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The Keystone Fund aims to enable locally and regionally-focused charities working towards social equity to become more agile in their support for their communities.The Fund will award unrestricted grants, intended to enable charitable organisations in the UK to adapt ways of working, strengthen capacity or build resilience, according to identified needs. In addition, all grant holders will gain access to webinars, toolkits, and networking opportunities to accelerate their impact. Priorities of the fund are supporting organisations to:- Adapt their ways of working (e.g. digital capability, staff and volunteer training, operational challenges)- Bolster their core building blocks (e.g. governance, strategic planning, capacity building)

The Regional Creatives Fund offers grants to UK charities that develop creative industry career pathways. The Regional Creatives Fund aligns with the Government’s recently announced Creative Places Growth Fund and aims to increase access to careers in the creative industries for people from underserved communities.Projects that focus on:- Upskilling or professional development in creative fields- Building on existing programmes, pilots, or structures that show promise- Creating sustainable pathways into creative careers- Innovative or scalable approaches to creative learning- Collaboration and regional sharing of knowledge/resources- Serving communities or people from government-designated underserved areasIt is essential that you seek to expand or continue an existing creative programme (rather than develop a new one). Projects must operate within the following creative industries: Digital and physical publishing, such as books and podcasts; Film, TV and Performance;Music; Advertising; Fashion; or Gaming.While this fund provides short-term financial support, they are especially keen to build long-term relationships with charity partners. They are more likely to prioritise projects from organisations who are open to ongoing collaboration beyond this round of funding. Funds can also be used for equipment, software, and wages, provided they meaningfully contribute to the project.

The Community Empowerment Fund (part of the broader UK Shared Prosperity Fund or UKSPF) is a community capacity building initiative that aims to boost local community projects across the Falkirk area.There are two programmes:- Capital Facilities Improvement Grant: Up to £15,000 capital funding towards projects that result in the creation or significant improvement of a building/facility owned or controlled by a non-profit, community benefit organisation. - Small and Start-Up Grants: Funding to deliver new or expanded services within our communities, including activities, events and volunteering opportunities (up to £5,000).The UK Government have introduced a revised set of outcomes for the SPF programme. The 25/26 Outcomes for the Community Empowerment are listed below:- Number of amenities/facilities created or improved - Number of local events or activities supported - Number of people reached - Number of volunteering opportunities supported - Improved engagement numbers - Number of volunteering opportunities created as a result of support For projects aiming to be completed by 31 January 2026.

The main aims of the Community Grants Scheme are to fund activities and projects which bring community benefit and involve people in the community by bringing them together to enjoy educational, recreational, leisure and other community activities or improve local environment. Organisations running local gala events and summer festivals can apply for financial help and "in-kind" assistance in the run up to and during these events. They can provide support for play schemes that are run by parents and volunteers to provide activities for children during school holidays.

The Argyll and the Islands Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund has been provided by the Scottish Government's CLLD programme. The delivery will be overseen by the Argyll and the Islands Local Action Group (LAG) and will be administered by Argyll and Bute Council as the Accountable Body. Projects must demonstrate that activity will advance inclusion, equality, and diversity, and support one or more of the main fund priorities for 2026/27 which are: - Eradicating child poverty - Growing the economy- Tackling the climate emergency- Improving public services Projects must be for additional activity which your organisation is not already doing. This cannot be to fund the core costs of our organisation to meet its day-to-day objectives. Routine work should not be repackaged and presented as a project.

No One Left Behind is the Scottish Government's approach to transforming employment support in Scotland.If you have a local project or initiative that could provide early-stage employability support which could lead to onward progression to more formal traning, East Lothian Works encourages you to apply for a quick grant.Funding is for activities targeted towards post-school young people and adults without a positive destination ages 16+ (aimed at employability pipeline stage 1-2).All funds must be used by 31 March 2027.

The Scottish Government is awarding this grant to establish a single nationalpartnership of voluntary sector organisations to provide throughcare support to people, across Scotland, leaving prison after a short prison sentence or a period on remand.The support the partnership provides should be available to anyone leaving prison, whether after a short term prison sentence or a period being held on remand, and should be available across all of Scotland.The support provided by the partnership must be person-centred and needs led – this includes flexibility to provide different kinds of support at different times as needs arise and change in the weeks and months following release.Full guidance is available via the Community Justice Scotland website.

The Family Recovery Initiative Fund can offer one-off grants to groups that support families affected by alcohol and drugs in Scotland. Its aim is to improve the wellbeing of family members affected by someone else’s substance misuse. Well-being is improved by social inclusion, because people connect with other people, can participate in group activities, and can access support. It is funded by the Scottish Government Substance Misuse Unit. The fund can support a variety of activities including set up costs, running costs, training, events, marketing, travel, activities and networking.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot, working in partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, have announced a grant scheme to support projects that shape and grow the use of private investment and market-based mechanisms to finance the restoration of Scotland’s nature. Through the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), grants will be offered to organisations and partnerships to help develop a viable business case and financial model, to attract investment in projects that can restore and improve the natural environment.

The Culture Collective Fund is a Scottish Government initiative which supports a network of creative practitioners, organisations and communities, working together to create a positive difference locally and nationally.The Fund will support activity developed collaboratively between artists, organisations, and communities. It aims to make a positive impact locally and nationally by funding community-engaged creative work, providing paid opportunities for creative practitioners, and actively engaging people in shaping the future cultural life of their community.The programme began as a COVID-19 response and now continues to address wider challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, and social inequality. It encourages sustainable, creative community development, evolving in response to emerging community ideas and needs, and supports learning across a national network.The Culture Collective Fund supports the following goals:- Empower communities to shape their cultural life through creative collaboration. - Create paid roles for creative practitioners to work with communities. - Support skills development and build community capacity. - Establish a national network to share learning and explore models of community-engaged creative practice. - Evaluate impact to inform future cultural policy and funding.