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The National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations aims to support organisations who seek funding to undertake creative activity such as a specific project or production, a programme of creative work, or a period of research and development. The fund can also support business change and development projects, such as those that make the organisation more financially sustainable or focus on broader organisational development.The fund is intended to support creative activity such as a specific project or production, a programme of creative work, or a period of research and development. Examples of the types of activity that can be supported are:- Development, curation, production, presentation of new work- Networking and collaborative opportunities- Research and development - Organisational development activity, where the activity is likely to contribute to greater organisational sustainability, public engagement, environmental sustainability or the development of knowledge/skills within the organisation- Professional development (training, mentoring, skills development)- Activity that supports artists and addresses inequalities- Audience development- Widening participation and engagement in creative activity.For full details, see the Fund guidelines available on the Creative Scotland website.

This option has two distinct aims.1) Provides support for new access infrastructure that will bring small scale, undermanaged woodlands or inaccessible woodlands back into active management with the following aims: - to improve the economic value of forest and woodland through timber production- to increase the area of woodland in Scotland that is in sustainable management - to improve the environmental and social benefits of woodland.2) To provide support for new access infrastructure to new woodlands as part of the Sheep and Trees initiative. This initiative is aimed at raising awareness of the many opportunities woodland can bring to land managers.

Funded by The Scottish Government, The Nature Restoration Fund encourages applicants with projects that restore wildlife and habitats on land and sea and address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. The primary focus of this fund is to increase the biodiversity value of land and sea with a focus on nature-based solutions to address the impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change.The Fund will support a mix of urban and rural-focused projects, such as improving greenspace for outdoor learning, green active travel routes, planting of wildlife corridors and natural flood management.Funding is available to Helping Nature and Transforming Nature Delivery projects for single or multi-year projects. Transforming Nature Development projects should be for no longer than 12 months. The Nature Restoration Fund is largely a capital fund designed to deliver change on the ground.Project activities must be completed by 31 March 2028.

Funding for youth-led projects that work with young people experiencing inequality to engage with them on the climate emergency. Eligible costs include:- Work that is currently underway and will continue into the grant funding period- Running costs, including overheads and energy costs.- Staff costs.- Equipment necessary to deliver the work you’re requesting support for.- Training costs for staff, volunteers and children and young people.- Venue hire.- Travel costs.- Other costs associated with removing barriers to access for children and young people.- Volunteer expenses.- Budget for young people-led project development.- Small scale capital costs.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund (CMHWF) for Adults was established in October 2021 and to date, it has distributed grants to community initiatives supporting mental health and wellbeing across Scotland. Local TSIs have their own version of this fund.The priorities are:- 1. Tackle mental health inequalities through supporting a range of ‘at risk’ groups.- 2. Address priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention, poverty and inequality with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost-of-living crisis and support to those facing socio-economic disadvantage.  - 3. Support small ‘grass roots’ community groups and organisations to deliver such activities.  - 4. Provide opportunities for people to connect with each other, build trusted relationships and revitalise communities. New for this year is a particular focus on supporting the following six priority family groups identified under Best Start Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 to 2026: Lone Parents; Disabled; 3+ Children; Minority Ethnic; Youngest Child Aged <1; Mothers Aged <25.

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances, and is delivered by Family Fund Business Services. The programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing.Eligible organisations can apply for a grant on behalf of the children they support. When applying on behalf of a child or young person, referrers must ensure that all possible statutory funding has been explored and exhausted before making an application to the Emergency Essentials Programme.The programme awards grants for critical household items, typically:- Cookers- Fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers- Washing machines and tumble dryers- Children’s beds and bedding- Kitchen equipment and small appliances- Furniture- Clothing- Baby equipment

The Strengthening Justice Fund aims to connect organisations using and shaping the law more closely with communities facing injustice and to create the space for these organisations to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges. You're likely a good fit if you:- are actively using the law to build power in communities- are challenging and reshaping the law and policy to promote social justice- are collaborating with sector partners in your influencing and campaigning workThey want to partner with organisations that are using the law creatively and collaboratively as part of a wider movement for justice. This could include a wide range of approaches, for example, using evidence from a Freedom of Information request to drive your policy, research or campaigning or using the public sector equality duty to challenge discrimination.The grants can be used to fund any costs including, but not limited to:- staff time (new or existing)- volunteer expenses- legal fees or consultancy- court expenses- event costs including participation expenses, venue hire and catering- governance costs- overheads

‘Ask and Act’ are new duties proposed in the Housing (Scotland) Bill that requires public bodies to ask about a person’s housing situation early—and take action to prevent homelessness before it happens. The Scottish Government’s Homelessness Prevention Pilot Fund (up to £4 million) supports a range of bodies including, local authorities, Health Boards, the police service, registered social landlords, prisons, along with 3rd Sector Organisations experienced in preventing homelessness. The pilots will develop, test, scale and cost the new prevention duties in real-world settings. The fund is being administered by Advice Direct Scotland. It is designed to help public bodies, alongside third sector organisations experienced in preventing homelessness, prepare for and test the practical application of the new prevention duties with a particular focus on how ‘Ask and Act’ can be effectively embedded in day-to-day practice. It will also help relevant bodies and others to scope out the groups most at risk of homelessness, identify resource requirements, and best practice approaches.Examples of the types of approaches the fund will support are:- Early intervention and targeted prevention activity.- Multi-agency approaches to support people navigating housing, healthand social care services.- Partnership models and processes that can be replicated and scaled.- Collaborations involving shared resources, data and transitional orreferred services.- Initiatives that centre people at risk of homelessness and/or people with direct experience of homelessness in the design and delivery of theservice.- Initiatives that target groups at risk of homelessness and critical points- in service pathways that have been identified as leading tohomelessness.

This fund supports community engagement activities that help shape Scotland's policies and strategies on:- infection prevention and control (IPC)- antimicrobial resistance (AMR).Successful organisations will recruit and host a community voice and engagement co-ordinator. The co-ordinator will work with communities to gather and share insights that support national health strategies, campaigns and action plans.A particular focus will be on engaging people and groups whose views are not often represented in policy development.You can use funding for: - staff costs- project delivery costs- reasonable participant incentives- equipment costs that support project deliveryProjects should start in August 2026, with all funding spent by March 2027.

Rosa’s Rise Fund provides organisational development funding for Black and racially minoritised-led women’s and girls’ organisations across the UK. The funding is for organisational development work relating to areas such as strategy, governance, leadership, alliances and partnerships, funding, demonstrating impact and systems and processes. Rise Fund aims to achieve the following outcomes: - Women and girls will be supported by women’s and girls’ organisations led by and for Black and racially minoritised women, ensuring women and girls can be safe, healthy and equal. - Women’s and girls’ organisations will be empowered and strengthened, meaning that they will be in a stronger position to survive, thrive and grow into the future. Organisations will be able to report one or more of these changes: - A clearer strategy - More effective governance - More effective leadership - Stronger alliances with other women’s organisations - More financial sustainability - More able to attract funding from other sources - More able to demonstrate the impact of your work - More effective systems and processes