Grant News
The Ethnic Minority Development Fund (EMDF) 2026 has opened for applications, offering grants of £500 to £15,000 to support grassroots ethnic minority-led organisations across Scotland, with £500,000 available in this round. The programme is delivered through CEMVO Scotland, which supports ethnic minority communities and organisations, and was established with The National Lottery Community Fund to help groups that have had little or no previous access to Lottery funding.
Eligible applicants are ethnic minority-led third sector organisations in Scotland, defined as having 60% or more of board and leadership members from ethnic minority backgrounds. Applicants must also have an annual income below £100,000 and must not currently hold, or have recently held, long-term National Lottery Community Fund support.
Funding is restricted project funding, although it can cover a mix of revenue, core and small capital costs, including:
- running costs
- staff, training and volunteer expenses
- equipment, transport and utilities
- one-off events
- small land or refurbishment projects.
Projects must benefit ethnic minority people and communities in Scotland and address at least one of the fund’s priorities around community connection, early support, or improving places and spaces. Applications close on 26 May 2026 at 5pm. Decisions are expected in late August 2026.
CEMVO will deliver a series of online application‑support workshops on the following dates:
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