Additionally, an applicant with an outstanding / late report as at the date of the Assessment Panel meeting will not be eligible to ECO Fund.

To be considered in a funding round, an ECO Fund application will need to meet all general eligibility criteria. These are:

• Project must be located in Otago. 
• Project cannot be funded for more than 3 years in duration. 
• Management agreement(s) or relevant written permission(s) that allow the project to be completed on site must be in place before submitting your application. 
• Maintenance costs for projects previously funded by ECO Fund will only be eligible for further funding, up to two times. 
• Final reports for any previous ECO Fund grants received must be submitted using the template provided and accepted before the assessment of new applications takes place. 
• Project must be feasible, realistic and achievable.

Large-scale biodiversity projects grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To protect and enhance native biodiversity. 
  • To enable larger scale projects for significant biodiversity outcomes aligned with regional priorities.
• Project must engage or involve the community.
• Wages are capped at $50,000.
• Project must have a clear biodiversity outcome.

General grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To protect and enhance Otago’s environment. 
  • To enable community-led environmental activities. 
• Project must engage or involve the community.
• If the application is for an education project, there must be some engagement or target audience.

Sustained rabbit management grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To manage rabbit populations in new or existing community programme areas. 
  • To enable landowners and community to work together to manage rabbit populations.
• Project must engage or involve the community.
• Wages are capped at $15,000.
• Rabbit control costs, including poisons (e.g. Pindone, Magtoxin), shooting or rabbit contractor costs, will not be funded. 

Biodiversity enhancement on protected private land grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To enhance existing protected areas of biodiversity on private land. 
  • To enable private landholders to maintain existing biodiversity. 

Critical source area management on private land grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To improve water quality. 
  • To support private landholder to manage critical source areas for native biodiversity.

Weed removal and revegetation grants

• Project must align with the following objectives: 
  
  • To improve native vegetation through removal of weeds / pest plants and rehabilitation. 
  • To increase area of native terrestrial biodiversity.
• Project must engage or involve the community.
• Funding is available for pest plant control only under the "Weed removal and revegetation" funding category.

The following will not be funded: 

• Activities required by legislation, regulation, consent conditions or compliance direction 
  
  • Rabbit control costs, includes poisons (e.g. Pindone, Magtoxin) and shooting or rabbit contractor costs 
• Resource consent or bylaw amendment application fees 
• Projects for commercial or private gain 
• Seed capital 
• Non-native plants (unless assessed as appropriate for project outcomes and for improved environmental outcomes)
• Amenity purposes (e.g. cycleway, bridge, amenity planting) 
• Retrospective costs for any projects

Additionally, funders other than ORC may support your project. We have more information on our Non-ORC funding page.