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The Oak Trust is a small charity making grants to registered UK charities supporting disadvantaged people, as well as 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. They only accept applications from charities based in East Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex).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

Funding is intended to help to bring woodlands into management; promote the economic and sustainable production of timber and timber products; add value and jobs to local economies; and provide support to facilitate and enable diversification.It supports investments in three main areas:1. new specialised equipment which will increase the local small-scale harvesting and processing capacity2. new specialised equipment for forest tree nurseries, including tree seed supply businesses and equipment for afforestation ground preparation projects, including forestry fencing projects3. support for the mobile equipment to help forestry businesses or enterprises to adapt and recover from Covid-19

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).

The Historic Environment Grants Programme can support a wide range of projects which clearly relate to and will benefit Scotland’s historic environment.Projects that can be supported through the programme should be focussed on an aspect of Scotland's historic environment, from the tangible (e.g. historic buildings, ancient monuments and archaeology, designed or cultural landscapes and historic gardens and battlefields) to the intangible (e.g. historic environment skills, stories and traditions). Full criteria and eligibility guidance can be found on the Historic Environment Scotland website.

The Climate Hub offers small grants to community groups for community engagement or seed funding for a community climate action project. The Fund is available to existing and emerging community groups who are members of the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub. They will prioritise projects which: - Aim to create long-term change.- Build the skills and capacity of groups or organisations and communities. - Support and encourage collaborative working across groups or organisations, communities and areas.- Encourage sustainability through reusing, recycling and upcycling goods and products. - Encourage climate action and a just transition- Mitigate climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce environmental impact- Help communities adapt to and build resilience to climate change- Protect or enhance local biodiversity through conservation and promotion

The Digital and Technology Adoption Capital Grant can provide organisations based in the Highlands and Islands region funding to support digital transformation ambitions. Introducing digital technology into your business has many advantages, including cutting costs, speeding up processes, improving customer insights, creating the ability to make faster business decisions, reduce carbon emissions and increase revenue.HIE recommend that organisations applying for this fund should have a digital action plan or feasibility study in place before making an enquiry.Community and Voluntary Organisations in the Highlands and Islands can apply for a capital grant based on their requirements.Digital technologies that may be supported with a capital grant include:- Robots / robotics / cobotics- Sensor technologies- Internet of Things- Data innovation- Artificial intelligence- Cyber security- 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, for example, blockchain, photonics, aerospace and space technologies, electronics, cyber threat intelligence and quantum computing.

Years 5 & 6 of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults offers financial support to local community projects that improve the mental health and wellbeing of people living in the Western Isles.This money will be distributed to groups who provide community support and connections for people who have experienced distress, disadvantage, isolation, or whose mental health has been negatively impacted by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The overarching aim of the Fund is to promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing while mitigating the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over) with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention. Key priorities include:- Addressing mental health inequalities within ‘at risk’ groups.- Tackling social isolation, loneliness, suicide prevention, and poverty and inequality, with a focus on responding to the cost-of-living crisis.- Supporting small grassroots community groups and organisations in delivering activities.- Fostering connections, building trusted relationships, and revitalising communities.In previous years the fund has supported projects as diverse as arts, recreation, sporting memories, advocacy and counselling.For further information and advice, contact the relevant local TSI:- Third Sector Hebrides (Lewis): enquiries@tshebrides.org.uk- Outer Hebrides Social Economy Partnership: enquiries@tshebrides.org.uk- Volunteer Centre Western Isles: manager@volunteercentrewi.org- Harris Voluntary Service: manager@harrisvs.org.uk- Uist Council of Voluntary Organisations: info@ucvo.org.uk- Voluntary Action Barra and Vatersay: eoin@vabv.org.uk

This new cultural funding programme is an important action of the recently launched Visitor Levy Scheme which aims to sustain Edinburgh's status as one of the world's greatest cultural and heritage cities.The fund’s main purpose is to provide revenue grant funding to local cultural organisations to improve resilience, support programming innovation and enhance cultural output through short-to-medium term projects that deliver innovative approaches to supporting the city’s cultural infrastructure.Project proposals should also align with the named purpose of the Visitor Levy Scheme and thus deliver activities which:- Support programming innovation by adopting new art forms, digital tools, and community-centred business models by introducing/furthering interdisciplinary collaboration, immersive digital engagement, and co-created public programming respectively- Enhance cultural output by diversifying programming, adopting digital tools, and fostering inclusive leadership ensuring greater equality of access to culture for lower socio-economic groups through large-scale public celebrations/installations outwith the city centre.- Improve resilience by adapting business models, introducing new governance models , diversifying income, and fostering workforce well-being. Key strategies include financial diversification, operational flexibility, and strong community engagementEligible costs:- Additional staffing costs to deliver the proposed activity.- All project costs directly related to the delivery of the proposed activity.- Professional fees directly related to delivery.- Project management and monitoring costs (capped).

The Culture & Business Scotland Fund is designed to encourage collaboration between business and culture by enabling not-for-profit organisations to give their for-profit business sponsors additional rights or benefits, helping to enhance the impact and reach of the sponsorship and cultural activity.Not-for-profit organisations delivering cultural activity for the benefit of public audiences in Scotland can apply to the Fund for up to £1 for every £1 of business sponsorship. Organisations can apply up to two times in the financial year, provided the total Fund investment does not exceed £10,000.They welcome applications which relate to one or more of the following cultural forms:- Animation - Archaeology - Archives & Collections - Art & Health - Combined Arts - Community Heritage - Craft - Dance - Design - Fashion - Festival - Film & TV - Galleries - Historic Buildings & Monuments - Industrial, Maritime, Transport - Intangible Cultural Heritage - Land & Biodiversity - Libraries - Literature - Museums - Music - Street Arts - Theatre - Visual ArtsFunding must support cultural activities that directly engage a public audience, such as performances, exhibitions, productions, seasons of work, or public presentations.Fund investment cannot be used for capital projects (for example, building or renovation work). However, a business sponsor may contribute to those costs if the matched Fund investment is used for audience-facing cultural activity.

The Glasgow Climate Action Hub with support from Foundation Scotland are making funding available for projects in Glasgow to be delivered between November 2026 and June 2027.Adaptation is anything that makes communities more resilient and able to cope with these changes. The simplest example of adaption is planting trees. If it’s done right, they can provide shade in the summer and help reduce flooding after storms.