Funding sources
Below is news from various funding sources. We try to keep this section up to date, however, if you have any comments or anything to add, please e-mail us and let us know.
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Heritage Lottery Fund - Skills for the Future funding
Skills for the Future will fund projects which provide paid training placements to meet a skills gap in the heritage sector, and fully support trainees to learn practical skills.
It will fund traditional conservation training and also the skills needed to engage people with heritage. The fund will award grants between £100,000 and £1million. There is only one opportunity to apply to Skills for the Future. The closing date is 19 March 2010. A pre-application workshop will take place in Edinburgh on 11 December 2009. To register your interest in the programme or to sign up for a pre-application workshop, please email your full contact details to: skills@hlf.org.uk. More information here
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation biodiversity grants
The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation has announced that it has changed the funding criteria for its Biodiversity funding scheme. Under the Biodiversity strand a total of £3 million will be available in grants until December 2010. Grants will be available for projects that develop a greater knowledge and understanding of certain habitats and their associated species. The Foundation will consider applications from research organisations, practical conservation charities and voluntary nature societies. Applications can be submitted at any time. more
The Mark Leonard Trust
Not for profit organisations and organisations with a charitable purpose can apply for funding from this trust which focuses on environmental education in the UK. In particular the Trust seeks to support projects that focus on; finding practical ways of involving children and young adults. Applications to the Trust can be submitted at any time. more
The Ryklow Charitable Trust
The Ryklow Trust supports organisations and individuals involved in actvities that include environment and conservation. The Conservation priority is for activities that positively impact on natural species, landscapes and environmental resources. more
Funding to strengthen community capacity
Three Scottish voluntary organisations will share £1.1million from the Big Lottery Fund Dynamic, Inclusive Communities Programme for projects aiming to strengthen communities. The Scottish Community Development Centre will work with 50 community groups between 2009 and 2014 through its lottery backed Achieving Community Empowerment (ACE) programme, while the Scottish Community Foundation will work with a small number of new community groups as part of its Our Community, Our Future programme. Finally, Forward Scotland has been awarded funding of over £400,000 to deliver a community empowerment programme for sustainability. Click on the individual organisation names above to find out more about their programmes.
Grants available through CSV Action Earth Campaign
Two different grants are available to groups of volunteers who are carrying out local conservation/ environment projects or who are improving biodiversity in Scotland:
- SNH Biodiversity Awards of £250 support and encourage groups that carry practical environmental projects, creating or upgrading wildlife habitats or improving the life of Scotland's wildlife.
- CSV Action Earth awards of £50 are also available to help projects to purchase plants, tools and materials and to cover volunteer expenses. This covers projects of all sizes and can cover community clear ups, litter picks and a range of other environmental projects.
Go to the website for more information.
Changes at Awards for All
Awards for All has been operated as a joint scheme by the four lottery distributors: SportScotland, Scottish Arts Council, Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund. From this month, HLF will no longer play a role in Awards for All but instead will use its existing “Your Heritage” and “Young Roots” programmes to ensure the continuation of small community grants within the heritage sector. Awards for All will continue to fund heritage projects after April 2009 but all applications will need to very clearly demonstrate a strong community focus. more
Government funds for the third sector
The Scottish Government's Third Sector Enterprise Fund was launched in December 2009 and joins the Social Entrepreneurs Fund and the Scottish Investment Fund as a trio of support for the sector. The Third Sector Enterprise Fund offers between £25,000 and £100,000 to organisations that want to build their capacity, capability and financial sustainability. More information on all three funds, including how to apply can be found on the Scottish Government's website
Public Art Fund
The Public Art Fund, operated by the Scottish Arts Council, runs an open application scheme until 31 January 2009, with no deadlines. The scope of public art projects supported has been broadened to include temporary, permanent, cross-artform and multidisciplinary work. The Public Art Fund is aimed at attracting original proposals – from a broad range of organisations – to produce exciting and innovative public art across Scotland. To find out more about public art in Scotland visit the website
Scottish Natural Heritage grant schemes
Scottish Natural Heritage continues to be able to offer grant support for a wide range of urban and rural projects that deliver outcomes linked to the SNH Corporate Strategy. If you are seeking a grant of less than £10,000, you can apply at any time. Applications for grants of £10,000 or more are assessed in two competitive funding rounds each year. The closing dates are 15 April and 1 September. Information on each strand of funding can be found here
community cash awards
Young people aged 14-25 can apply for awards between £250 and £5,000 to help tackle the dangers of drugs, crime and play a positive role in their community. The Royal Bank of Scotland Community Cash Awards will see £1 million of grants being distributed by youth charity, The Prince’s Trust. Applications can be made at any time. more
Scottish Community Foundation awards
Express Grants are available to community groups looking for funding of up to £2,000. The scheme has a straightforward application process, and a short turnaround time. Applications can be made at any time. more
CashBack for communities fund 2008-2010
The CashBack for Communities fund could help you increase youth work events and activities in your local area if it’s an area of multiple deprivation and the young people you work with are between 10 and 19. More information and application forms can be found here
Coalfields Regeneration Trust
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has announced a further £53m of funding to support projects that help transform Britain's former coalfield communities over the next three years. At the one end of the spectrum grants there are grants from the ‘community chest’ to small organisations, and at the other end CRT gives large grants of up to £300,000 to bigger voluntary, community and statutory organisations. more
Links Foundation
The Links Foundation funds a wide range of community-based projects in the UK. All applications must show the positive impact a project could have on a community. There is no set amount, but average awards are around £20,000. Funding can be for new or existing projects and can help meet capital and revenue costs. Applications are considered 3 times per year. more
Carnegie Trust - Young Peoples Grants Programme (UK)
The Carnegie UK Trusts Young Peoples Grants Programme aims to support and promote young peoples participation in decision-making. Its focus is on involvement that is meaningful, benefits all participants and leads to sustainable developments in young peoples participation. more
support for woodland projects
Funding for local woodland projects is available through the Local Forestry Challenge Funds. Two funds are available: Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT), and Forestry for People. The WIAT Challenge Fund aims to bring urban woodland into sustainable management and improve recreation facilitates by carrying out an agreed programme of work. The Forestry for People Challenge Fund covers all Scotland, including the WIAT areas. It supports local involvement in woodland projects for health, learning and strengthening communities. First round applications close: 12 September. more
CSV Action Earth Campaign
SNH are supporting this years' CSV Action Earth campaign. It is a grant of up to £50 available to community groups to support a local environmental project and can be applied for up to 6 different projects. The grant promotion runs from January to June on a first come first served basis. more
Voluntary Action Fund
The Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) is an independent grant-making trust which invests in voluntary and community based organisations across Scotland. The funding and support provided enables organisations to undertake projects that challenge inequalities and overcome barriers to being involved in community life. VAF receives funding from the Scottish Executive to support voluntary and community organisations in taking forward social change. The grant programmes are linked by the common threads of social inclusion and support for organisations to become stronger. Each grant programme has its individual criteria and priorities as well as a direct link to government policy.For more information, contact the Voluntary Action Fund tel: 01383 620 780 or visit: www.voluntaryactionfund.org.uk
Scottish Community Foundation
The Scottish Community Foundation general grants programme, makes grants to a broad cross section of constituted groups involved in social welfare and community development activities. Community Grants are one off sums of up to £5,000. The majority of the funding is directed at locally based work carried out, and often initiated by, members of that local community. Therefore only applications from smaller organisations that have an income of less than £250,000 per annum are considered. Groups can apply for either a Small Grant (up to £1,000) or a Main Grant (up to £5,000) from this programme. There is no closing date for applications. For more information for an application pack contact SCR on 0141 225 6670, e: grants@scottishcf.org or www.scottishcf.org
SITA Trust - enhancing communities programme
This Fund for not for profit organisations, charities and community groups located within ten miles of a SITA UK site that wish to improve the local public amenities. Up to £25,000 is available for local community improvement projects and grants of up to £150,000 for projects of a regional significance. more
free funding website for community and voluntary groups
GRANTnet, a straightforward free-to-use service from GRANTfinder, can help groups and small businesses find suitable funding. It allows community and voluntary groups, sports and other clubs, schools, social enterprises and small businesses to search across EC and UK sources including Government departments, local authorities, charitable trusts and corporate sponsors. Read more information here
Triodos opportunities fund
The Triodos Opportunities Fund (the Fund) is a ground-breaking social enterprise equity fund. It will invest in high impact and commercially sustainable social enterprises and provide expertise to help them grow. The Fund brings together social investors who are looking for meaningful ways to put their money to work with promising social enterprises. Its mission is to deliver social and financial returns to its investors by funding the next generation of pioneering social enterprises. more
BIFFA Awards
Recognised as one of the most respected landfill tax credit funded schemes, to date, Biffaward has distributed £70,085,688 to 881 projects throughout the UK. The fund offers three levels of support:
- The Small Grants Scheme provides grants between £250 and £5,000 for projects that enable communities to improve local amenities and to conserve wildlife and habitats.
- The Main Grants Scheme grants between £5,001 and £50,000 for Amenity projects that provide and improve community facilities to act as mechanisms for recreation, sporting achievement, lifelong learning and community involvement. In addition it supports projects that increase or maintain Biodiversity.
- The Flagship Scheme offers grants between £150,000 - £500,000 for larger projects that support regionally or nationally significant voluntary sector led regeneration or biodiversity projects to make a significant impact on the quality of life of the region.
Application forms and guidance notes can be obtained from the Downloads section of this website. You may also benefit from reading Biffaward's Strategy for Giving (34Kb, approx. 4secs)
If you wish to discuss your project in detail please contact the Biffaward Grants Team on 0870 036 1000 or via email on grant@rswt.org
