Social Investment Fund

Pathways to funding

There are four pathways available to the sector:

· New Investment – round two opened on 9 February and closes on 10 March 2026

· Contract Consolidation – community feedback closed on 31 October 2025

· Community Commissioning – in development

· Co-investment – in development

Pathway One New Investment - now open

Round Two of the New Investment pathway is open until 10 March 2026. Visit the Pathway One: New Investment page for more information.

The Social Investment Fund opened on 25 August 2025 with Round One of the New Investment pathway. Seven projects were selected for the first round of new investment funding - read more about the initiatives here.

Social Investment Fund information

Demonstration initiatives
Webinars
Social Investment Fund FAQs
Register your interest for Fund updates

About the Social Investment Fund

The Social Investment Fund will:

focus on priority outcomes and cohorts agreed by Fund Ministers
invest early to help New Zealanders overcome a range of challenges to achieve their goals
enable us to test and scale the social investment approach
work in partnership with social sector organisations, iwi and other agencies.

In 2025 and early-2026, the Social Investment Fund will primarily make new investments in organisations that have the infrastructure and capacity to help us test and scale the social investment approach at pace. This work will pave the way for changes that will benefit the wider social sector.

Who can apply to the Social Investment Fund?

We partner with organisations delivering health and social services across New Zealand. This includes:

Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations
Iwi and Māori organisations
Whānau Ora providers
Pacific organisations
Community groups and trusts
Social enterprises focused on health and social outcomes
Other organisations with a primary purpose of delivering health and social services

To be eligible, organisations must be legally registered entities in New Zealand that can enter into contracts and have systems to safely collect and share participant information. We're committed to working with organisations at different stages of capability and we will support successful applicants to meet our data and evaluation requirements.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Got questions about the Fund, application process, or social investment? Read our Social Investment Fund FAQs to find answers to common questions.

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