Community Building Block - Funding Relationships with Leonie Matoe from Rātā Foundation

In an ever-shifting funding landscape, how we resource community-led mahi matters more than ever. We are excited to invite you to an upcoming Community Building Block (CBB) session, a 90-minute, online collaborative workshop designed to bring funders and community practitioners together to share practice insights.

We’ll be joined by Leonie Matoe to explore the fundamental role of relationships in guiding effective funding practices. This session will focus on how we move towards relationship-based practice despite the current uncertainty, creating a space for an honest, candid kōrero about fostering mutual understanding between community practitioners and funders. Whether you sit on the funding side of the table or are leading community action, this session is a space to connect, share experiences, and navigate the future together. Join us for this connection-focused kōrero designed to help us sustain our mahi and our relationships through change.

About Leonie Matoe

Leonie (Ngā Rauru Kiitahi, Ngā Ruahine) is Team Leader – Cultural and Community Relationships at Rātā Foundation and works to nurture strong, trust-based relationships with communities, iwi, hapū and partners, to support ways of working that are mana-enhancing, relational and grounded in place.  Leonie has extensive experience in community development and public service, most recently prior to Rātā Foundation, as Regional Manager – Community Operations (Hāpai Hapori) at the Department of Internal Affairs. Her professional background also spans Māori public health, Indigenous enterprise development alongside her iwi and social innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside community organisations to navigate funding and system settings, with a strong focus on equity, inclusion and supporting community-led solutions. What motivates Leonie in her role is contributing to work that recognises community knowledge, shares power and supports long-term, locally driven change. “When funders listen deeply and walk alongside communities, we create the conditions for outcomes that are both meaningful and enduring.”