Rural Community Gateway

There are two new sources of funding for environmental projects from the Scottish Executive under the banner of Natural Scotland: It's Our Future.  The Environmental Justice Fund has £2 million available for communities, and The Community Environmental Renewal Scheme has some £1.75 million. The schemes are being managed by Forward Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive, and will run for one year to the end of March 2008. The Environmental Justice Fund (EJF) offers Grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 to improve the quality of local environments in communities that suffer the effects of negative environmental impacts such as past or present industry, pollution or other damaging activities.   Awards will only be made where local communities are fully engaged in the design and delivery of the project. Projects typically supported by EJF will follow two themes: community facilities and amenities; and landscape, access and biodiversity. Partnership funding, whilst welcome, is not a requirement.
The Community Environmental Renewal Scheme will award grants of up to £100,000 to support projects within communities that can demonstrate that they have been affected by local aggregates extraction activities, and which will improve the local environment for and with communities. Projects typically supported by CERS will be directed at the provision, restoration, protection or the promotion of understanding of one or more of the following three themes: landscape, habitats and local biodiversity; the built or cultural environment, including historic, geological or archaeological heritage; and community recreational amenities.
Although applications can be made to both schemes, projects may only receive an award from one of the funds. The first deadline for both schemes is 25 April 2007, and successful projects will receive a decision around 8 weeks later.  There will be a final deadline in June for both schemes, although there is a desire that the majority of funds will be committed in the first round to allow the maximum time for project completion.  All awards must be spent by March 2008.  
Organisations who wish to submit an application are encouraged to contact Forward Scotland and discuss their project in the first instance. 

Crisis, the national homeless charity is inviting applications under its Changing Lives Programme. The Crisis Changing Lives programme provides financial awards of up to £2,000 to solitary people who are homeless or settling into a home and looking for support so that they may achieve their vocational goals. The award can be used to attend a training course or help buy tools and equipment necessary for a course or even to set up a business. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on the 23rd March 2007.

Scottish charities working overseas are being invited to apply to Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland for £400,000 of awards. They are interested in hearing from charities that are registered in Scotland and manage work in fragile overseas communities. They'll fund core activities, new developments, and capital and revenue costs, and will also fund for up to three years.

The deadline for applications is 16 April 2007. Charities who would like more information about applying to the Foundation for an overseas award should contact them on 0870 902 1201.

The Hilden Charitable Fund has announced that application forms for the Summer Playscheme Programme 2007, will be available from Monday 2nd April 2007. The programme is open to local organisations and grants of up to £1,000 will be available to support local summer playschemes.
Priority will be given to schemes working with refugees and minority
ethnic groups. In addition the Hilden Trust provides grants to tackle
homelessness; to support groups that work with black and minority ethnic groups as well as asylum seekers; and support for prisoner
rehabilitation and resettlement.

Their website is currently under reconstruction but you can contact them on 020 6703 1525 or hildencharity@hotmail.com

The Lankelly Chase Foundation has announced that it is inviting applications under its 2007 Childrens' Playscheme Small Grants Programme.
Each year the Trustees of the LankellyChase Foundation set aside funds for summer playschemes for children between the ages of 5 - 13 years.
Preference is given to small local playschemes lasting 4 - 6 weeks, and groups planning special activities for youngsters who are disadvantaged or who have a disability. This includes summer activities for children in refuges. In total about 140 grants of between £200 - £500 are made every year to organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The closing date for applications is the 11th May 2007.

These events will offer your group the opportunity to discuss your project or any funding issues, find out more about the funding website or the Angus Council Community Grant Scheme with a member of the External Funding team. Dates and venues in the Angus Funding News.

The surgery is an opportunity for you to have a one-to-one session with an Assessor, and to discuss how to go about putting an application to the Foundation. If you wish to attend one of the surgeries, please call 0870 9021201 to arrange an appointment. 

The Heritage Lottery Fund are holding monthly pre-application advice surgeries on the last Wednesday of the month at their office in Edinburgh. You can reserve a 45 minute slot with one of their development staff from 10.00am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.15pm. To make the best use of your slot, send brief details of your project in advance on the pre-application form. Your slot will be confirmed once they receive your project information.

OSCR has announced a calendar of regional events in 2007. These are half-day training events designed for charity trustees or administrators of smaller charities (with an annual income of less than £100,000). There are three workshops and delegates will attend each of the three workshops in rotation.
Workshops will cover: trustee duties, receipts and payments accounting and the regime of consents and notifications. Tea and coffee will be provided. Delegates will be provided with an information pack to take away.

Aviemore 20 March 2007

Dundee   12 April 2007

Glasgow 19 April 2007
Aberdeen 1 May 2007

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is making available free of charge for a short period of time the updated version of its popular "How to Raise Funds" guide.

The guide has been fully updated by Pam Judson and is aimed at small and medium sized organisations working in Scotland. It explores fundraising myths and truths, what you need to have in place before you can fundraise effectively, writing effective proposals, researching funders, bringing it all together and what to do when you get the money.

Copies can be downloaded here.

GuideStar UK has introduced a search option that aims to help fundraisers locate a grantmaker offering grants in their chosen area of activity.

To find grantmakers listed on GuideStar UK you need to use the advanced search option to enter a relevant keyword and then tick the box marked 'grantmaker'. This will bring up a list of relevant organisations.

You can then refine your search further by using the cluster options on the left-hand side of the results.

Granting You the Money - A Guide to Securing Grant Funding has been published online by the Lewis Clare Partnership.