Our funding

We provide Activity Grants of up to $5,000.

We also promote opportunities for New Zealanders to participate in and benefit from UNESCO international and regional programmes and activities, such as enabling New Zealanders to apply for UNESCO opportunities and participation by New Zealand experts in UNESCO meetings. Funding may be available to support these opportunities.

The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO allocates a limited amount of funding to support initiatives that align with our mission and strategic priorities.

Mission: Deepening connections between the people of Aotearoa – New Zealand and UNESCO globally through the sharing of ideas and building capability for a better and more peaceful future.

And priority areas:

• Oceans for the Wellbeing of People and the Planet, in particular the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
• Resilient, Regenerative and Sustainable Communities.
• Indigenous Knowledge, including the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2031).
• Freedom of Expression.
• UNESCO programmes in New Zealand.

The National Commission invites applications from people with ideas for projects that can connect us all.

When applying for an activity grant you must fill in the Activity Grant form. If you have any questions relating to the form email: unesco.nz@education.govt.nz.

When applying for an activity grant you must do so at least six weeks before your activity starts..

For more information download our Activity Grant Information Pack.

The Beeby Award is a partnership between the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). The Award, previously known as the Beeby Fellowship, was first awarded in 1998. It is named after Dr Clarence Beeby who, in 1934, became the first Director of NZCER, and was Assistant Director-General of UNESCO from 1948-49.

The Beeby Award supports development of an innovative learning resource based on high quality research. The Award supports collaboration between research and practice communities so that learners benefit from research findings. The learning resource can be in any format that enables easy use in a range of learning environments, not limited to schools.

The Award is worth $30,000. The recipient/s are expected to devote 3-4 months full-time or equivalent on the Award. The resulting resource is expected to be of high quality and will be published by NZCER Press.

• Read about the 2020 Beeby Award recipients.
• Read about the resources created by previous Beeby Award recipients.