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The Royal Countryside Fund provides grants for projects from across the UK which are working to create resilient rural communities. This fund will support community-led projects that are pursuing innovative and strategic solutions to the challenges facing their rural area and improving the long-term viability and resilience of their community. Successful applicants will deliver projects along the themes of:- Keeping young people in the countryside- Powering up rural communities- Increasing environmental sustainability- Building emergency resilience in rural areasSuccessful projects will demonstrate how they are addressing one of more of the following objectives:- Working towards a long-term vision- Facilitating connectedness and collaboration - Demonstrating innovationThe fund has paused the current grant programme and won’t be accepting applications in the coming months. They are planning to launch a new, reshaped grant programme in the autumn.The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) provides grants for projects across the UK which are working to create resilient rural communities. The fund supports community-led projects that are pursuing innovative and strategic solutions to the challenges facing their rural area and improving the long-term viability and resilience of their community. To stay informed, sign up to the RCF newsletter on their [website](https://www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/rural-champion-award/) or follow on social media: [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/countrysidefund/); Instagram; [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/theroyalcountrysidefund/).

The Foundation supports a broad range of organisations and activities that share a commitment to making a positive impact to the lives of the communities in which they work, and that are driven by a desire to achieve excellence. They make grants across the UK to organisations in the following categories: - Arts- Community- Education- Environment- Faith- Health- Museums and Heritage- Welfare- Youth

Carrick Futures is a community company, funded by ScottishPower Renewables community benefit funds from the Arecleoch and Mark Hill Windfarms in South Ayrshire. The fund primarily supports projects located within or directly benefiting one or more of the six community council areas of Ballantrae, Colmonell & Lendalfoot, Barr, Barrhill, Pinmore & Pinwherry and Girvan & District. The Board has agreed six strategic priorities, which it will use to prioritise proposed projects. These are:- Improve access to public services, education and recreation- Tackle inequality, including poverty and disadvantage- Support good health and wellbeing- Provide support and/or opportunities for children and young people- Support the sustainable development of community led assets- Foster climate smart approaches that protect and promote our environmentThese priorities are underpinned by a community wealth building approach which provides a proportionate response to local priorities in relation to jobs, business and the local economy.Awards can support a wide range of costs and activities including equipment, running costs for local groups, staff or sessional worker costs, consultations, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities and capital costs to purchase or develop community assets.

The Community Intervention Fund is a capital grant scheme that aims to support community groups/organisations throughout East Lothian with a grant towards the cost of a capital project. They want to give capital grants to projects that continue to support the delivery of the Council Plan which aims to:- Grow our Economy- Grow our People- Grow our Communities- Grow our CapacityEligible expenditure must meet the definition of qualifying capital expenditure, and be demonstrated to enhance the asset value. Examples of eligible capital expenditure include:- improving the fabric of a building- improving access to a building- extensions to a building- removing hazardous materials as part of a set of works- structural repairs- putting in fixed items of equipment (e.g. floodlights)- carrying out improvements to a public space.

The Blacklaw Windfarm Community Benefit Fund is open to communities living closest to the windfarm development through a community and environmental grants scheme. The Fund provides funding through three different grant schemes: a community grant scheme, a small grants programme and main grants scheme.Community grants aims are:- Provide or improve a public green space- Encourage positive use in public green spaces- Remove litter and waste from public green spaces- Provide or improve biodiversity in public spaces- Encourage environmental education and engagementSmall grants aims are:- Provide or improve a park or other public amenity for leisure or recreational purposes- Conserve biodiversity at a specific site- Maintain, repair or restore a place of worship or building of historical or architectural significance- Improve energy efficiency- Reduce fuel povertyMain grants aims are:- Remediate contaminated land or water- Reduce or mitigate the effects of pollution- Provide or improve a park or other public amenity for leisure or recreational purposes- Conserve biodiversity at a specific site- Maintain, repair or restore a place of worship or building of historical or architectural significance

The purpose of the Trust is to hold and distribute funds for charitable purposes as set out in the Trusts governing. These include: - the prevention or relief of poverty- the advancement of education- the advancement of religion- the advancement of health- the saving of lives- the advancement of citizenship or community development- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science- the provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement- the relief of those in need by reason of age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage- the advancement of animal welfare.Previous grantees have included Aberlour Child Care Trust, Chest Heart and Stroke (Scotland), Fife Young Carers, Pitlochry Theatre, and RNLI (Anstruther).

Community-focused or charitable activities which:- Sustains and develops the local community- Represents value for money – evidence that the project has a high impact for the amount of grant- Shows community involvement – evidence that the community is engaged in the development and implementation of the project - Is financially viable – evidence that the project will be maintained beyond the period of grant funding (if applicable)Grant requests to support a wide range of costs and activities will be considered, for example equipment costs, consultations, maintenance, or refurbishment of community facilities etc.All 18 community councils are allocated funds from the Viking Community Fund on a share basis. The areas hosting the wind turbines are allocated 5 shares and all others are allocated a single share:The five-share areas are Delting, Nesting and Lunnasting, Sandsting and Aithsting and Tingwall, Whiteness and Weisdale. Single share areas are Bressay, Burra and Trondra, Dunrossness, Fetlar, Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh, Lerwick, Northmaven, Sandness and Walls, Sandwick, Scalloway, Skerries, Unst, Whalsay and Yell.Applicants applying to a specific community council area should complete a Tier 1 or Tier 2 application.For applicants whose projects cover more than three community council areas, complete a Tier 3 application.

The priorities for the Dumfries and Galloway CLLD grant funding for 2026-27 are:- Supporting community facilities and eligible organisations to contribute to the achievement of net zero.- Sustaining, improving and adding initiatives in rural communities that are most isolated, most disconnected, most in need of investment or most likely to experience inequalities.- Helping communities to address the cost-of-living crisis and eradicate poverty for individuals and families.- Enabling communities to carry out research, community needs assessments and feasibility studies as part of local place plan development.Organisations can make one application per project and there is no limit to the number of applications they can make. Applications can be made for 100% of the eligible project costs.Projects must take place between August 2026 and March 2027.