori. Increasing accessibility to support community participation by children and young people with disabilities and their families.

Ngā kaupapa kāore e tautokona ā-pūtea / What we don't fund In addition to what may not be funded by any Lottery committee, Lottery Individuals with Disabilities does not fund: changes to any property or building items which are to be used only within the home equipment that the Ministry of Health or any other body has agreed to fund, up to the amount of that funding (any cost over that amount may be funded) disabilities that have occurred as a result of an accident and are eligible for support from the Accident Compensation Corporation repairs or maintenance to equipment requests from individuals who do not have a disability, or Insurance for equipment funded by the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Fund is your responsibility.

Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Fund Supporting Documentation To apply to the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities fund you need to provide: a letter of support outlining how you will contribute to the community by receiving this grant, and a completed Verification of Disability form. You will need to include a letter of support with your request for funding.

This letter should come from a third party, someone in your community, and the letter should include information on how you have contributed to the community and how you will continue to contribute to the community with the help of the grant. Some good examples are; helping at the local marae, church or sports club, as a parent helping with your child's school or club, or volunteering at a support group related to your disability.

If the request for funding is for equipment for a child, the letter should be in relation to the child's parents or guardians. Verification of Disability Form A Verification of Disability form needs to be completed by a registered health professional.

A template of the Verification of Disability form can be downloaded from the link below: Verification of Disability form (PDF) (577 KB) Verification of Disability form (Word) (55 KB) Requests can be made online through our grants and client management system , and paper based requests are also currently accepted. The request form and instructions for completing a hardcopy request can be found outlined here .

If you are unable to complete either the online request or the paper request, you can give permission to someone else to fill the request in on your behalf. Requests may be submitted by New Zealand citizens or permanent residents, who must be based in New Zealand. What happens once I've submitted my request?

We will send you an email or letter to tell you we have received your request, and we'll let you know if we need any more information from you. If approved, grant payments are made directly... When will I find out if my grant request has been accepted?

You will be told whether or not your Lottery Individuals with Disabilities request has been approved following a Committee meeting. The Committee meets six times a year. What does Lottery Individuals with Disabilities not fund?...

What happens if my request is approved? If approved, your Lottery Individuals with Disabilities grant payments are made directly to equipment suppliers. What does Lottery Individuals with Disabilities not fund?

In addition to what may not be funded by any Lottery committee,... What is included in household income and cash assets? Gross household income is the total of all income before tax for the previous 12 months from all sources for all household members aged 18 years or over excluding flatmates.

If you are living... If you want to connect with, be part of and contribute to your community, hapū or iwi it is good to start with a clear idea of what you are planning to achieve.

If you would like to work in partnership with us to request a grant you can find out more here about how we work and how to contact us If you already know that a Lottery Individuals with Disablities request is right for you then the following steps will help you on your way. Or if you would like to explore other opportunities to access services and grant funding then return to the menu at the top of the home page for more information.

If you are planning to request a Lottery Individuals with Disabilities grant then we suggest you start by scrolling back up this page to check in on the priorities for this fund.

To be ready to make a request you can find out more about what you will need here; Or you can download a Lottery Individuals with Disabilities grant request form If you are ready to make your Lottery Indviduals with Disablities request then log-in h ere or, if you are unable to complete a funding request online, you can fill in a paper-based request here .

If you are unable to complete either the online request or the paper request, you can give permission to someone else to fill the request in on your behalf.

To complete your request successfully it might also be useful to; Remember that the fund is open all year and that a request for funding can be made at any time Review the documents you need Your lottery grant request will be reviewed by the Department of Internal Affairs to ensure that you have completed the request form and provided the required supporting documentation, including a verification of your disability and a letter of support.

If your request meets these requirements and is complete, a Community Advisor will then assess your request and may contact you if they have any questions about what you are asking support for, what benefits or outcomes you are hoping to achieve and how this fits with the outcomes and purpose of this fund.

There are 22 Lottery committees distributing grants on behalf of the Lottery Grants Board, including the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Fund. Each Lottery committee considers how well a grant request: meets its own outcomes and funding priorities aligns with the Lottery Grants Board's key request criteria and funding objectives responds to community needs.

If you have been successful in your grant request the grant will be paid directly to equipment suppliers/assessors. Our goal is to have payments processed within a fortnight of having received tax invoices from the suppliers for the equipment you have selected or for services provided in relation to the equipment. Remember your grant was made for the purpose outlined in your request.

If things have changed then please contact an Advisor to discuss.