The Maori Language Commission has received 214 funding applications this year from groups and individuals wanting to develop community-based Maori language projects.
In 2001 the Government set up the Ma Te Reo fund distributing $1.8 million annually, administered through Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, to support Maori language initiatives.
The money is used to pay for teachers, language resources, accommodation and catering expenses.
The commission announced the new round of Ma Te Reo funding in August which closed on 7 October.
Last year the funding round received 215 applications requesting a total of $6,520,092.
But with a cap of just $1.8 million Te Taura Whiri was only able to approve 79 applications for funding.
The commission says this year's applicants won't know until December whether they're successful or not because the application and approval process is quite involved.
The number of applications has dropped slightly over the past two years with 228 applications made in 2009.
