# Water and sewerage exemption scheme

The [Scottish Government has an exemption scheme](http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/watercharges/exemptionscheme) to help charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) with the cost of their water and waste water bills.

The scheme is administered by the water industry on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Since April 2015, support has been available to charities registered with the [Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)](http://www.oscr.org.uk/) and CASCs with an income below £300,000.

There are some exceptions.

Charities and CASCs will not be eligible for support where one or more of the following conditions are met:

*   the charity holds a permanent alcohol licence to sell alcohol at the premises
*   the premises is a charity shop or other premises used for the purposes of retailing new or second hand merchandise
*   the premises operates as a café which is open to the public and operated on a regular basis to generate income. This excludes canteens that have been provided by the charity to support its own volunteers
*   the organisation is a Local Authority or an Arms-Length External Organisation (ALEO) which organisations that can be used by councils to deliver services

Application forms are available from your Licensed Provider. If you do not have a licensed provider, you will need to select one. You can find more information about providers at [Scotland on Tap](http://www.scotlandontap.gov.uk/)

The Scottish Government has prepared information on some of the [FAQs about the scheme](http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/watercharges/Nondomesticcharges/ESFAQs).

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)