- Forrester Gallery – Supporting a significant arts and culture capital project from funding strategy to implementation
- Shepherdess –Supporting a rural storytelling organisation through crisis, recovery and stronger funding planning
- Bayleys Te Ramaroa Festival – Nelson Light Festival
Forrester Gallery –Waitaki District Council
Supporting a significant arts and culture capital project from funding strategy to implementation
The Forrester Gallery is one of Waitaki’s important cultural assets. Housed in a spectacular neo-classical building originally constructed in 1884 for the Bank of New South Wales, the Gallery offers the Waitaki and wider region a varied exhibition programme, houses a growing collection of artworks significant to the region, and stands as an icon of Ōamaru’s unique historic precinct.
From January 2024 to December 2025, Funding HQ worked with Chloe Searle, Arts and Culture
Manager at Waitaki District Council, through twice-monthly coaching and advisory support. The work focused on helping the Forrester Gallery move from the early stages of capital project funding planning through to implementation, follow-up and funder engagement.
The project
The Forrester Gallery was undertaking a significant capital project in the arts and culture space. To support this, the team needed a clear and practical fundraising approach that could guide planning,
implementation and ongoing funder follow-up.
Funding HQ supported the project over an extended period, helping Chloe and the Waitaki team build a stronger understanding of the funding landscape, shape the right strategy, and move from planning into action.
The challenge:
The Forrester Gallery team needed support to:
- develop a funding strategy for a significant capital project
- understand the current funding landscape
- identify relevant funding opportunities
- move from early-stage planning into implementation
- manage follow-up with funders and supporters
- maintain momentum across a long project timeline
- position an arts and culture capital project clearly and confidently.
The outcomes
Funding HQ became a key part of the Forrester Gallery’s fundraising success. With FHQ’s support, the team moved from early planning into implementation with greater structure, confidence and strategic focus.
The relationship helped the Forrester Gallery strengthen its fundraising approach, better understand the funding landscape and sustain progress across a significant capital project. FHQ’s guidance also supported more effective follow-up with funders and helped the team maintain momentum over a
long project period.
The Forrest Gallery official opened in April 2026.
Testimonial
“Funding HQ were a key part of our fundraising success. Jenni and her team helped guide us from early stages of planning our funding strategy through to implementation and follow up. Everything from Funding HQ was undertaken with genuine interest in our project, exceptional knowledge of the current funding landscape and lots of strategic nous. I would recommend Funding HQ to anyone embarking on a significant capital project in the arts and culture space.”
Chloe Searle
Arts and Culture Manager, Waitaki District Council
Shepherdess
Supporting a rural storytelling organisation through crisis, recovery and stronger funding planning
Shepherdess connects, empowers and inspires women across rural New Zealand by creating a place
to tell the stories of rural communities. When Cyclone Gabrielle forced the postponement of its
major festival just three days before opening, the team was already packing in. The decision created
immediate operational, financial and communications pressure, including unexpected additional
costs and a sudden funding gap.
Before engaging with FHQ Shepherdess was facing a sudden funding gap, disrupted plans and
uncertainty about how to communicate with funders and stakeholders. Funding HQ, through their
coaching mentor, provided regular strategic coaching to help Shepherdess respond to the immediate crisis and strengthen its longer-term funding capability. The support combined funding expertise with a strong understanding of arts, culture and social impact.
The coaching helped Shepherdess clarify its goals, understand the needs of different audiences, and
shape messaging that would resonate with funders, partners, audiences, artists and internal
stakeholders. Regular coaching calls became a trusted space to work through immediate challenges,
test ideas, solve problems and plan next steps.
FHQ’s support helped Shepherdess raise funds to close the gap created by the postponed festival
and unexpected costs. Beyond the immediate crisis, the coaching also supported the organisation
across diverse revenue streams, helping the team identify opportunities, strengthen meeting
structures, improve internal and external communications, and implement funding plans with
greater confidence. As a result of FHQ’s support and coaching Shepherdess had clearer messaging, a
practical funding plan, improved internal structures and greater confidence across multiple revenue
streams.
Outputs
Through the coaching relationship, FHQ supported Shepherdess to develop and improve targeted
funding messaging, practical funding and revenue planning tools, stronger internal and external
communications, improved meeting structures, clearer funding implementation planning,
opportunity identification across diverse revenue streams, and practical problem-solving
approaches.
Key FHQ services
This case study demonstrates FHQ’s work across funding coaching, crisis funding support, strategic
messaging, arts, culture and social impact expertise, revenue stream development, internal and
external communications advice, and funding implementation planning.
Testimonial
“We are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from Funding HQ. I cannot speak more
highly of our FHQ coach. They understood arts, culture and social impact. They had an ability to
articulate and craft messaging that aligns to the goals and objectives of the audiences to whom we
are speaking, and to offer wisdoms and a clear way of looking at things. Our regular coaching calls
are an invaluable resource. When Cyclone Gabrielle swept through and caused us to postpone thefestival we had planned whilst we were packing in, just three days out from the event, regular
coaching calls supported us in raising funds to close the gap that had emerged from being hit with so
many unexpected additional costs. Following that, coaching has supported us across our diverse
revenue streams, and to identify opportunities. Through our coaching calls, Funding HQ provides
practical tools and real examples, helping us to solve problems and find new ways of doing things –
which have hugely benefited our meeting structures, communications – both internal and external –
and funding implementation planning.”
Kristy McGregor
Shepherdess
Bayleys Te Ramaroa – Nelson Light Festival
The project
Bayleys Te Ramaroa – Nelson Light Festival is the city’s biennial light festival, attracting thousands of
visitors each year to its free, artistically respected, community-oriented event.
Due to a lack of sponsorship and other funding, in 2025 the Festival was forced to postpone the
festival.
Recognising an urgent need for a reset, Te Ramaroa engaged Funding HQ to help them secure new
revenue and ensure the survival of this major regional asset.
FHQ’s role
Leveraging the benefits of the FHQ online platform and an Accelerator coaching package - which
included up to one hour’s dedicated input each week from a fundraising specialist over a six-month
period - a Te Ramaroa working group made up of the Board Chair, a second board representative,
and a sponsorship contractor worked on creating and implementing a refreshed and diversified
fundraising approach.
In the end stages, the Festival’s General Manager also joined the fundraising group to integrate the
work into the ongoing operations of the organisation.
Outcomes
Through its work with Funding HQ, Te Ramaroa developed a compelling case, funding plan,
sponsorship framework, and partnership identification and procurement strategy.
As a result, brand profile was lifted, new sponsors and grants were secured, the Council relationship
was enhanced with associated funding commitments, and plans for further revenue increases
around philanthropy were developed, enabling the Festival to confirm its 2026 event for 3 rd -7 th July
2026.
Testimonial
“Signing up with Funding HQ has made a massive difference to our fund-raising strategy - and
success! Thanks to the online material and the incredible coaching, we are further ahead in our
fundraising than we have ever been at this stage in the festival, and we have developed the skills and
confidence to push our goals even higher. Totally recommend Funding HQ - just wish I’d done it 5
years ago!”
Annette Milligan
Chair, Te Ramaroa