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.
Finding a grant
Grant funding can come from various sources, including trusts and foundations, lottery sources, statutory agencies, or community benefit schemes. Often these are larger one-off amounts that groups can use to fund specific project work or equipment costs.
Unlike fundraising income from donations from individuals, grant funding usually has restrictions attached to it related to what you can spend it on. There are also monitoring and reporting requirements that come with grant funding.
Where can I find grant funding?
Whether you’re just getting started or doing ongoing research for new funders, there are many ways to identify potential grant funding opportunities.
| Funding Scotland | Funding Scotland is a free online database that you can use to search for funding. |
| Third Sector Interface (TSI) | Your local TSI is a great source of knowledge and supports organisations in their area. Find out who your nearest TSI is on the TSI Scotland Network. |
| Similar organisations | Look at organisations similar to your own and see who has supported them. You can often find this information on the organisation's website or social media channels, or in their accounts. |
| Funder annual accounts and annual reports | You can use these to see what types of organisations they have previously funded. Accounts are published online on OSCR or the Charity Commission. Some funders also publish their grants on 360Giving. |
| Funder website | Many funders have case studies and examples of previous grants on their website. This can help give you an idea of the types of projects they like to fund. |
| Intermediaries | Intermediaries are voluntary sector organisations whose members are primarily other voluntary sector organisations that share a common interest or purpose. You can find details of intermediaries by using our interactive directory to search by activity area. |
Funding Scotland
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 opportunities including trust funding, lottery, statutory funds and more.
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As part of our membership package, SCVO members and supporters have access to exclusive features through Funding Scotland Premium.
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Sign in to My SCVOWhat should I be looking for?
Whilst searching for funding, you should check to make sure you are the right fit for that fund. A few things to think about are:
Is your organisation eligible to apply?
Most funders will set eligibility criteria, for example you must be a constituted organisation with income under a certain amount. Do not apply if you don’t meet these criteria. If possible, phone the funder and ask about your eligibility. Some also run information sessions which are very useful for getting advice, checking your eligibility, and starting to build a relationship with the funder.
What are the funder’s priorities?
Does your project closely align with the criteria set out by the funder? Only apply for funding that matches your project - don't chase funding as this will waste your and the funder's time.
Do they have any deadlines?
It can sometimes take months to get a decision on your application so you should check the details to make sure that the funding will be available in time for your project to start.
How do I prioritise?
When you're short on time and have lots of funds to research, how do you prioritise which funds to focus on? We've created a simple flowchart to help you work out which ones to focus your time on.
Funding Scotland
SCVO's Funding Scotland service gives you access to up to date, high-quality information on funding opportunities. It is free for any voluntary organisation working in Scotland with exclusive features for SCVO members.