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Young people across the Scottish Borders are full of inspiring ideas to help tackle the climate crisis and promote community climate action– and SBCAN is here to help bring those ideas to life. They're inviting youth groups, schools, clubs and voluntary groups to apply for grants to run a project that makes a difference in your community. This fund will support projects or activities that include: - Community Action which benefits our planet- Developing Sustainable practices- Encouraging Climate Resilience and Adaptations- Learning new skills and discovering natureThey are particularly keen to support projects which show:- Youth-led projects where young people are involved in taking ownership and deciding what they want;- Collaborative working between groups;- Inter-generational working;- Groups that promote inclusive activity with under-represented groups;- Projects which support the young people to achieve recognition for their achievements- for example Dynamic Youth Award Climate Action Challenge/ John Muir Award/ Saltire Awards- A long-term vision for Climate Action within your school/ group.

The fund aims to support projects that make a difference to life in, and seek improvement in, the local community. They are keen to support community and voluntary organisations that are charitable, educational, philanthropic or benevolent in purpose. You do not have to be a registered charity to apply for funding but you do have to be able to demonstrate real community impetus and benefits.Projects should benefit people living in Arbuthnott; Benholm and Johnshaven; Gourdon; Inverbervie; Mearns; St Cyrus.Please check the fund guidelines to check eligibility before applying.

The Community Buildings Fund, part of the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), provides grants to help community organisations reduce their building’s energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It does this by funding the installation of renewable technologies like heat pumps, battery storage, and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, as well as some energy efficiency measures.Grants up to £80,000 for 80% of eligible costs are available to eligible community groups to help you reduce energy costs and make your building more sustainable. The funding can be used towards the cost of installing renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. It can also be used for costs like building warrants, planning permission and grid connection applications which are essential to install some measures. What improvements will CARES fund?**1. Heating requirement**CARES funding is prioritised to buildings that have or will decarbonise their heating. Your building must have:- A heat pump (air source, ground source or water source).- A connection to a heat network.- Direct electric heating (including storage heating or electric boilers) biomass heating.Or as part of your CARES project you will be installing:- A heat pump; or- A connection to a heat network.**2. Core measures eligible for CARES funding.**You must install at least one core CARES measures:- A heat pump (air source, ground source or water source).- A connection to heat network.- Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.- Solar water heating.**3. Add-on measures**In addition to installing a core measure(s), you can also apply for funding to install one or more of the following:- Energy storage – heat/thermal or electrical.Insulation – any loft, underfloor or cavity wall insulation.- Secondary glazing.- Draught proofing.- Appropriate energy saving controls that are linked to new installations to ensure they operate efficiently.Eligible community buildings include, but are not limited to:- Village halls.- Community centres.- Community hubs.- Sports facilities.- Faith buildings.The building must be used by the local community or charitable organisation.

Funded by the Scottish Government and Foundation Scotland, this fifth round of grants from the Forth Valley Climate Action Hub will enable more groups to engage in climate action for the first time; and will support communities already delivering climate action to achieve even more. Alongside grant funding, members will continue to benefit from climate hub support, including a packed programme of talks, workshops and events. Members can also engage with FEL's climate leadership programme and growing peer network. The aim of this grant is to help communities test and develop practical responses to local impacts of climate change. This could include projects such as rainwater capture systems, natural flood management solutions, community resilience planning, local weather monitoring, and other small-scale adaptation activities. They are keen to hear your project ideas and how they contribute to climate adaptation. Example projects include:- Nature based solutions to flooding including planting to slow water flow - Community flood resilience including flood warden programmes - Climate-resilient food growing including with composting or water-efficient irrigation- Community preparedness plans or place plans focus on community climate resilience- Rainwater harvesting including permeable surfaces or community rain gardens- Tree planting for shade and cooling or combined with seating- Ecosystem resilience including wildflower meadows and native planting.Applications not previously funded by the Climate Action Hub will be prioritised.

The Council has a number of settlement trusts which support projects under a wide range of categories including education, arts, local communities and the environment.Check the website for a full list of trusts and for contact details for each.You can apply for funding from a Settlement Trust if it falls under the following categories:- Prevention of Poverty- Advancement of Education- Advancement of Religion- Saving of Lives-Advancement of Citizenship- Advancement of Arts- Advancement of Public Participation in Sport- Provision of Recreational Facilities- Advancement of Human Rights- Promotion of religious or racial harmony- Promotion of Equality- Advancement of Environmental Protection- Relief of Those In Need- Advancement of Animal Welfare- Analogous Purposes- Advancement of Health

Partnership Fund is open to applications from third-sector organisations delivering strategic outcomes with national impact for Scotland’s historic environment or the Scottish historic environment sector.You must have a track-record of making a significant contribution to HES Grants Priorities and address a clear and demonstrable need or opportunity for Scotland’s historic environment sector which is not being met by other organisations.Examples of possible eligible activities include:- Professional or volunteer training programmes addressing recognised historic environment skills gaps at a national level- Developmental, advocacy or capacity-building activities enabling the sector to achieve strategic outcomes in line with national priorities- Outreach activities or learning programmes delivering high-impact outcomes for audiences across ScotlandPartnership Fund grants can only cover direct activity costs and an appropriate level of indirect costs (full cost recovery) associated with the funded activities.

The Oak Trust is a small charity, making grants to registered UK charities supporting disadvantaged people, and medical and environmental charities.They support registered UK charities, working in areas of the world where the needs from deprivation, natural disaster or conflict are beyond what the national government can provide. If the charity only works locally, the Trust will give preference to charities working in East Anglia.There are no specific criteria, but consideration is given, among other things, to:- People who are disadvantaged (in the widest sense)- Personal development through adventure- The environment- Whether the charity will be able to bring life-changing benefits to its clients- Whether a small grant will really make a difference to the charity- How challenging the raising of the money for the particular cause will be- The number of people assisted per £ spent- The viability of the charity and where the rest of the money will come from- How much the charity spends on fund-raising and administration- Whether the charity works locally, nationally or internationally

The Digital Specialist Advice Grant offers organisations based in the Highlands and Islands area towards the costs of obtaining digital specialist advice. Introducing digital technologies into your business has many advantages, including cutting costs, speeding up processes, improving customer insights, creating the ability to make faster business decisions and increase revenue. This funding is available to cover the costs of one-to-one consultancy on digital technologies leading to an action plan or a feasibility study for your business.Digital technologies may include:- robots/robotics/cobotics- sensor technologies- Internet of Things- data innovation- artificial intelligence- cyber security/risks- software development- augmented reality/virtual reality/3D visualisations- additive manufacturing and laser machining- cyber security solutionsProjects that have an element of ‘deep tech’ will also be considered (e.g. blockchain, photonics, aerospace and space technologies, electronics, cyber threat intelligence, fusion power and quantum computing).This funding can be used for projects focused on the adoption of advanced digital technologies including artificial intelligence or robotics.The funding is for consultancy costs to develop a feasibility study or action plan for digital technologies leading to, for example, increased productivity, impact on jobs, skills or workforce development, efficiency gains, reducing energy costs, or carbon reduction.The consultancy can include:- market research / testing, opportunity analysis and market assessments- energy efficiency feasibility study associated with application of a digital technologies- project feasibility, identify and appraise options and preparing a business case for investment- feasibility and impact analysis of new workplace practices and organisational structures and approaches to learning and development to reduce costs or improve resource utilisation- research supporting emerging digital technologies e.g. Industry 4.0 related, within the business- specialists to fill a skills gap relating to adoption of digital technologies