Frequently Asked
Questions
General
New Zealand businesswoman Jaimee Lupton founded Gingernut’s Angels, in honour of her first daughter Gingernut, born “still and perfect” in March 2022 after a much tried-for IVF pregnancy. Jaimee knows all too well the complexities and emotions involved when having a child doesn’t come easily, experiencing firsthand the immense joys and severe heartbreaks throughout her own fertility journey. Jaimee is currently expecting her third baby, also conceived through IVF, with her partner Nick.
In New Zealand, it is estimated that one in four people will experience infertility and one in eight require some form of medical assistance to achieve a pregnancy. Jaimee has been fortunate to be able to afford the various costs associated with the rounds of IVF and other treatments required for her to conceive, but knows that others aren’t always so lucky. With Gingernut’s Angels, Jaimee hopes to help alleviate some of the financial burden for people and help them with their wish for a family.
Gingernut’s Angels receives no government funding; we are privately funded and also receive donations from the public which are matched dollar for dollar. While government funding for IVF is available for those in New Zealand, the process can be timely and the barriers to entry high—which is part of our reason for being. We believe Gingernut’s Angels is the first of its kind in the country.
We would love that! We will be matching donations made up to a total of NZD $500,000. Head over to our Donate page to make a donation to help New Zealanders on their fertility journey. If you would like to get in touch about a more substantial donation or supporting us in another capacity, please contact us.
Grants
Grant applications open on June 1—for a 4-week period—and close June 30. After applications close, we review all applications received. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further information if necessary. Please note we are only able to contact successful applicants.
Gingernut’s Angels funds 80% of one full round of IVF, based on the cost quoted by your chosen clinic. We moved to this model to ensure fairness across all applicants — because clinic prices vary across New Zealand, funding a percentage of your actual treatment cost means every recipient is supported equally, regardless of where they choose to receive their care.
We encourage you to speak with your clinic ahead of applying so you have a clear picture of your total treatment costs. You will be responsible for the remaining 20%, and as part of the application process we will ask for confirmation that you are able to cover this portion.
Our greatest hope is to support as many people as possible on their path to parenthood — and every grant we give is a step closer to that goal.
- In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
- Egg Freezing and Preservation
- Alternative therapies
- Genetic testing
- Medical revision (reversing or correcting other medical treatment you may have had)
Yes, you can use the grant at a fertility clinic of your choice within New Zealand. Please note that grants are not able to be used with overseas clinics (this includes Australia).
Gingernut’s Angels partners with Fertility Associates, FertilityPlus and Repromed, three of New Zealand’s leading fertility clinics. While you do not need to use your grant with those clinics, all offer subsidised fees for recipients of Gingernut’s Angels grants, in order to lower the ‘gap’ of costs for treatment.
Grant money will be paid directly to the fertility clinic of the applicant. No monies will be directly distributed to grant recipient(s) or private parties.
Grants can only be used for future treatment, and not retroactively for any treatment you’ve already had.
When it comes to conceiving a child, we are conscious that time can be of the essence. We ask that you commence your chosen treatment within four months, or have a treatment plan in place by December 31st. Funds not used for treatment by this date will be returned to Gingernut’s Angels in order to help others who are ready to commence their fertility journey.
If your circumstances change between you submitting your application (June 30) and grants being awarded (August 1)—and you no longer require financial assistance for your fertility treatment—we ask that you contact us to rescind your application. We understand things change, and we’d like to be able to allocate these funds elsewhere during our consideration process.
Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified, however due to privacy concerns, we are unable to discuss or publicly share information about those who were successful.
We understand the sensitive nature of the information you disclose to us, including your personal information and medical records. This will only be viewed by a limited number of Gingernut’s Angels trustees (including our resident OBGYN’s Dr Mary Birdsall and Dr Devashana Gupta) and is deleted from our system at the end of each calendar year.
All personal/sensitive information can be deleted on request (within 48 hours), please contact us.