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The Fund was established in 2009 and has been administered by the Proceeds of Crime Fund Administrator within the Ministry of Justice since April 2019.
The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 allows Police to seize cash and assets that have been obtained directly or indirectly from the proceeds of crime. Once all legal matters are addressed, the recovered money is placed in the contestable Proceeds of Crime Fund.
The purpose of the Fund is to provide a range of targeted interventions that reduce violent crime, directly supporting Government Target 4.
The Terms of Reference
The Fund's Terms of Reference (below) outlines key areas that support the administration of the Fund. Please read these before submitting an application and note they have been recently updated.
An initiative must align with the Cabinet approved criterion of ‘reducing violent crime’ to be eligible for funding.
The drivers of violent crime are varied and complex. Targeted initiatives, such as rehabilitation programs and interventions addressing drug-related harm, play a critical role in disrupting cycles of offending. Therefore, the Responsible Ministers would consider initiatives that seek to:
prevent or address crime before it escalates to violent crime (i.e. retail crime);
address organised crime (i.e. deterring money laundering and terrorism financing or prevent the importation and distribution of drugs).
Initiatives must be submitted by one of the public service or non-public service organisations as defined by Te Kawa Mataaho. You can find the eligible agencies listed below.
Note that eligible agencies may have an internal approval process at the national office to endorse an initiative. This process must be completed in advance of submission. Please consult with the agency directly regarding their internal timeframes.
The Fund Administrators will run information sessions for agencies and organisations when a funding round is open. Email PoCF@justice.govt.nz to sign up to a session. The slides for the March 2026 information session are available below:
Eligible agencies applying to the Fund must use the Proceeds of Crime Fund proposal template and submit it to PoCF@justice.govt.nz by the submission date.
An updated Proposal Template is available below. Please read the Fund's Terms of Reference before submitting an application.
Urgent proposals can be funded outside of funding rounds. Eligible agencies proposals outside the regular funding cycle will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.
If you have an initiative that you wish to pursue through the out-of-cycle process, review the Terms of Reference to ensure it meets the requirements, and contact the Fund Administrator to discuss.