General guidance for applicants

• Whilst the overall programme criteria will remain the same for the duration of the programme, funding criteria and priorities may change in response to levels of demand or changes in Government guidance.
• Not all applicants eligible for advice will be eligible for funding (see Funding criteria). If you are looking for financial support it is important to read the funding criteria and priorities carefully. If you are not a close fit, the advisors will be able to signpost you to other sources of funding or advice out with this programme that may better suit your needs.
• If you have some of the funding for your recovery plan already secured (from cash reserves, other funders, or both), the Adapt and Thrive programme may decide to award a proportionate grant to cover the shortfall.  
• Information supplied as part of your application will be processed and used according to the Community & Third Sector Recovery Programme Privacy Notice.
• The information will be shared with a range of national and local organisations for the purposes of verification and assessment. These include (but are not limited to) the Adapt and Thrive programme partners, relevant Scottish Government departments, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, and the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.

Reference downloads

Documents required

• Set of management accounts for the period Jan 2020 – Mar 2020 
• Most recent bank statement
• Constitution
• Simple Cash Flow for the next 12 months (if you have one prepared you can submit it at the point of application. If you do not have one, you can get assistance from a business advisor to prepare one before your application is assessed for funding)

How to apply

Step 1: We will be running regular information webinars

We strongly encourage you to attend one before starting your online form.

Information webinars

Step 2: Complete the online form

The form will ask questions about your organisation, your financial position and your recovery plan. Don’t worry if you do not have a well formed plan or cannot answer all the questions thoroughly, you will have an opportunity to update your information at a later date. We have a word template with all the questions that you will be asked. We recommend that you draft your application in this template as it is not possible to save progress on the online form.

Apply online now

Step 3: Speak to our advisors

One of our advisors will get in touch with you within 4 working days of receiving your form. They may ask you to expand on some of the responses in your form, review your needs and offer you a range of support options:

1. If we don’t think the programme is right for you, we will signpost you to other relevant sources of help and/or funding.

2. We will offer you to work with one of our advisors to develop, refine or improve your plan. We will tell you how many hours or days this will take.
3. If you already have a plan in place or you are receiving support from another source (e.g. a board member, a trusted advisor, etc.) and your request is for funding, your conversation with our advisor will be short and focused on confirming that your existing plan allows you to face the challenges presented by COVID-19 and provides the level of detail necessary to make a funding assessment. If our advisor (or yourself) is satisfied that this is the case, it will be allocated to our grants/loan team for assessment (go to Step 6). 

If our advisor thinks that more detail is required, you will be given feedback to work on your plan (with us or outside the programme), and you can update your form at a later date ready to allocate to our grants/loans team.

Step 4: Work on your plan with your advisor

You will work with a dedicated advisor to develop or refine your plan for recovery. The length of the support will depend on your circumstances, and may range from a few hours (e.g. three one-hour meetings in the space of a week), or a full day of support, split into several sessions over a period of one or two weeks. At the end of the support, you will have a flexible plan that allows you to face the challenges presented by COVID-19, operate sustainably and continue to have a positive impact in your community.

If your plan doesn’t require grant funding (or you are not eligible under the programme’s Funding Criteria), this will be the end of your journey with us. In some cases, your advisor may invite you to continue to engage with support via the Just Enterprise programme or Community Enterprise.

Step 5: Apply for funding (grant or loan)

As part of your plan, you may have identified if and how much funding your organisation needs to put it into action. Your advisor would have helped you work out a budget and they will direct you to upload the relevant documents to your online form so you can complete your funding request.

Step 6: Your grant/loan request will be acknowledged by email automatically

We aim to assess funding requests within 21 days of receipt.

Step 7: You will receive an email advising you of the decision

If your funding request is successful, payments will be made directly into the bank account given in the application form. If your request is not successful, we will provide you with feedback about our decision.