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 2025/26 Programme for Government
Responding to Tuesday’s Programme for Government, Anna Fowlie, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations' (SCVO) Chief Executive, said:
“Today’s Programme for Government (PfG) restates the Scottish Government’s commitment to Fairer Funding for the voluntary sector, which SCVO and colleagues across the voluntary sector will welcome.
“While not a new announcement, the Fairer Funding pilot – which commits £120 million over two years to voluntary sector projects focusing on essential services and eradicating child poverty - is a step in the right direction.
“Today’s announcement that this will include an interim evaluation by May 2026 to inform future approaches is also a welcome and essential commitment, as is the recognition of the sector’s role in Public Service Reform, and we look forward to the publication of the Public Service Reform strategy in June 2025.
“The Fairer Funding pilot is, however, a very small part of the government’s overall £1 billion investment in the voluntary sector and multi-year funding alone is not Fair Funding. This will not be sufficient to deliver the fair, flexible, sustainable and accessible funding landscape that voluntary organisations, our public services, people, and communities need and deserve.
“To achieve Fairer Funding by 2026, and to make good on the PfG’s rhetoric that this government recognises ‘the importance of a thriving Third Sector in Scotland’, the Scottish Government must go further.
“Further clarity is needed in the upcoming Medium-Term Financial Strategy to recognise, resource, and support the voluntary sector - including a longer-term commitment to multi-year funding, the full costs of employing staff, and action on fiscal transparency.”
