Pub Charity Grants 2026: Rounds, Amounts and Odds

A quick word on who's writing: Grantsights makes grant search tools for United States funders only, so a New Zealand group has nothing to buy here. This is a free guide built from Pub Charity's own rules and records. If you'd like a New Zealand version of our tools, tell us you're in New Zealand.

Pub Charity Grants at a Glance

Pub Charity has been raising money for community groups since 1987, according to its "What we do" page. Here's how its grants work, from its own pages as read on 29 October 2026.

Pub Charity's licence limits its authorised purposes to charitable purposes, listing the advancement of education, scientific research, relief of poverty and other purposes beneficial to the community, plus non-commercial purposes that benefit the whole or a section of the community. Its policy lists 6 broad groups it funds: community and welfare groups; education (including pre-schools, kindergartens, playgroups and kōhanga reo); fire brigades, ambulance and lifesaving; health; youth; and community sport.

What 3,899 Approved Applications Show

Grantsights analysis of the 11 approval reports from October 2025 to September 2026 covers 3,899 approved applications worth $47,796,078. Those applicants asked for $72,913,384, so successful groups received about 66 cents for every dollar they requested. But the typical approved group got everything it asked for: 2,537 approvals (65%) were coded [Y], full approval.

Data: Pub Charity Limited monthly Approved Grants and Declined Grants reports, downloaded 29 October 2026. The share approved uses only rounds with both reports. Applications that were withdrawn or held over for missing documents don't appear in either report.

January and September were the busiest rounds. September, the last month of Pub Charity's financial year, approved $8.4 million, almost twice a normal month, including 12 of the year's 39 grants of $100,000 or more.

Grant sizes. The median approved application received $8,000. Most grants sit between $5,000 and $25,000.

The top end is real but rare. Wellington Zoo Trust received $571,328 for giraffe habitat improvements in September 2026, the year's largest grant, from the national pool. Woolston Brass Incorporated in Christchurch asked for $500,000 in April 2026 and got $250,000 (code B, local funds exceeded), then received a full $500,000 in September 2026 toward completing the project. The Life Flight Trust received its full $469,631 in August 2026, split across 12 council areas. In September 2026, three regional St John organisations each asked for between $1.0 million and $1.8 million for ambulances and each received $254,078.25.

Most grants are much smaller. One applicant from the Far North, Bay of Islands Amateur Swimming Club Incorporated, received $10,509 in September 2026 for lane and gym hire at Kawakawa pool, and Kerikeri Mens Shed Incorporated received its full $20,000 the same month. K9 Medical Detection New Zealand asked for $75,000 toward a trainer's salary and received it in full, made up from the pools of 7 different council areas.

What the money pays for. Every approval in the reports carries Pub Charity's own expense categories. Grouping each application by its first-listed category:

Salaries and wages are the clearest warning sign. Pub Charity's criteria say it won't support them "in most instances", and the reports agree: salary requests had the lowest full-approval rate (48%) and one of the lower overall approval rates (71.5%). They're still funded, at $7.5 million for the year, so a salary request isn't hopeless, but expect a part payment.

Pub Charity's own annual figures for the year to 30 September 2025 group grants differently. By its "primary class", sport took 1,814 approvals and $17.7 million (39.1%), health and welfare $8.9 million (19.7%), community groups 795 approvals and $8.2 million (18.1%), research and education $4.7 million (10.3%), arts and culture 387 approvals and $4.0 million (8.8%), and environment and animals $1.3 million (2.9%).

Where Your Money Comes From: The Local Pool

Pub Charity's whole system is built on location. Its policy says it "sets aside Net Proceeds Funds raised within each Territorial Licensing Authority (TLA) boundary" and prioritises applications that benefit the communities hosting its machines. Even within a council area, applications near the suburbs or towns with its venues have a better chance. A share of all venues' money goes to national organisations.

That's Pub Charity's policy, not a general law. According to the Department of Internal Affairs' tips for making authorised purpose grants (opens in a new tab), a gaming society may restrict grants to the local area, but no law or regulation requires grants to be made locally. What the law does require is a minimum return: according to the Department of Internal Affairs' guidance on gross and net proceeds (opens in a new tab), societies like Pub Charity must apply at least 40% of GST-exclusive gross proceeds to authorised purposes each year. Pub Charity's 2025 accounts show $45.3 million in grants against $107.9 million of gaming machine revenue, about 42%.

The reports show what the local pool means in practice:

Data: Pub Charity approved and declined reports, October 2025 to September 2026. A row is one application's share from one council area, so applications funded from several areas count in each. Auckland combines the 13 ward and local board areas the reports list.

Three findings change how you should apply:

1. In many council areas, local applications usually succeed. In 24 of the 44 council areas with decided applications, more than 9 in 10 were approved. A few areas were much tighter: Waikato District (42%), Whanganui District (53%), Palmerston North City (58%) and Wellington City (69%).
2. Auckland is tougher. About 31% of Auckland applications were declined. The map of venues on the Department of Internal Affairs' Granted site lists 15 Pub Charity venues in the Auckland region against 25 in Canterbury, so there's less local money for a much bigger population of groups.
3. The national pool is a long shot. Only 17 national-pool approvals appear in the 10 rounds with declined reports, against 118 declines. National organisations do better when their project is tied to specific communities and funded area by area, as Life Flight and K9 Medical Detection were.

Check your area first. Use Pub Charity's funds available page (opens in a new tab) and its venue list to see whether it has machines in your council area. DIA's venue map on Granted.govt.nz listed 770 Class 4 venues on 29 October 2026, with Pub Charity holding the most, 125, ahead of The Lion Foundation (109) and New Zealand Community Trust (95). If another trust runs the pokies in your town, apply there instead, for example NZCT or The Lion Foundation; Pub Charity will likely decline you with code A2.

Who Can Apply to Pub Charity

Pub Charity's policy and criteria boil down to 7 rules:

• A non-profit, incorporated body. Applicants should be an incorporated society, or affiliated to one, operating as a charity or not-for-profit company, with a valid constitution and rules. You'll prove non-profit status with an incorporated society or Charities Services registration certificate; tax exemption certificates are no longer required.
• No start-ups. The policy says Pub Charity doesn't fund start-up organisations, and decline code H covers "new startup entity with limited financial records".
• Credible accounts. You'll attach a copy of your financial accounts. Code G is used when an applicant already holds enough money to pay for the purpose itself.
• You are the beneficiary. The applicant and its members must benefit directly. Applications on behalf of someone else, or for an individual, are declined.
• No machines of your own. Applications may not be considered where the applicant runs its own gaming machines.
• No open accountability. An applicant with outstanding accountability, or a failed or incomplete audit on an earlier grant (code Q), won't be put forward.
• No venue involvement. The declaration confirms no venue manager or venue owner completed the application, will decide how the money is spent, or will be paid from it.

Incorporated societies. The Companies Office incorporated societies register (opens in a new tab) says that from 6 April 2026 all registered societies must follow the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. If your society was registered under the old Act, confirm on the register that it re-registered before you rely on its certificate.

Sports clubs. The Department of Internal Affairs' sport, gambling and grants page (opens in a new tab) says sports and recreation groups don't need to be registered charities to get gaming grants. Where applicable, Pub Charity asks for evidence of affiliation to a regional or national body.

What Pub Charity Won't Fund

Pub Charity's grants criteria run to 16 rules. According to its policy, it never approves overseas travel, retrospective costs, alcohol or anything for the sole benefit of one person. Its criteria add that "in most instances" it won't support salaries and wages, catering, operating costs and certain vehicles, and that grants should generally provide some enduring community benefit, such as assets, facilities, or community and sports development projects. Property maintenance or purchase needs proof of tenure or ownership.

It also follows the Department of Internal Affairs' list of non-authorised purposes. The DIA's authorised purpose guidelines (opens in a new tab) rule out professional sport (except coaching juniors), commercial ventures, lobbying, and social events such as parties, balls and supporters' trips, and they say club courtesy vans for ferrying patrons aren't an authorised purpose.

How to Apply for a Pub Charity Grant, Step by Step

Pub Charity takes applications only through its online portal. Its process page sets out 5 steps; here's what each needs.

1. Check eligibility and local funds. Read the Net Proceeds Committee Grant Funding Policy and Procedures (opens in a new tab) and check you have a Pub Charity venue in your area.
2. Gather 6 documents. A bank deposit slip or bank statement in your organisation's name (showing the bank logo, name and account number), a resolution to apply to Pub Charity, at least two quotes addressed to your organisation for each item where applicable, proof of non-profit status, your financial accounts, and evidence of affiliation where it applies. You'll also need the declaration on your letterhead, signed by at least two executive members.
3. Word the resolution exactly. It must name Pub Charity Limited, state the specific purpose and amount, be dated no more than 3 months before you submit, and be signed by your secretary or another executive member.
4. Submit by 5pm on the cut-off date. Use the grant process page (opens in a new tab) to start. Apply early: if something's missing, staff ask for it, and your application may slip to the next month. Pub Charity holds an incomplete application over for one month only, then declines it.
5. Spend and account within 3 months. Approved money arrives by direct credit with a remittance advice by mail. Spend it on the approved purpose and return the accountability report with tax invoices and bank statements within 3 months. Return anything unspent, including any amount covered by another funder for the same purpose.

Using a fundraiser. Pub Charity's FAQ allows a professional fundraiser only on a pre-agreed flat fee or hourly rate paid whatever the outcome. No part of a grant can pay a commission or success fee.

GST. Pub Charity grants are unconditional gifts. If you're GST registered, only the GST-exclusive cost counts when you account for the grant, and code O records approvals reduced to the GST-exclusive amount.

What Pub Charity Doesn't Tell You

The rules are on the website. The reports show how they play out, and a few patterns aren't obvious until you count them.

The most common reason for a no is simply money. Code B, "funds available exceeded in your local community area", was the single most common decline reason (379 declines) and by far the most common reason for a partial grant (1,164 of 1,362 partial approvals). Applying early in the financial year doesn't obviously help: the share approved stayed between 73% and 81% in every round except September.

Location codes are the second biggest reason. The A codes (no Pub Charity machines in your community, or another trust runs them) account for 262 declines. Since June 2026, Pub Charity splits this into A1 and A2, so your letter now tells you which. Both mean the same thing for your next step: apply to the trust that runs the machines near you.

Recent winners wait. Code L, "applicant has recently benefited from Pub Charity funding", caused 167 declines. The FAQ says wait at least 3 months; the policy says a stay of up to 4 months may apply. A club that applies every month after a win is wasting its own time.

Double-dipping is judged strictly. Pub Charity's FAQ says you can ask several trusts for parts of the same project as long as the total doesn't exceed its cost. But it also says that if you have other live applications for the same money and purpose, its policy is to decline, because it can't verify the outcome, and decline code F covers a duplicate application with another gaming trust. The honest reading: split a project into clearly separate costs for each funder, and declare every other application.

September is the big-grant month. The September 2026 round approved $8.4 million and 12 of the year's 39 grants of $100,000 or more. If you're planning a large capital request, the round before the 30 September year end had the most money last year, though Pub Charity doesn't promise it will again.

Small requests are usually paid in full; big ones rarely are. Among approved applications, 94% of requests under $5,000 were paid in full, compared with 79% from $5,000 to $9,999, 54% from $10,000 to $24,999, 28% from $25,000 to $49,999 and 19% at $50,000 or more. If your project costs $40,000, budget for Pub Charity paying part and line up other funders for the rest.

Common Mistakes That Sink Pub Charity Applications

Most declines are avoidable. The 984 declined applications in the year's 10 reported rounds asked for $20.6 million between them, and these 6 problems come straight from Pub Charity's decline codes and process rules:

• Applying outside its venue areas (codes A, A1, A2). Check the funds-available page first.
• Missing the 5pm cut-off. A late application goes into the next month's round, and there's no December round.
• An old or loosely worded resolution. It must name Pub Charity, the purpose and the amount, and be dated within 3 months.
• Applying while another grant is open. Unfinished accountability or a failed audit (code Q) stops the application.
• Asking too soon after a win (code L).
• Spending before the decision (code E, retrospective costs). Pub Charity can't pay for costs incurred before the committee considers your application.

When Pub Charity Is the Wrong Fit

Pub Charity suits established, incorporated groups in council areas where it has venues, asking for a specific, quoted cost. Its median approval of $8,000 also makes it a better fit for equipment, events and repairs than for a $200,000 building. If that's not you:

• Groups near another trust's venues: see our guides to NZCT grants, which takes applications all year with no deadlines, Lion Foundation grants and Four Winds Foundation grants.
• New groups and larger community projects: regional community trusts fund from their own investment income. See Foundation North grants, Rātā Foundation grants and Trust Waikato grants.
• Community and welfare projects that fit government funds: Lottery Community and the other Lottery committees are run through the DIA's Community Matters; see our Lottery Grants Board guide.
• Arts projects: see Creative NZ funding.
• Comparing gaming-funded grants overseas: New South Wales clubs run ClubGRANTS, and Queensland returns gaming tax through the Gambling Community Benefit Fund.

Sources Checked

All sources were read or downloaded on 29 October 2026:

• Pub Charity Limited, Grants (opens in a new tab), Deadlines (opens in a new tab), Funds available (opens in a new tab), Grant process (opens in a new tab), Policies, procedures and criteria (opens in a new tab), FAQs (opens in a new tab), What we do (opens in a new tab) and Net Proceeds Committee (opens in a new tab)
• Pub Charity Limited, Net Proceeds Committee Grant Funding Policy and Procedures, v3 June 2026 (opens in a new tab) and Class 4 operator's licence 80002104 (opens in a new tab)
• Pub Charity Limited, monthly Approved Grants and Declined Grants reports for October 2025 to September 2026, from Historic applications (opens in a new tab), including the September 2026 approvals (opens in a new tab) and September 2026 declines (opens in a new tab)
• Pub Charity Limited, Summary Annual Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) (year to 30 September 2025), from Publications (opens in a new tab)
• Department of Internal Affairs, Funding for community groups (opens in a new tab), Authorised purpose guidelines for societies and clubs (opens in a new tab), Tips for making authorised purpose grants (opens in a new tab) and Sport, gambling and grants (opens in a new tab)
• Department of Internal Affairs, Understanding and accounting for gross and net proceeds (opens in a new tab)
• Department of Internal Affairs, Granted.govt.nz (opens in a new tab) venue map data (770 Class 4 venues by society and region)
• Companies Office, Incorporated societies register (opens in a new tab)