Funding available to help people get online

SCVO media release 21 August 2015 The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is inviting community groups to apply for funding to help get people online. The Digital Participation Challenge Fund will allocate £325k to community projects across Scotland to help people improve their digital skills. Groups should apply online for awards ranging from £100 - £10k by 4 September. Chris Yiu, Director of Digital Participation at SCVO, said: "Our fund is already helping 58 projects deliver basic digital skills for communities across Scotland. We're hugely excited to be able to offer support to even more projects, which will take us closer to ensuring everyone can get the most out of the online world." Brendan Dick, Director of BT Scotland, which contributed £25k to the fund, said: “Digital inclusion is a top priority for BT Scotland. Our rollout of high speed broadband services is reaching hundreds of thousands of Scottish homes and everyone should have the chance to gain the skills and confidence needed to take advantage. “Employers will increasingly look for computer literacy alongside the ‘three Rs’ when recruiting. We’re particularly pleased that our new partnership with SCVO will open up new opportunities for people who face significant challenges in mastering the internet.” The Challenge Fund is open to groups and organisations from all sectors, with the next round of awards particularly focused on supporting groups working with older and disabled people, ethnic minority groups, or people in economically deprived or remote and rural areas. Applicants must operate in Scotland, with awarded funds being spent entirely in Scotland. ENDS

1. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership body representing the interests of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Scottish third sector turns over £4.9 billion a year and employs 138,000 people in over 45,000 organisations. For more on SCVO see www.scvo.scot
2. Find out more about the Digital Challenge Fund
3. For interview or further comment, please call Charlotte McNeill at SCVO on 07790 601 995 or the BT Scotland press office on 0800 085 0660.