Good Bitches Baking is a charitable trust funded primarily through grants, fundraising and donations. With more than fifty percent of our pūtea derived from grants, we thought we would give you a few insights into this process.

Applying for charitable grants is relatively new to our organisation, but something that has become necessary as we have grown to a team of about 2800 volunteers in 30 chapters nationwide.

Why then, if Good Bitches Baking is a volunteer-led charity, do we need grants?

A number of reasons. As an organisation, we employ the equivalent of 2.1 full-time salaried staff to oversee the management, creative and strategic direction, and administration of our mission to spread kindness throughout Aotearoa. The majority of grant money goes towards paying these salaries, as well as overheads and miscellaneous baking, merchandising and administrative-related expenditure, but not all.

Some grants we’ve applied for, such as the recent Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) Lottery Community Research Grant, are for specific purposes. In this instance, the money will be used for a Good Bitches Baking research project which examines what ‘kindness’ and ‘volunteering’ mean in particular communities of interest, with the objective being to understand how these values can be enhanced nationwide and how GBB can use the research to inform our future plans.

Another DIA grant was for the professional development and networking of key members of our organisation, and funded the Head Bitch Hui held in September in Wellington.

Several of our charitable grants have come from DIA, which offers various grants to community groups. A key criterion for these particular grants is the provision of evidence that your organisation has a tangible and meaningful impact on the Aotearoa community.

One way that we’ve illustrated the impact of our Baking it Better programme is by calculating the financial value of each box of baking. Factoring in the cost of ingredients, time spent baking and the cost of fuel and other consumables, all of which are donated by our Good Bitches, each box has a financial value of approximately $92.50.

This financial year, we estimate that we will be delivering about 23,139 boxes, equating to $2,140,357.5 of volunteer contribution being invested in Aotearoa’s social economy. In addition, more than 80 of our recipients have provided letters of endorsement (a sample of which is included below), attesting to the value of our (very sweet) work to the community.

We hope this provides some understanding of why we, as a volunteer-led charity, depend on grants to assist us in covering certain costs, funding research into ways to facilitate kindness within the community, and also enabling our growth at a local and national level. We thrive on being able to spread kindness to our recipients, and we are incredibly grateful to all the organisations that see the value in this for the community.

“We believe GBB plays an important role in communities across the country, providing dignity and a moment of respite for people often feeling isolated by their circumstances. Knowing that someone is thinking of them and took the time to make them a treat can make a world of difference” – Dementia Canterbury

“Our staff of volunteers, campers and families have benefited greatly from their tireless work and continued support. The gift of baking that Good Bitches Baking provides to our camps brings respite to our kitchen staff, as well as an extra infusion of kindness and delight for our volunteers and campers” – Camp Quality, Waikato/Bay of Plenty

“Without their support we would not be able to provide as well for the community so we really do appreciate all that they do for us and the community” – The Salvation Army Albany Bay Corps

“The wonderful team has provided baking for our Mid-Winter Christmas Picnics at home for 57 identified vulnerable people in our community. They also provide weekly baking for our Foodbank. It is a service that is valued for its authenticity and generosity” – Cromwell Community House

“The volunteers have been genuinely caring, on time and have provided morning tea for our teen parents every Monday morning. The students have really enjoyed the baked goodies and it brightens their day, often there are also wonderful messages of support and encouragement which are always gratefully received” – Titiro Whakamua/Teen Parent School, Wellington

“Happiness House is excited to benefit from this beautiful initiative and share it with its clients who are struggling. Who doesn’t like a little sweet bite for her/his afternoon tea? It is a lovely way to add something special for our families and individuals coming for Friday produce” – Happiness House Queenstown

“Being able to put home baked goods in our parcels often brings back valuable memories for [our clients] and it really puts a smile on their faces. Often young children have never had home baking as it is too expensive for their families, and they just love all the fun and cheerful things your team brings in. The amount of thought and care that goes into your donations is so amazing and we are very grateful to receive it” – Foodbank, Masterton

“Every week, Good Bitches Baking provides our clients with delicious, healthy and gorgeous baking. The baking brings so much joy and appreciation to people facing hardship, family harm and other challenges in life. Women’s Support Motueka is extremely thankful to be one of the Good Bitches Baking weekly recipients” – Women’s Support Motueka