Criteria
The CalMac Community Fund will help people connect with services and each other, and especially helping those who are most in need. In particular, The Fund would like to support groups and projects working to tackle the following key themes:
Reducing social isolation
Improving health and wellbeing
Addressing issues related to poverty, especially in relation to the cost of living crisis.
Local and community transport.
Priority will be given to applicant groups who are smaller in size with an annual income under £250,000. If your annual turnover exceeds £250,000 please engage with Foundation Scotland prior to applying.
The Fund would also like to see applications from groups who are volunteer led, projects which are showing connection and collaboration with other groups in their area, and projects which are seeking to better engage with volunteers, although these are not mandatory criteria.
The Fund will consider application for a broad range of costs, including direct project costs and core costs for groups whose main work meets the criteria for the fund. However, the programme cannot fund contributions towards large capital projects, and we are unable to make awards which will be used to make hardship payments to individuals or be re-granted to individuals or other groups.
| Who can apply? | What cannot be supported? |
|---|---|
Registered charities Constituted voluntary and community organisations Community companies e.g. companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies or Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations' Community Interest Companies are eligible to apply if they meet the Fund's minimum governance standards. | Applications from individuals or private businesses Applications to advance a campaign or a religious or political cause. The promotion of religious beliefs. Activities that are understood to be a statutory responsibility and/or seek to replace statutory sources of funding. Pre-existing costs that your organisation already incurred as a result of its day to day activities. Applications that are requesting less than 25% of the total project costs. |
Examples of what the fund is looking to support include:
Groups or activities whose work enables people to connect, reducing social isolation. For example, projects which provide transport or space for people to come together, or projects such as youth or elderly outreach projects, befriending services, family support groups, key community clubs and important community events.
Groups or activities whose work will actively seek to address pressing local issues such as poverty, poor health, or lack of access to services. For example, counselling services, active or creative projects which help people improve mental health, and health and lifestyle projects may be considered, as well as programmes addressing the impact and causes of local deprivation.
Improvements to well-used community spaces to provide space for people to come together or supporting vital services. For example, support for community halls or similar to re-open or stay open to enable community groups to deliver their activity in the space, or community gardens or orchards to support outdoor community activity.
Groups working to train or upskill individuals and volunteers to enhance local delivery and support, enabling the delivery of vital local services, especially where there are shortfalls or gaps in provision.