The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
Funding blog
Ben Cairns (co-founder and director of IVAR) and Chris Mills (Research Associate at IVAR) explore what strategic charity reserves management means and its benefits, in their latest blog for Small Charity Week 2023. 'We’re a small charity with a small turnover. We know we’re... Read more
Guidance on effective grant management relationships between Scottish Government and third sector grantholders. Read more
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has warned that third sector groups have been let down by today’s Spending Review. Read more
We have recently launched a major upgrade to our Funding Scotland service. Funding Scotland gives access to up to date, high-quality information on funding opportunities for voluntary organisations. It is free to any organisation in Scotland and lets you search over 1,000 funding... Read more
Is it just me, or does it feel like we’ve all been sprinting a marathon? There’s no question that organisations have responded rapidly and creatively to the coronavirus pandemic. An incredible amount of work has taken place across the country to ensure lifeline services have... Read more
Three new funds announced today will support people across Scotland to gain essential digital skills and internet access. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has been working with Scottish Government, BT, Cellnex and Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation to... Read more
It will come as no surprise that funding has been at the top of the agenda over the last few months. Since the beginning of lockdown, visits to SCVO’s online funding search, Funding Scotland, have increased by 50% from the same period last year and funding continues to be the top... Read more
As lockdown restrictions begin to ease many organisations will be looking forward to restarting fundraising activities. From street fundraising to bake sales, the relaxing of lockdown rules offers opportunities for charities to bring in much needed funds and reconnect with donors... Read more
Evaluation Support Scotland have just published Principles for Positive Partnership; guidance on relationships between Scottish Government grant makers and third sector grantholders. They were developed by a facilitated working group that brought together expert representatives... Read more
Since SCVO first opened the Community Capacity & Resilience Fund (CCRF) in 2015 voluntary organisations the length and breadth of Scotland have benefitted from grants of between £1k and £10k to support them to try new activities and new ways of working that help people deal with... Read more
For those of a certain age you will be now singing this 1979 hit by Squeeze. For others you’ll be wondering what on earth CATS have to do with the voluntary sector? Let me explain… On 1 April 2018, carers in Scotland were given new rights under the Carers (Scotland) Act in a... Read more
Funding Scotland has a new look and is stuffed full of new features. Since we launched the online funding search back in 2014, we've listened to our users and been constantly evolving and improving. We are now offering a great range of new features Our new version uses the latest... Read more
Cyber Essentials is like an MOT test for your car – it confirms that your IT systems have passed a key set of standards. If you can show that your organisation is meeting the security standards in Cyber Essentials, you can be confident that you have some protection against the... Read more
Back in March, in his blog ‘Money, Money, Money', John Downie kicked off our collaboration with the sector and funders to develop funding principles, approaches and models fit for purpose for the climate we’re in the midst of. The climate of doing more with less, finding new... Read more
Funding is a third sector obsession – sourcing it, the length of time you get it for, the model being used and the inevitable inputs and outputs as a result. What the funding is actually going to do is often lost in the detail of the ‘how’, but in reality it’s about the ‘what... Read more
Round 4 Strand 3 New This document records the agreement between the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and (insert organisation name) who has been awarded a Community Capacity & Resilience grant of (£ inset amount) to deliver their project - (insert project name... Read more
Small grants can create a big impact. How small I hear you ask? Since 2015, grants of between £1k and £10k have been available to third sector organisation across Scotland to help them mitigate the impact of welfare reform, poverty and social inequality and the work they have... Read more
Community Capacity & Resilience Fund We are pleased to announce that with continued investment from the Scottish Government, Round 4 of the Community Capacity & Resilience Fund (CCRF) is now accepting applications. In this round of the Community Capacity and Resilience fund we... Read more
These guidance notes will help you to complete the fund application form and provide key information about the fund requirements Introduction In this 4th round of the Community Capacity and Resilience fund we are looking to support a broad range of projects and activities that... Read more
My role at SCVO is to manage the Community Capacity and Resilience Fund (CCRF), from the application process and payments, to the ongoing support for participating organisations. I recently attended an event involving various organisations currently benefiting from the fund... Read more
Successful applications to the Community Capacity & Resilience Fund phase two We're pleased to announce that 68 organisations across Scotland will be supported to deliver services and projects that help mitigate the effects of welfare reform, combat inequality, promote social... Read more
Popular funding search boosted by improvements Read more
A round-up of funding fun and insights Read more
Introducing our new step-by-step guide to fundraising Read more
Expert advice on how to increase your chances of success Read more
From charities for children to community swimming pools, the service has opened many opportunities Read more
Looking back on a hugely successful year. Read more
There was a great debate over dinner in the Wane house last night. My sister Charlotte has been nominated for the #IceBucketChallenge by a friend. Now, while Charlotte may be one of those annoying people who is always warm (regardless of the weather) she’s not too keen on being... Read more
The future of European structural funds has reached a critical stage and I want to draw your attention to the latest update and consultation from the Scottish Government. Read more
Let’s make the high-level arguments by using the tools at our disposal in a way we haven’t ever done before. Read more
All across Europe those of us who are immersed in the future of European funding are buzzing about from one event to the next, desperately trying to get our heads around what is happening, how we get involved and who to talk to. For most people all they really want to know is... Read more