Funding

The Scottish Land Fund (SLF) has awarded 10 grants across the country totalling nearly £2m this year to community groups.

The Fund supports rural and urban communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets.

The National Lottery Community Fund (Scotland) has today unveiled two new funding streams: Fairer Life Chances, and Community Action. Both funds are open to applications now, with no deadlines currently in sight.

Community Action and Fairer Life Chances will both focus on helping communities to tackle poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination, and ask groups to demonstrate how they will reach and support people facing these challenges.

This week saw the Scottish Budget for 2025-26 presented to the Scottish Parliament by Finance Secretary Shona Robison. 

The Finance Secretary outined how the budget will deliver progress for the people of Scotland, with a record increase in frontline NHS spending, and plans to lift 15,000 children out of poverty by mitigating the UK Government’s two-child limit from 2026.

The Paths for All fund, the Ian Findlay Path Fund (IFPF), supports the improvement of local path networks within and between communities, making it easier for people to choose to walk wheel or cycle for everyday journeys. 

The Highlands & Islands Climate Hub are inviting expressions of interest from its members to support community spaces transition to becoming environmentally friendly.

They are offering its members who operate community spaces, support to implement sustainable practices and be part of a network of organisations committed to creating climate conscious communities across the region. 

Moray Pathways has launched a Community Space Fund to improve employability services within community spaces and improve digital connectivity and accessibility in the area.

Village halls and community hubs are often the heart of rural and island communities. They are places for people to gather, socialise, learn and crucially, to access services.

Steps to support Gaelic entrepreneurs and assess the benefits of the language to Scotland’s visitor economy have been announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.

A report on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic was commissioned as part of the Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

The Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is providing funding to support the development of the village halls in their area through their 'Federation of Village Halls Grant Scheme'.

This Carers Rights Day (Thursday 21 November 2024), unpaid carers across the country are being encouraged to check their eligibility for financial support from Social Security Scotland.

Thirty tourism businesses, social enterprises and community groups have been supported to help the South of Scotland become one of the leading cycling destinations in the world.

The £300,000 South of Scotland Cycling Infrastructure Fund provided capital grants of £3,000 to £25,000 to the organisations who own visitor facing assets to invest in their cycling facilities.