Grant News
Community groups across Scotland’s coasts and rural estates are being invited to apply for grants of up to £50,000 from the Crown Estate Scotland Community Capacity Grants Programme.
Administered by Foundation Scotland, the fund will support early-stage projects that deliver lasting economic, social, and environmental benefits. In total, around £350,000 is available this year.
Eligible applicants must be based within five miles of Scotland’s coastal or estuarine foreshore, or near one of Crown Estate Scotland’s four rural estates: Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills, or Applegirth.
The programme is designed to help communities explore opportunities linked to Crown Estate assets such as aquaculture, ports, marine renewables, and sustainable tourism. Funding can be used for feasibility studies, business planning, training, or early development work – but not for major building or equipment costs.
Priority will be given to proposals tackling challenges such as affordable rural housing, climate resilience, community infrastructure, enterprise development, and heritage regeneration.
Applications will be assessed in two stages. An Expression of Interest must be submitted by 29 September 2025, with full applications due in December. Final funding decisions will be announced in February 2026.
Examples of previously funded projects include:
- Arran Development Trust (2022): Received £48,060 to deliver housing for key workers and young professionals in Blackwaterfoot, helping combat depopulation and support local aquaculture and marina sectors.
- An Orkney Lighthouse Visitor Centre: A rural community transformed a disused lighthouse engine room into a visitor facility with café space, funded at approximately £20,000.
- Resonate: Creating Communities (Dumfries & Galloway): Awarded £31,000 to convert a former police station into a support centre for autistic young people.
The closing date for Expression of Interest is 29 September 2025. Those applicants successful at this stage will be invited to submit a full application, with final decisions expected in February 2026.
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