From promise to progress: First recipients of Indigenous Wellbeing Grants announced

In 2024, Movember made a landmark commitment: NZD $63.20 million over seven years to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous men and boys across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. In 2025, we’re delivering on that promise — announcing the first round of Innovation Grants, supporting Indigenous-led solutions that are rooted in culture, community, and self-determination.

This large-scale commitment to First Nations communities will be delivered through a series of Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Initiatives, which aim to tackle the alarming health disparities experienced by Indigenous men, through holistic, community-driven approaches.

NZD $6.43 million is being committed to Māori communities over 7 years. This year’s announcement includes 1 Innovation Grant recipient, receiving NZD $250,000 each year, over 3 years.

What work has Movember done in this space?

Over the past twelve years, Movember has been committed to bolstering the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous men and boys around the world. Our Indigenous Portfolio is backed by a decade of dedicated investment in Indigenous research, evidence-based solutions, and real-world program delivery. This includes Community Empowerment programs, Innovation programs, and initiatives such as Reclaiming our Voice and the Brotherland Network, aimed at lifting the profile of the strengths of Indigenous men and supporting knowledge translation and shared learning.

The Movember Institute of Men’s Health is proud to support innovative, community-led solutions that centre Indigenous culture as a protective factor for health and wellbeing. ​This year marks another step forward, with the appointment of Nathan Appo to Movember’s Board of Directors – the first Indigenous Australian to hold this position – to help steer the future of men’s health.

Who will the grants help?

For too long, the status quo for Indigenous men has been unacceptable, with the health outcomes staggeringly out of step with national and international standards. Indigenous boys and men continue to experience disproportionate rates of psychological distress, suicide, and chronic disease. These grants aim to help Indigenous men, boys, and their communities thrive.

This funding will support Indigenous men and their communities across the globe in Canada, the USA, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tāne Māori (Māori men), from the North and South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand will benefit from culturally appropriate programming that engages them physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally, affirming their connection the land, to their families, their communities and their own self determination.

Movember’s Global Director or Indigenous Programs, Sonia Prevost-Derbecker said: “There is recognition that the Indigenous men and communities we are supporting are some of the most marginalised in the world. Many have experiences with health determinants, such as incarceration, homelessness, addictions and more. These programs will bring community voice and solutions to the table, supporting Indigenous men and their communities to drive their own change.”

What will the grants do?

These Innovation Grants are designed to strengthen the evidence base for social and emotional wellbeing programs and surface scalable models that work — led by Indigenous organisations, for Indigenous men and boys. The Aotearoa New Zealand recipient is:

Hawaiki Kura's Tāne te Waiora project, a wellness and empowerment initiative designed specifically to meet the needs of tāne Māori (Māori men). It aims to transform the social, emotional, and overall wellbeing of its participants by fostering a profound sense of cultural reclamation, healing and community connection. The project addresses the long-term impacts of colonization on Māori men’s wellbeing, providing a grassroots, Indigenous response that empowers tāne Māori to find solutions within their own cultural heritage. 

Through a strengths-based, mana-enhancing approach, Tāne te Waiora offers an authentic space for tāne Māori to reconnect with their identity, heal from intergenerational trauma and establish a strong community of like-minded individuals. Participants engage with taonga tuku iho (ancestral gifts) and mātauranga Māori, learning to integrate these timeless teachings into their lives in ways that foster oranga (holistic wellbeing) and cultural confidence.

Pouwhakahaere (Founder) Kiley Nepia shared that he is humbled to receive the funding and recognition from Movember and that this will enable Hawaiki Kura to have a transformative impact within their communities

Were grants reviewed and approved with community involvement?

Movember recognises that centering the voices of those closest to these communities is essential to improving the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous men and boys. Community voices provide invaluable insights into the barriers, opportunities, and unmet needs within their populations — insights that are often overlooked without intentional engagement.

To ensure the grant recipients reflected the unique needs and priorities of local communities, we formed the Global Indigenous Advisory Committee (GIAC) in 2024. This committee is made up of 7 Indigenous members from across the 4 countries that Movember’s Indigenous portfolio covers: Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada and the US.

Over the past year, the GIAC reviewed submitted expressions of interest, shortlisted applicants, and reviewed implementation plans and recommended to Movember those that should be funded.

This approach not only strengthens the impact of our funding but also ensures our initiatives align with the lived realities and priorities of the communities we serve.

More grants coming soon

Movember’s commitment is long-term and global. This is just the first step. Keep an eye out for future Innovation Grant announcements in Australia, Canada and the US. In addition, Community Empowerment Grants will launch in 2026, supporting broader, place-based responses to health inequity. Learn more and keep up to date with our Indigenous funding.