Mātātuhi Foundation supports seven new literary innovations
The Mātātuhi Foundation announces funding for seven initiatives from writers, editors and organisations that will enhance or develop the literary landscape of New Zealand. Grants include support for workshops, podcasts, digital content and community projects, and range from mentoring or promoting new writers, to research on books available in te reo, to celebrating our literary history.
Projects Funded:
Angie Belcher: towards writing workshops and mentoring for new migrants in Rotorua.
Sam Elworthy: towards bibliographic research and copywriting for all te reo books in print. for a new web site.
Going West Trust: towards podcasts of archived audio content as part of an oral history project on Maurice Shadbolt.
Dione Joseph: towards workshops in Auckland and Wellington, and ongoing mentoring, for black writers.
Publishers Association of New Zealand: towards a new Painted Stories catalogue of book illustrators for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
David Riley: towards research and reading material for Tuvaluan young people in NZ
Amy Weng: towards publishing creative work by emerging Asian writers on the Hainamana site.
This is the third funding round for the Foundation, established by the Auckland Writers Festival in 2018. Its aim is to support the New Zealand literary landscape with seed funding of up to $5000 for new literature-related initiatives.
Mātātuhi Foundation Chair Anne Blackburn was delighted with the record number of expressions of interest received from across New Zealand.
“The creative and geographic diversity amongst submissions continues to grow with each new funding found and has us well on track to achieving one of our founding goals of increasing the level of engagement with and appreciation of New Zealand literature.”
Up to ten grants are available each year across two funding rounds (May and October).
Submissions must be made online at https://www.matatuhifoundation.co.nz/