How a $10,000 grant helped unlock $345,000 for a Golden Bay trail
A modest early grant from the Outdoor Access Commission helped the Golden Bay Cycle and Walkways Society pay for legal work, tell its story professionally, and attract much larger backing for its new community trail.
Small grants at the start of a project can have an impact far beyond their dollar value. For community trail groups, seed funding can help turn a good idea into a credible, fundable proposal. It can cover the first legal and technical steps, help a group present its vision clearly, and give other funders confidence to come on board.
That is what happened with the Golden Bay Cycle and Walkways Society’s plan for a walking and cycling trail linking Ōnekaka and Collingwood. The commission provided $10,000 in seed funding. Society spokesperson, Richard Struthers, says $9,000 went toward legal work to create easements over private land, while $1,000 was used for publicity — two early costs that proved critical to getting the project moving.
“To take something from an idea into a meaningful on-track project does require some support financially in the first instance,” Struthers says. Early funding, he says, allows groups to do things professionally, giving both the public and potential funders confidence that a project is achievable.
That small grant helped the society film a professional video, produce a high-quality brochure, and pay for a stall at the local A&P show. The video explained the goal of the new trail, and the brochure gave landowners and supporters something simple and credible to consider.
The local ITM donated a Stihl chainsaw, which was on display to locals who came to the A&P show and helped turn that early investment into momentum. “We had a raffle running at the A&P, which was attended by thousands of people,” Struthers says. “That first $1000 from the commission helped us have a professional and good-quality presentation to the community, both online and physically.” The A&P stall brought in donations, on-the-spot transfers, and about $3,500 from the raffle alone.
The result was momentum. The group ran a PledgeMe campaign that exceeded its $40,000 target and was then boosted by a generous donor who matched public donations. That left the project with more than $100,000 in the bank and in a far stronger position to apply for larger grants. A successful Lotteries grant then helped lift the project’s total funding to $345,000.
A relatively small but targeted grant at the start helped a community group unlock hundreds of thousands of dollars for the next stage of its project.
The Ōnekaka to Collingwood project matters for reasons beyond fundraising. The planned trail will provide a safer off-road route between the Golden Bay communities, reducing the number of bikes and walkers on a dangerous road. It is also part of a much bigger vision: an off-road link from the Marlborough Sounds to the West Coast through two national parks, two Great Walks, and some of New Zealand’s most spectacular coastal scenery. The community response suggests that vision strikes a chord.
“It’s this tricky phase, taking things from being a good idea into something tangible,” Struthers says. “We’re just cresting that hill now. We’ve got willing landowners, and now we’ve got some cash, so we’re on the way. But to take an idea and turn it into a meaningful on-track project does require some financial support in the first instance. Being able to do things professionally gives the public and other funders confidence that you’re not just pipe-dreaming.”
If you want to make an early and influential investment in an outdoor public access project, let us know. Our Outdoor Access Fund does more than cover costs. It helps community groups establish credibility, lay the legal and technical groundwork, win public support, and attract the larger investment needed to turn their dream into action.
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The Golden Bay Cycle and Walkways Society
“Truly epic” coast-to-coast walking and cycling trail to unite Golden Bay communities