F.A.S.T. community grants

F.A.S.T. Community Grants support local organisations to help communities recognise stroke signs and act: Face drooping on one side, Arm weakness on one side, Speech mixed up, slurred, or lost, Take Action call 111 immediately.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora funds the grants, which Stroke Aotearoa New Zealand delivers as part of the national F.A.S.T. campaign.

The 2026 funding pool is $150,000, shared across multiple grants. Applications are open from 28 September to 23 October 2026.

We’re looking for community-led ideas that reflect local strengths, aspirations and cultural values. This could be a wānanga, workplace or school programme, social media campaign or community event. Strong ideas will help F.A.S.T. knowledge move across generations and continue reaching whānau beyond the funded activity.

Your activity needs to take place in one of our nine priority regions:

• Northland
• South Auckland
• Waikato
• Tairāwhiti
• Lakes / Rotorua
• Whanganui
• Wairarapa
• West Coast
• Southland

Your activity must reach one or more of these priority groups and communities:

• Māori and/or Pasifika communities
• Tamariki, rangatahi, mātua, whānau and kaumātua learning and sharing across generations.
• Rural and urban communities underserved by stroke awareness and prevention activity.

A joint panel from Health New Zealand and Stroke Aotearoa assesses every application against these criteria:

• F.A.S.T. awareness: helps people recognise the signs of stroke and take action immediately.
• Knowledge across generations: creates deliberate opportunities for generations to learn from once another and share the F.A.S.T. message.
• Equity: prioritises Māori and/or Pasifika communities.
• Place: happens in one or more priority regions.
• Partnership: involves trusted local groups, including iwi, hapū, marae or Māori and Pasifika organisations where relevant.
• Timing: runs at any time between 23 October 2026 and 31 May 2027, and has not already happened.
• Budget: provides itemised costs and identifies other funding.
• Results: explains how you will measure what changed, for example with a short survey or community kōrero.

Help the assessment panel understand what you will do, why it suits your community and how it will make a difference:

• Describe the local need or gap in stroke awareness that your activity will address.
• Explain what participants will learn about Face, Arm, Speech, Take Action and how you will reinforce the need to call 111 immediately.
• Name the generations involved, what each group will contribute or learn, and how they will share the message with wider whānau.
• Show how your approach reflects the strengths, aspirations, language and cultural values of the people you want to reach.
• Set out each partner’s role and describe any support you have already discussed or confirmed.
• Choose a simple way to measure reach, learning and what people intend to do differently after the activity.

Your activity should create deliberate opportunities for F.A.S.T. knowledge to move between generations and into wider whānau and communities. Consider:

• Which generations will take part?
• What will each group contribute or learn?
• How will participants share the F.A.S.T. message with wider whānau and communities?
• What will help knowledge sharing continue after the activity ends?

Be specific. Do not assume knowledge sharing will happen without a clear plan.

Ideas include:

• Marae-based wānanga or whānau learning events.
• Kōhanga Reo, kura or school-led activities where tamariki and rangatahi take stroke the F.A.S.T. message home.
• Kaumātua sharing lived experience of stroke and recovery with younger whānau.
• Rangatahi-led campaigns using social media, kapa haka, sport or cultural events.
• Whānau wellbeing days or storytelling that combine cultural activities, lived experience and F.A.S.T. learning.
• Intergenerational storytelling, or community gatherings focused on recognising stroke signs and calling 111.

• General running costs, including existing salaries, wages, and equipment.
• Activities that have already happened.
• Services already running in your community.
• Activities already funded by Health New Zealand or Health Promotion.

Exception: Your budget may include new equipment, resources or short-term staff needed specifically to deliver the activity.

Have this information ready:

• Your organisation’s legal name and primary contact
• Proof of bank account details
• A short activity plan with dates, locations and responsibilities
• The priority regions and communities you will reach
• How different generations will learn from one another
• Your community partners and their roles
• An itemised budget, including other funding
• How will you measure reach, learning and other results
• How F.A.S.T. knowledge will continue after funding ends.

• Check your eligibility against the priority regions, communities and assessment criteria.
• Read the full funding criteria and application form.
• Complete the online application with details of your organisation, idea, budget and how you will measure success.

If funded you will need to:

• Complete F.A.S.T. training with a Community Stroke Navigator before your activity begins
• Stay in touch with our Kaiārahi Hononga Māori
• Complete your activity by 31 May 2027
• Submit a short final report covering the activity, results, spending and any photos or materials you are happy to share.

The Conditional Grant Agreement explains all reporting and obligations.

If offered a F.A.S.T. community grant, you must read and sign a legally binding Conditional Grant Agreement.

• Use the funding only as approved.
• Return unspent funding as agreed.
• Declare conflicts of interest and confirm your application is accurate and complete.
• Keep the national F.A.S.T. message unchanged.
• Accept that funding decisions made jointly by Health New Zealand and Stroke Aotearoa are final.
• The grant belongs to the organisation named in the application and cannot be transferred. Contact us before using any funds if your organisation’s legal name or structure changes.

We collect only the information needed to assess and manage your application. Because the grants are jointly delivered, we share your application with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the assessment panel. We handle your information under the Privacy Act 2020 and our Privacy Policy.