The Peter Rule Fund is named for Peter Rule, whose estate led to the establishment of the Rule Foundation in 2008. The Peter Rule Fund is open year round, and accepts applications for amounts up to $5,000. Our trustees will meet once a quarter to assess all applications.

The purpose of The Peter Rule Fund is to support projects and activities that uplift these communities and to fund education and research on issues they face.

To apply, please complete an application form.

What we fund

The Peter Rule Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 (or more in exceptional circumstances) for projects, activities, and organisations that meet the following criteria:

  • The activity is a project with a specific purpose, timeframe, and resource requirements.

  • The project aligns with the Foundation’s purposes and priorities.

  • The project addresses an identified need within the Rainbow, Takatāpui, and/or MVPFAFF+ community.

  • The applicant has demonstrated their ability to deliver the project.

  • The availability of funds and alternative funding sources to the applicant.

When applying for funding related to overseas events, specific conditions apply. Please see the dropdown below.

Read more about previous grantees from the Peter Rule Fund

Previous Peter Rule Fund grantees
Queer History Month Aotearoa — Pūmahara Ia Te Wā 2024 hui taumata
Queer History Month Aotearoa — Pūmahara Ia Te Wā 2024 hui taumata

Exclusions

Please note that we do not fund:

  • individuals or commercial activities. Our approach is to fund project-based activities

  • operational costs.

  • individuals. While we do not necessarily require an organisation to be a legal entity (e.g., an incorporated society or charitable trust), we do require that the bank account for donations is in the organisation's name, not an individual's. Larger organisations may also act as fund holders for smaller initiatives.

See the drop-down below for further information about restrictions that apply to this fund:

  • The Peter Rule Fund is able to cover expenses associated with attendance at international conferences. These applications will prioritise conferences that focus on Māori, Pacific peoples, transgender, and intersex communities.

    You must demonstrate in your application how the knowledge gained will be shared with your community. You may apply for support in sharing this knowledge (through a wānanga, podcast, article, etc.) as part of your application.

    Additionally, we will prioritise:

    • Conferences closer to Aotearoa

    • Leadership opportunities for the applicant

    • Clear relevance to the objectives of the fund

    Please note:

    • Funding for international conferences is capped at $3,000 per person and can only be granted once every 5 years for the individual(s) benefiting, and once every 2 years for the groups applying.

    • We may fund less than $3,000.

    • Only the Peter Rule Fund and Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund accept requests for international travel.

    Apply in plenty of time—ideally 3-4 months before the conference. We only consider last-minute applications under exceptional circumstances.

Decision making

Applications for funding through Peter Rule Foundation are open year round. Our trustees will meet once a quarter to assess all applications.

The deadlines for each quarter in 2024/2025 are:

  • 5pm Friday 6 December 2024

  • 5pm Friday 7 March 2025

  • 5pm Friday 6 June 2025

  • 5pm Friday 5th September 2025

You will be notified of the outcome of your application within three weeks of the submission deadline.

If you have further questions, please contact us.