Dunedin City Council economic development unit manager Peter Harris said two funds - the industry project fund and the regional strategy fund - had opened for applications on July 1, and with September deadlines, he was keen for people with ideas to "come out of the woodwork".
"I don't want to spend money for its own sake, but I don't want to be sitting here in 12 months and have people regretting they did not get support for their projects," he said.
He encouraged people to contact the unit, or their local council if they were outside Dunedin.
The industry project fund was worth about $600,000, and groups could use it for up to 66% of funding for projects they were keen to progress, he said.
"While the funding can cover a significant proportion of the costs, there is still a need for people to commit their own money and time to the project," he said.
An example of past initiatives that had used the funding was the Strath Taieri irrigation project.
The regional strategy fund was worth $520,000 and would pay up to 80% of a project. A past example was the investigation of a Chinese tourism trail in Otago.
There were two funding rounds in the financial year, with applications for round one of the industry fund closing on September 7, and the regional fund mid-September.
An information session on both funds would be held in the Skeggs Gallery at the Municipal Chambers at 4pm tomorrow.
