Rural Community Engagement Fund

Update 20 October 2022 - Fund now closed to applications due to maximisation of funding pot

The second round of applications for the Rural Community Engagement Fund are now open - you can apply here.

Local groups and organisations across Scotland’s rural communities can apply for micro grants of up to £2,500 to support and promote mental health recovery following the pandemic in Scotland’s rural communities through community engagement and support approaches.

This fund is provided by the Scottish Government and facilitated by mental health charity Support in Mind Scotland. The deadline for the second round of grants will be 15^th July 2022.

The grants are specifically aimed at people who face additional inequalities in achieving good mental health whilst recovering from the pandemic and are particularly aimed at:  

- People who are marginalised and experience health inequalities due to factors such as poverty and social deprivation  

- People who face multiple layers of inequality within specific marginalised groups: 

• Refugees and Asylum Seekers  
• Young Carers  
• LGBTI+ communities   

One of the success grant receivers from the first round of applicants, Borders Sensory Hub, applauded the fund for allowing the organisation to “design, manufacture and purchase wellbeing journals for service users.”

“The ability to offer our carefully and empathetically created perinatal mental wellbeing programme to families, free of charge, will help us to engage with parents from a diverse range of backgrounds – ensuring access to all and therefore helping us to provide more families with science-backed practices that can promote positive and mental wellbeing."

For more information about the grant, and to apply, please visit Support in Mind website.