Disabled people make up approximately 24% of New Zealand's population — over a million people whose lives, participation, and wellbeing are shaped by how well society accommodates difference. Disability funding in New Zealand spans government disability support, ACC, and a significant philanthropic sector that funds inclusion, accessibility, community participation, and innovation in disability support.
Whaikaha — Ministry of Disabled People
Whaikaha is New Zealand's dedicated disability ministry, established in 2022. It funds disability support services, leads the implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and oversees the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach — a transformation in disability support toward self-directed, flexible support packages.
Whaikaha manages significant disability support funding, but philanthropic investment complements government support in areas government doesn't reach: community inclusion, peer support, disability arts, advocacy, and innovation.
ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation)
ACC funds rehabilitation and ongoing support for people injured through accidents. It is not a grants funder, but understanding ACC's scope matters for funders: disability caused by accident is ACC-covered; disability from health conditions and congenital causes is not.
Community trusts and gaming trusts
Community trusts and gaming trusts are major disability funders. Foundation North, Community Trust South, Trust Waikato, and other trusts all fund disability support, accessibility, and inclusion projects. Gaming trusts — Lion Foundation, Pub Charity — similarly fund disability community activities and projects.
Lotteries Commission
The Lottery Disability Distribution Committee funds disability organisations and projects specifically. It is an important funder for disability community organisations with limited access to other revenue.
Disability-led organisations
New Zealand's disability sector includes organisations led by and for disabled people — Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA), CCS Disability Action, Blind Foundation, Deaf Aotearoa, People First, and many smaller community organisations. These organisations deliver services, advocacy, and peer support.
Accessibility and built environment
Physical accessibility — ramps, accessible toilets, hearing loops, accessible signage — enables participation in community, cultural, and civic life. Grants for accessibility modifications to community facilities, marae, sports grounds, and arts venues remove barriers to participation.
Assistive technology
Assistive technology — communication devices, mobility equipment, environmental controls, sensory aids — enables independence and participation. Funding gaps exist between what government and ACC fund and what disabled people actually need. Grants for assistive technology can be life-changing.
Peer support and community connection
Peer support — disabled people supporting each other — is among the most effective disability support approaches. Grants for peer support programmes, disability community groups, and social connection initiatives address isolation and build community.
Disability arts and culture
Disabled artists and arts organisations — including Deaf arts, blind-accessible art forms, and arts for people with intellectual disabilities — contribute distinctive perspectives and creative work. Arts grants that reach disabled artists support both artistic participation and community inclusion.
Sport and recreation
Adaptive sport and recreation — wheelchair sport, blind cricket, para-swimming, adaptive kayaking — supports physical health, wellbeing, and community. Grants for adaptive sport equipment, coaching, and competition enable disabled people to participate in physical activity.
Employment and economic participation
Disabled people face significant employment barriers. Grants for supported employment, disability business training, accessible workplace modification, and social enterprise employment create pathways to economic participation.
Advocacy and systemic change
Organisations that advocate for the rights of disabled people — for accessible housing, accessible transport, better disability support funding, and enforcement of the Human Rights Act — produce systemic change that improves lives at scale. Grants for disability advocacy organisations support this work.
Carers and family support
Family members who support disabled relatives — often providing significant care without remuneration — need support themselves. Grants for respite care, carer support groups, and family wellbeing initiatives acknowledge the reality of informal care.
Nothing about us without us
The foundational principle of disability rights: disabled people must be involved in decisions that affect them. Funders should ensure that disabled people are involved in grant programme design, decision-making, and evaluation — not just as beneficiaries but as co-designers and decision-makers.
The social model of disability
Disability rights thinking distinguishes between impairment (a person's physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the barriers society erects). A wheelchair user isn't disabled by their wheelchair — they're disabled by stairs, inaccessible transport, and exclusionary design. Funders who understand the social model focus on removing barriers rather than "fixing" people.
Intersectionality matters
Disabled Māori, Pacific disabled people, and disabled people from refugee and migrant backgrounds face compounding disadvantages. Disability funding that reaches these communities — through culturally responsive programmes and partnerships with Māori and Pacific disability organisations — is more equitable.
Fund organisational sustainability, not just projects
Many disability community organisations operate on very thin margins with limited core funding. Project grants alone — without operational support — create unsustainable organisations. Funders who provide multi-year operational support for disability organisations build sector sustainability.
Disabled people as experts
Disabled people are experts on their own lives. Funders who listen to disabled people — through consultation, co-design, and lived experience advisory groups — make better grant decisions than those who rely solely on professional or family perspectives.
Tahua's grants management platform supports disability funders and disability organisations in New Zealand — with grant tracking, accessibility outcome measurement, and relationship management tools that help funders invest effectively in the lives of disabled people.