Stroke is one of New Zealand's leading causes of death and disability. Each year over 9,000 New Zealanders have a stroke. Stroke grants fund acute care, rehabilitation, community support, aphasia services, research, and prevention. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Stroke Foundation NZ funds and supports stroke:
- Community services: Regional support for stroke survivors and carers
- Stroke clubs: Community peer support groups
- Information and advocacy: Resources for stroke survivors
- Research funding: Stroke research grants
- Aphasia programmes: Communication support after stroke
Stroke Foundation NZ is the primary charity for stroke in NZ.
Health system stroke funding:
- Acute stroke units: Hyperacute care — thrombolysis and thrombectomy
- Inpatient rehabilitation: DHB stroke rehabilitation units
- Outpatient therapy: Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy
- Community health: District nursing and outpatient stroke follow-up
- Secondary prevention: Medication, lifestyle, and risk factor management
Heart Foundation NZ funds cardiovascular research including stroke:
- Research grants: Cardiovascular and stroke research
- Prevention: Shared risk factors — hypertension, atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol
Heart disease and stroke share risk factors — apply to both heart and stroke funders.
Gaming trusts fund stroke community services:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community health and disability services
- Grassroots Trust: Community rehabilitation and support
- Pub Charity: Community health
- Lion Foundation: Community health and disability
Gaming trust stroke applications:
- Stroke club events and peer support
- Communication aids for aphasia
- Transport to stroke groups
- Exercise equipment for stroke rehabilitation
- Community education resources
Aphasia (communication difficulty after stroke):
- Stroke Foundation NZ: Aphasia programmes
- Speech Language Therapy: DHB-funded and community speech therapy
- Communication Access NZ: Making environments communication-accessible
- Gaming trusts: Communication aids and aphasia group support
Community stroke rehabilitation:
- ACC: If stroke caused by accident
- DHBs: Community health and therapy
- Green Prescription: Exercise for stroke recovery
- Stroke clubs: Peer support and social rehabilitation
Stroke research:
- Health Research Council (HRC): Clinical stroke research
- Heart Foundation: Cardiovascular and stroke research
- University stroke research: Clinical trials and basic science
- Stroke Foundation: Applied stroke research
Secondary prevention (preventing second stroke):
- PHOs: Hypertension management, atrial fibrillation, anticoagulation
- Healthy Families NZ: Risk factor reduction — smoking, physical activity, diet
- Heart Foundation: Cardiovascular risk reduction
Stroke has an equity dimension:
- Māori and Pacific communities: Higher stroke incidence and younger age of stroke
- Te Puni Kōkiri: Māori health equity
- Ministry for Pacific Peoples: Pacific community health
- Whānau Ora: Whānau-centred stroke management and prevention
Young people with stroke:
- Young stroke: Growing recognition of stroke in under-50s
- Employment support: Return to work after stroke
- ACC: If young stroke has traumatic component
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Population served: Stroke survivors by age, ethnicity, and disability
- Rehabilitation outcomes: Functional improvement, community reintegration
- Prevention: Secondary stroke prevention — medication compliance, lifestyle change
- Equity: Māori and Pacific stroke burden
- Community support: Peer networks and community stroke groups
- Aphasia: Communication access and aphasia support
- Carer support: Family and carer wellbeing
- Research: Evidence-based rehabilitation approaches
Tahua's grants management platform helps stroke organisations manage grant applications across Stroke Foundation NZ, Te Whatu Ora, gaming trusts, health foundations, and community funders, tracking rehabilitation, community support, and prevention outcomes.