ECO Fund

Environment. Community. Otago.

What is the ECO Fund?

The ECO Fund supports community-led projects that protect, enhance or promote Otago's environment.

Otago Regional Council contributes $290,000 every year to the ECO Fund. On occasion, the amount available may be higher depending on grant uptake from previous rounds. Starting in 2022, additional Incentives Funding has been made available for our Long Term Plan priorities. Both types of funding are managed via the ECO Fund.

For the 2023 year, the total contestable environmental grant money is $568,000, available through the ECO Fund and Incentives Funding. This is made up of:

• ECO Fund ($328,000)
• Incentives Funding - Biodiversity enhancement on protected private land ($30,000)
• Incentives Funding - Native planting for water quality outcomes ($30,000)
• Incentives Funding - Native planting after plant pest (e.g., wilding pine) removal ($30,000)
• Incentives Funding - Collaborative community rabbit management projects ($150,000)

The ECO Fund supports both on-ground works and education or awareness raising type projects. Whether your project is large or small, we welcome your application.

Please review the Eligibility Checklist to see if your project is eligible.

Applications to the ECO Fund are open from 1 to 31 March 2023.

Applications must be made online using the form below.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us by emailing ecofund@orc.govt.nz.

ECO Fund recipients 2022

Twenty-five environmental projects received funding from the annual ECO Fund.

More about the 2022 ECO Fund recipients