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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 ARIA Fund empowers local communities to address their unique challenges. As part of the Scottish Government's Community Led Local Development (CLLD) programme, ARIA operates through a bottom-up decision-making process, with funding priorities and project selections determined by representatives from the local area who form the Local Action Group (LAG).There are 2 funds: the Main Fund, and Community Asset Maintenance Fund.Main Fund:Projects must demonstrate fit with at least one of the ARIA Fund priorities. These include:- Community Wealth Building- Quality of Life- Community Led Tourism (CLT) - Enterprise- Net ZeroCommunity Asset Maintenance Fund:The Community Asset Maintenance Fund supports the production of a property condition register (also known as a repairs register). This assesses the internal and external condition of the building and includes a costed schedule of repairs alongside a proposed maintenance plan with indicative dates for periodic upkeep (e.g., external decoration, gutter clearance, etc.). ARIA also offers a £2,000 sinking fund to help finance repairs.

Inspiring Scotland’s Creative Communities programme aims to support and empower communities to develop cultural activities that benefit individual and collective well-being. The Creative Communities Scotland Fund will distribute grants to grassroots community-led organisations in Scotland to develop and deliver projects that harness the power of creativity in supporting people and communities.The programme is based on the premise that cultural activity has broad, interlinked benefits for people and communities, and that a participatory approach can lead to greater impact and drive unexpected outcomes. This Fund is focused on supporting communities who face barriers to engaging with cultural activities because of social, economic, cultural, physical or other challenges. This reflects the aims of the Scottish Government’s Culture Strategy to widen access and ensure culture is valued and made accessible to everyone. Successful applicants will join the portfolio of charities which make up the Creative Communities Programme, becoming part of a community of practice facilitated by Inspiring Scotland to share ideas, challenges and approaches with others delivering similar work. Alongside peer learning, charities benefit from capacity building support through 1:1 advice, portfolio events and access to Inspiring Scotland’s pro-bono Specialist Volunteer Network. Your project will support the Creative Communities outcomes. Your project must support at least one of these outcomes:- 1. Provide the opportunity for people to engage in creative arts that they would not have otherwise, have fun and feel joy and pride.- 2. Bring people together, building connections and reducing loneliness.- 3. Help participants develop a wide range of improved skills for life, learning and work.

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 aim is to support projects that make a difference in the communities where the wind farm operates. These are the Arbuthnott and Catterline, Kinneff & Dunnottar Community Council areas.The Fund welcomes applications from organisations whose focus covers aspects of the following:- the advancement of education- the advancement of citizenship or community development- the advancement of culture or science- the advancement of public participation in sport and recreational activity- the advancement of local services and facilities for the community- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement- the promotion of sustainable development

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.

Coach education subsidy funding aims to support Scottish Governing Bodies of sport (SGBs) in growing and developing their coaching workforce. sportscotland awards funding to SGBs, who then distribute financial subsidies to eligible individuals to support the cost of attaining recognised coaching qualifications. This funding also aims to encourage Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) approaches and access to sport in different communities throughout Scotland. Applications with an EDI focus are a priority for all subsidies.

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.