Community-led Development Programme
The Community-led Development Programme (CLDP) supports communities in identifying and achieving their goals and aspirations, drawing on the principles of community-led development. These principles shift the focus from small grants for individual projects and/or organisations, to an approach where communities have access to flexible funding that contributes to overall community wellbeing.
Over 2021, Kinnect and Dovetail partnered in a comprehensive year-long evaluation of the Community-Led Development Programme, for the Department of Internal Affairs. The evaluation focused on the contribution CLDP is making to 18 communities on 5-year funding partnering agreements within the CLDP.
Despite the challenges of lockdowns and other COVID restrictions, we met with over 50 community partners across Aotearoa, and over 20 community advisors and leadership within Hapai Hapori in the Department of Internal Affairs.
We explored the contribution CLDP is making to partnerships that are built on trust, self-determination of communities, and fulfilling community aspirations. We found that the CLDP is acting as a catalyst or springboard for change; strengthening community capacity; building connection with other areas of funding; and bridging disconnected communities.
Relationships and whakawhanaungatanga are at the heart of successful projects, along with support tailored for each community.
The communities that have been most successful at delivering positive outcomes are those that have established a common foundation from the outset and been partnered with or led by mana whenua.
A summary report on the CLDP evaluation is available here.
The full suite of detailed reports on the CLDP evaluation is on the Department of Internal Affairs website.
