Funding

A new funding round from the Prince's Countryside Fund has opened for applications today, 9 January 2019.

The Prince's Countryside Fund has grants of up to £50,000 available for projects that will provide a long-term positive impact to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit.

Their grants aim to sustain rural communities, improve the prospects of viability for farm and rural businesses, and support aid delivery in an emergency and build resilience. ​Individuals and private farm businesses are not eligible for funding.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has confirmed that hill farmers and crofters in Scotland's most remote areas will continue to receive support under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme into 2020.

The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) provides essential income support to farming businesses in remote and constrained rural areas.

Funding is used to:

Funding from Highland LEADER is helpingto improve car parking facilities at a popular tourist spot on Skye.

Due to fewer applications coming forward than expected there is still approximately £150,000 available from Orkney LEADER for farm diversification/sectoral business support projects in Orkney.

Fourteen projects across the UK have been awarded a share of more than £300,000 in the latest round of funding from the Prince's Countryside Fund.

More than a million pounds has been awarded this year to support crofters to get better housing.

The Scottish Government's Croft House Grant Scheme provides grants for crofters to improve and maintain the standards of crofter housing, with the aim of attracting and retaining people within the crofting areas of Scotland.

Funding may be used for:

Groups across the country have been awarded a share of £1,646,972 in the latest round of funding from the Scottish Land Fund.