Grant Directories

The Bank of Scotland Foundation recognises the profound impact that the cost of living crisis is having on people across Scotland.  To ensure that funding can reach those in real need, the Empower grants programme for 2024 will solely focus on helping charities who support vulnerable groups/people.

The Empower programme provides unrestricted funding which gives charities much greater scope to cover all essential costs and deal with challenges quickly and effectively. Unrestricted funding can be used towards core costs, delivery costs, project costs and/or general running costs enabling charities to use their funding in the way that helps them best.  

Foundation Scotland exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Ventient Energy A'Chruach Wind Farm Community Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £25,000 to support positive change by investing in a wide range of inspirational, community-led activity that is strategic, positive and creative and helps create a legacy of lasting impact. Applications are expected to address one or more of the following outcomes (or changes for the community): Advance rural regeneration though increasing opportunities for enterprise and vocational training; Enhance infrastructure including affordable housing, transport, broadband, community-owned property and access routes; Establish new community services and seek to improve or expand existing services, particularly with regard to young people and the elderly; Develop and improve community facilities; E...

Foundation Scotland exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Todhill Wind Farm Community Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £5,000 to support charitable activity that: Improves the physical appearance of the community (including the town centre) and makes better use of our public spaces; Develops community services, events and facilities to better meet the diverse needs of local people;  Preserves and enhances the natural environment for the benefit of those who live in the area; Builds the skills, capacity and sustainability of community organisations serving the area. Grants may support a wide range of costs, for example, the costs of equipment, staff or sessional workers, consultations, running costs for local groups, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities, and so on.

Foundation Scotland exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Annandale and Nithsdale Community Benefit Company the foundation provides grants of up to £20,000 to support charitable activities that support the rural regeneration and sustainability of communities within the area of benefit. Applications that address any of the following issues are particularly welcomed: Community facilities, services, rural transport, affordable housing, community development; Community or local events; Environmental projects; Heritage; Skills, employment, tourism, reducing poverty and disadvantage, improving rural business opportunities, building the capacity of community and voluntary organisations, supporting innovation and social enterprise; Sport, recreation and improving the health of residents; Youth and education, tackling out-migration of young peop...

Foundation Scotland exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities.  Through the An Suidhe Wind Farm Community Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £9,000 to groups and organisations working to benefit people in any of the four communities to support charitable activities that: Enhance the quality of life for local residents; Contribute to vibrant, healthy, successful, and sustainable communities; Promote community spirit and encourage community activity.

The aim of the Corra Foundation is to help improve the lives of individuals and communities experiencing disadvantage all across Scotland and in developing countries.  Through the #ShiftThePower Scotland Comic Relief Programme the Corra Foundation supports organisations with passionate people to make meaningful change in their communities.  The fund is open to grassroots organisations and charities with an income of £400,000 or less whose work fits one of two strategic themes: Gender Justice – contributing to gender equality by reducing violence and discrimination based on gender and sexuality alongside increased opportunity, empowerment, and understanding for women, girls, and LGBTQI+ community; A Safe Place to Be – supporting people who have experienced homelessness or have been forced from their homes in order to live safely. This includes enabling people who have faced or are facing homelessness to resolve their situation and get support as well as supporting those who ...

The Community Led funding programme aims to support communities in improving the areas in which they reside and the well-being of those most in need. Organisations are funded to deliver work that enables everyone in the community to have the opportunity to influence and participate in community-led activities and to ensure that people within the community are better connected and cooperate to enhance their well-being.  This can include projects that tackle problems associated with the cost of living crisis.

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by the National Lottery to support local communities. The Awards from the UK Portfolio programme supports UK-wide ideas and projects, with the aim of testing and growing bold ideas that put people in the lead to address long term social issues and to improve the quality of life across the UK and internationally. The UK portfolio supports projects that have a UK-wide significance in terms of interest, impact or influence.

The Baring Foundation is an independent grantmaking trust that distributes grants to UK charities. The Strengthening the Voluntary Sector programme supports the effective use of the law and human rights based approaches by the voluntary sector in the United Kingdom. Funding is available through two pilot funds: Training, education and capacity building – seed funding grants of up to £30,000 over six months to two years that support organisations to understand how their objectives can be achieved through use of the law or human rights based approaches; Applied projects – grants of up to £150,000 over three years to create new capacity for work that addresses specific discrimination or disadvantage and safeguards the freedom of purpose, action and voice of the sector.

The Friends Provident Foundation provides financial support to projects that promote a more resilient, sustainable and fairer economic system. The Foundation works on two levels. Systems change which aims to support work that can help to transform corporate behaviour, and to stimulate change in the current financial system; and Building local economic resilience which aims to test and review local or small-scale initiatives that build economic resilience through diversity, flexibility and building capabilities. Trustees will consider applications for grants, loans, underwriting or other forms of financial support. 

UnLtd is the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK and supports individuals who have their social ventures firmly rooted in delivering positive social change. It operates a unique model by investing directly in individuals and offering a complete package of resources; from awards of funding to ongoing advice, networking and practical support. UnLtd resource community entrepreneurs to start-up; support those with more established social ventures to scale up; and are committed to developing an eco-system of support to make it easier for those who need help to find it. UnLtd offers a number of programmes with varying levels of funding and support. Please refer to the funder's website for details.

The Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) is a long-established independent grant-making body which invests in voluntary organisations and community groups across Scotland. The Volunteering Support Programme supports third sector organisations to create new volunteering projects to; increase the diversity of their volunteers (especially those experiencing disadvantage); and improve opportunities, skills and personal development through volunteering. The Fund also helps organisations enhance their services and improve their capacity to deploy, support and train volunteers. Grants are available to organisations with an income of less than £250,000.

Community Foundations support community and voluntary sector activity through grants to local groups and organisations. There are 48 Community Foundations of different sizes within the UK. Although all Community Foundations operate according to common criteria, they vary in terms of size and nature of grants available. Some Community Foundations will fund both organisations and individuals whilst other foundations will only fund organisations. Each community foundation covers a specific geographic area and will not normally be able to support work outside its area.

Voluntary and community groups, schools, community and town councils and health bodies can apply for grants of between £300 and £20,000 for projects which help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. Projects must meet at least one of their three aims: bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities; improve the places and spaces that matter to communities; help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage. Funding is available for activities including: putting on events, activities or performances; buying equipment; running training courses; starting a new group; educational toys and games; volunteer's expenses or professional fees; transport costs and refurbishment.

Foundation Scotland (formerly Scottish Community Foundation) is one of the largest funders of the voluntary sector in Scotland and last year was responsible for distributing over £9million on behalf of their donors. The foundation runs a diverse range of funding programmes for organisations across Scotland who work to benefit a range of interests, causes and communities, and they are particularly interested in supporting organisations where a grant will have a significant impact and enable them to achieve their objectives. The Foundation Scotland website enables you to search for grants available in each area of Scotland; funding amounts vary for each programme and start from as little as £250.

The Barrow Cadbury Trust is an independent charitable foundation, committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalised people in society. The Trust promotes social justice through grant making, research, influencing public opinion and policy and supporting local communities.  Their work is divided into three programme areas: Criminal Justice - building evidence of effective interventions, primarily for young adults and women, at all stages of the criminal justice process; Migration - promoting an immigration system that is fair to both migrants and established residents; Economic Justice - supporting effective approaches to reducing economic and social injustice and assisting in building resilient communities. There is a particular focus on projects located in Birmingham and the Black Country.