Mr Laurence William Nelson was described as ‘a shrewd businessman’, ‘a dapper, immaculate man’, a man ‘who looked ahead’, and ‘was remarkably astute’. “He enjoyed living and would have liked everyone to have been as careful and prosperous has he was.’
Both Mr Nelson (who died in 1959) and his wife (who died in 1937) had been very sympathetic towards those who found themselves in poor circumstances, especially in old age. By the end of his life Mr Nelson had amassed enough property and investments to generously endow the trust that bears his name. The LW Nelson Trust was settled in 1958. Public Trust was appointed the Trustee with provision for a Board to be known as the L W Nelson Board of Trustees.
The enduring legacy Mr Nelson left to the Northland District so far has given millions to the local communities.
The primary consideration of the Trust is the provision of assistance for persons living in Northland who are:
Aged or,
Destitute or
Suffering from some serious disability, either mental or physical.
Applicants must be a registered charitable entity and,
Situated in the Northland Area, within the boundaries of the districts of Kaipara, Whangarei and the Far North,
Applications must demonstrate how the project/programme provides assistance to the aged, destitute or those suffering from a serious mental or physical disability.
Applications from the following will not be considered:
Applications from organisations who received a grant a prior year that have not met their accountability requirements.
Applications from individuals, sports organisations and service clubs are not eligible to apply to the Trust.
Applications requesting funding for Retrospective funding.
Applications requesting funding for overseas projects.
Applications requesting funding for supporting people outside the Trust funding region
Applications for the contestable grant round open on an annual basis.
Minimum grant: $5,000
Maximum grant: $50,000
L W Nelson Contestable Grant Round Update
Please note that the L W Nelson Contestable Grant Round will not open in October 2026, as it has in previous years.
The Trustee has the authority to vary the timing of grant rounds and application dates and has therefore resolved to adjust the timing of the upcoming funding round.
The next contestable grant round will open in late January 2027 via the SmartyGrants online application portal. The Apply Now button on this webpage will become available once the grant round opens.
Applicants can expect to be notified of funding outcomes in April 2027.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to receiving applications in 2027.
Public Trust is responsible for administering the LW Nelson Charitable Trust. Funding applications are received by the Trustee and considered by the LW Nelson Board of Trustees.