Making a difference for our communities

How does it work?

We are a large organisation, but what we do is about much more than us. The communities we serve are top of mind in what we do as overt cheerleaders for the city, region and South Island.

When we support an organisation, event or group, we look for direct benefit to its community members.

Our Community Fund is focused on:

• sustainability – looking after our place (we're considered world class in our sustainability endeavours and successes),
• safety and wellbeing – looking after our communities, and
• innovation – we're not scared to think ‘out of the box’ about something and make a plan to deliver it.

We gift Community Fund donations twice a year. When we assess applications, we look for reflection of the three focus points above. We don’t simply fund running costs or wages, but want to make things happen which make a difference in one of these three areas.

The Community Fund is a combination of Christchurch Airport’s financial contribution and donations collected in wishing wells around the airport. Now the border has reopened, we look forward to visitors dropping their coins into the wells. Sometimes we convert a dozen or more currencies!

Applications for the last round closed at midday 8 September 2023 and are now being considered. Community Fund recipients will be announced here in October.

The next round of applications has opened and will close at midday 8 March 2024.

How to apply

If you have an idea, a plan, a group or charity which is thinking about the things we think about, please complete our Community Fund Application Form and send it with supporting documentation to communityfund@cial.co.nz.

Our latest recipients

Our most recent round of grants include the following groups and projects:

• Canterbury Safety Charter will continue its mental health workplace training with assistance from one of our Airport Fire Service firefighters who leads this work here.
• Circus Quirkus for 50 special needs and disabled children to attend the annual event hosted by Sunrise Rotary Club.
• Climate Action Campus to install a pizza oven so students can learn to grow and cook produce from their own onsite garden.
• Diabetes New Zealand to help more young diabetics attend the Canterbury “Live Brave Mana Ora” camp.
• Family Drug Support needs to update its website to support its 24/7 support service for families of alcohol and drug addicts.
• Good Bitches Baking volunteers will bake up even more of a storm in their own kitchens to supply community and charity organisations’ clients.
• Halswell Learning Tree pre-school will benefit from installing natural fencing around the fruit and vegetable gardens, so children can safely grow and pick produce for morning tea.
• Life in Vacant Spaces is about to expand its programme where community and not-for-profits bring their projects and ideas to life.
• Moral Compass mentors troubled teenagers through outdoor education and skills training.
• Neighbourhood Support will soon expand its “Life Tubes” to people wanting their personal medical and next-of-kin information accessible to emergency services.
• Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury Trust will be able to offer more wellbeing packs to new parents experiencing mental health issues.
• Riverside Community Church is about to install heat pumps in its hall to warm up the many community activities and groups based there.
• Road Safety Education will expand its road safety programme for Year 12 drivers at eight Christchurch schools.
• The NEST Collective has taken delivery of the first of two large donations of hand-knitted items made by Christchurch Airport staff for babies of families in need.
• WORD Christchurch will update its livestream equipment for its own events and to share with other community users.