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The Scottish Connections Fund offers funding to organisations to set up new projects to promote Scotland’s reputation and interests. It is open to individuals and organisations who consider themselves to have a Scottish connection.You must also be able to demonstrate that your project:- has a clear link to at least one commitment in the Scottish Connections Framework- bring together or contribute to interests across sectors of activity (live/work, study, visit, do business, culture) - those multiple links will attract additional weighting during the scoring process- will increase vibrancy, visibility or connectivity between Scottish diaspora communities outside Scotland, or with Scotland itself- has a credible communications plan that promotes Scotland’s reputation as a place to live, work, visit, study, and do business- promotes inclusion and diversity, for example working in historically marginalised communities and groups, such as with minority ethnic Scots and LGBTQ communities, or encouraging participation of women and young people- is co-funded, where possibleYou can use funding to pay for things directly related to the project, for example:- venue rental- IT hardware and software- learning materials- equipment and implementation costs- travel and accommodation costs where justifiableProjects must be completed by the end of March 2026.

This is a new fund, initiated by the Scottish Government and delivered by Creative Scotland.It supports non-profit cultural festivals in Scotland with funding to enable innovation in programming and/or to showcase Scottish and Scotland-based artists and practitioners.It aims to support festivals in expanding their international and domestic reach and profile, and/or create opportunities for skills or sector development. There are three funding strands: International Opportunities and Showcasing Innovative Programming Sector and Talent Development To be eligible, your festival must: Be based in Scotland Run annually or biennially Showcase work by professional Scottish and Scotland-based artists of both national and international significance You can apply for between £50,000 and £200,000, for programmes of activity between 1 May 2026 and 31 December 2027. Your project must start no earlier than 1 May 2026 and finish by 31 December 2027. 

The Independent Advocacy Social Care Fund is open for new collective, peer or citizen independent advocacy projects. The projects must support people – or their unpaid carers – accessing, or needing to access, social care services. They must focus on making sure advocacy partners’ voices are heard within the local social care system.The fund is open to eligible third sector organisations within the Scottish independent advocacy sector. Your organisation must also currently work in the independent advocacy sector in Scotland (see background section for the definition of independent advocacy used for this fund)In addition, you must be able to demonstrate that your project:- will use collective, peer or citizen independent advocacy to support people in Scotland who access, or need to access social care services, or their unpaid carers- will focus on those who are not entitled to independent advocacy support through other statutory provision such as (but not limited to) that provided in relation to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Scotland Act 2003 or the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards (the MAT Standards) is new and is not part of a wider project funded from elsewhere (this does not exclude projects that link to, but are separate from, existing projects)- will be completed by 31 March 2027, and within budget (maximum £50,000)Successful projects must also commit to attending a consultative session on monitoring and evaluation ahead of the start of project funding, if you are successful. This will support the creation of a suitable monitoring and evaluation framework for the fund.

The fund aims to support community groups and organisations that are encouraging and facilitating greater use of woods by people to derive health, well-being and community benefits.Eligible activities include include activities associated with woodland-based:- school care clubs and play schemes- schemes that promote physical activity such as walking, safe routes to school, natural play and adventure play- volunteer group establishment and the induction of volunteers- volunteering facilitation focused on skills training, health improvement and community development- projects promoting GaelicThe fund can support activities such as:- providing resources to involve communities in the decision making process of managing their local woodland- costs incurred by community bodies (such as valuation costs) when developing Community Asset Transfer Scheme applications – funding will not normally cover legal fees- developing materials (in appropriate languages e.g. English, Scots, Gaelic, Polish, Urdu etc.) that promote the health and well-being benefits of using woodlands