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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.

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. The principles of bottom up, partnership, integration, innovation, co-operation, networking, and area-based approaches will apply to the fund.Projects must demonstrate that activity will advance inclusion, equality, and diversity, and support one or more of the main fund priorities for 2024/25 which are: - Eradicating child poverty - Growing the economy- Tackling the climate emergency- Ensuring high quality and sustainable public services Applications will be managed via Aspiring Places. Aspiring Places is a new digital space for community groups and organisations across Argyll and Bute to share information about projects that they would like to carry out. The Council's vision is to create a vibrant bank of community projects that supports joint working and connects community groups to funding, making Argyll and Bute an even better place to live, work, and visit.

The National Lottery Film Festival and Screening Programme Fund supports organisations who are looking to produce film festivals and screening programmes in Scotland for a public audience.Activities supported by the fund should increase the reach, impact and diversity of film screenings and events for communities throughout Scotland and meet Screen Scotland’s Audience Development priorities:- Scotland has a diverse screen culture, showcasing the best contemporary and heritage films from Scotland and around the world, raising up new or unheard voices.- Communities across Scotland have access to shared spaces with meaningful, relevant, and enjoyable opportunities to engage in screen culture.- Scotland’s venues, festivals and platforms are sustainable - financially and environmentally - and are positive places to visit and to work within.This fund is project funding, not core organisational funding. However, they encourage using the fund to cover core costs that directly relate to the delivery of your project and development of your team and organisation during the project dates. They encourage you to secure additional funding from other sources, such as sponsors, partners, charities, private or other public funding, to help deliver and expand your programme. Applicants may apply for personal access costs for the project team in line with Creative Scotland’s guidelines.This fund will support activity happening between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026, and for up to 31 August for applications for Development Funding.

This Scottish Government-funded programme was set up to support the development of co-produced, person-centred, self-management activity across Scotland. Learning from people’s lived experience of living with long-term conditions, and their unpaid carers, is at the heart of what the Fund is designed to achieve.The Self Management for Life cycle of the fund aims to support project that put people and communities at the centre. In the 2026 round, we hope to focus more clearly on two specific points of a person’s journey with a long-term condition as well as health inequalities. Applications must demonstrate their project supports, guides and enables self-management in one of the following ways:- Work that aligns with secondary prevention by working to embed self-management soon after a long-term condition or disability is identified, or early in someone’s unpaid caring role.- Work that seeks to address health inequalities while increasing the self-management capacity of people with long-term conditions, disabilities and/or unpaid caring responsibilities who experience these inequalities- Work that develops the self-management capacity of people living with long-term conditions, disabilities, and/or their unpaid carers, whilst awaiting health or social care support

Through the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk Community Led Local Development Fund (the CLLD Fund), grants of up to £15,000 are available for eligible applicants based in defined Kelvin Valley and Falkirk communities for 2025/26. Communities include: Airth, Avonbridge, Baldernock, Banknock, Banton, Bonnybridge, Colzium, Croy, Denny, Dennyloanhead, Dunipace, Fankerton, Kinneil, Kirkintilloch (north of the Canal only), Lennoxtown, Milton of Campsie, Queenzieburn, Shieldhill, Slamannan, Torrance, Twechar, Waterside, and Whitecross.The Fund will once more be overseen by the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk Local Action Group (LAG) and administered by CVS Falkirk & District as the Accountable Body. Funded activity should take place by Saturday 28 February 2026, with final reports submitted to CVS Falkirk & District by Saturday 14 March 2026.The fund will focus on four key priorities:- Supporting community facilities and eligible organisations to contribute to the achievement of net zero- Sustaining, improving, and adding initiatives in rural communities that are the most isolated, disconnected, in need of investment, or likely to experience inequalities- Helping communities to address the cost-of-living crisis and eradicate poverty for individuals and families- Enabling communities to carry out research, engagement, feasibility studies, or other activities supporting the development of rural communities

The Glasgow Wellbeing Fund provides small grants of up to £10,500 for projects that improve mental wellbeing for adults in the city. The fund aims to support small to medium sized community groups, voluntary organisations and social enterprises to deliver mental wellbeing projects across the city’s diverse communities. It is resourced by the Scottish Government, and part of the national Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.The fund’s primary focus is to support projects that help and support mental health and wellbeing. Counselling or therapy can be included, but priority will be given to more community-focused activities.Projects funded through the Glasgow Wellbeing Fund will need to demonstrate how they build one or more of seven wellbeing drivers: emotional resilience, strength and mindfulness; connection to others within the community; a sense of security, trust and being included; mobility and physical activity; a sense of purpose and being valued through volunteering, helping others, or paid work; support for people who are in distress; access to learning opportunities and the development of new skills and knowledge.Applicants should consider how their proposal contributes to promoting people’s human rights. Priority will be given to projects demonstrating that they work with groups of people who are routinely disadvantaged or excluded in society or have been particularly affected by the cost of living crisis. Community is the key word for applicants. Bringing people together to connect with and support each other is an absolute priority for the fund. Activity funded by the grant must last at least six months and be completed within 18 months from the award date.

The Council has a number of settlement trusts which support projects under a wide range of categories including education, arts, local communities and the environment.Check the website for a full list of trusts and for contact details for each.You can apply for funding from a Settlement Trust if it falls under the following categories:- Prevention of Poverty- Advancement of Education- Advancement of Religion- Saving of Lives-Advancement of Citizenship- Advancement of Arts- Advancement of Public Participation in Sport- Provision of Recreational Facilities- Advancement of Human Rights- Promotion of religious or racial harmony- Promotion of Equality- Advancement of Environmental Protection- Relief of Those In Need- Advancement of Animal Welfare- Analogous Purposes- Advancement of Health