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 Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG.
SCVO response to Scottish Spending Review and Scottish Budget 2026/27
Responding to the Scottish Budget and Scottish Spending Review, Anna Fowlie, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Chief Executive, said:
“Too often and for too long, voluntary organisations that provide vital services to people and communities across Scotland are treated as the poor relation to mainstream public services. They have had to contend with budget cuts, short-term funding cycles, late payments, incoherent decision-making, poor communication, inadequate grant management, and more.
"Reform of the voluntary sector funding landscape is long overdue. The Scottish Spending Review is welcome, giving the Government the long-term outlook to make progress on its commitment to deliver improvements, including multi-year funding for Scotland’s voluntary organisations.
"Welcome too is the Scottish Government’s commitment to multi-year funding for sections of the voluntary sector—this shows, again, what is possible.
"Today we had hoped for more than a recommitment to the ‘first step’ announced last February—the Scottish Government's ‘Fairer Funding’ pilot.
"We know the benefits of multi-year funding: better staffing, stability, and future planning for the services people and communities rely on. The Government’s own research confirms this.
“Multi-year funding alone, however, will not provide the sustainable funding environment the voluntary sector so desperately needs, funding that is flexible, sustainable, and accessible.
"We need to see real progress and recognition of SCVO’s Fair Funding asks beyond multi-year funding. Wider reforms are, unfortunately, now unlikely to be seen before the next parliamentary term.
“In the meantime it is essential that in the weeks following the Scottish Budget the Scottish Government support local authorities and voluntary organisations by meeting their commitments to timely notifications and payments.
“We look forward to further engagement on both Fair Funding and charity regulation in the next parliamentary term.”
ENDS
Notes:
The "Fairer Funding" pilot, when announced in February 2025, was referred to as “the first step in mainstreaming multi-year funding agreements more widely across the third sector." https://www.gov.scot/news/fairer-funding-for-charities/
A Scottish Government survey of voluntary sector beneficiaries of the Fairer Funding", which includes two-year funding, 86% respondents reported that it had "made a positive difference to staffing, stability and future planning." https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2025/11/fairer-funding-pilot-feed-back-survey-research-findings/documents/fairer-funding-pilot-feedback-survey-research-findings/fairer-funding-pilot-feedback-survey-research-findings/govscot%3Adocument/fairer-funding-pilot-feedback-survey-research-findings.pdf
SCVO's "Fair Funding" principles, which have been developed in partnership with Scotland's voluntary sector, are available here: https://scvo.scot/policy/fair-funding-procurement/fair-funding
SCVO Briefing: Scottish Government Spending Review: https://scvo.scot/p/102130/2025/12/03/scvo-briefing-scottish-government-spending-review
