What is the Community Fund?
Our Community Fund supports groups and organisations that encourage people to use woods more.
Am I eligible?
Eligible applicants need to support the above outcome and objectives. Applicants can include:
- community groups
- voluntary groups
- development trusts
- social enterprises
- charities
- local authorities
Please note, the Community Fund is not available to private individuals.
Funding can support activities on Scotland’s national forests and land.
The minimum requirement is that the applicant has a bank account, and for community-based groups, a basic constitution.
Visit the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) for more information on constitutions.
Eligible activities
These include:
- school care clubs and play schemes
- schemes that promote physical activity such as walking, safe routes to school, natural play and adverture play
- developing materials that promote the health and well-being benefits of using woodlands
- facilitation of volunteering for skills training, health improvement and community development
- establishment of volunteer groups and the induction of volunteers
- providing resources to involve communities in the decision making process of managing their local woodland
- costs related to developing Community Asset Transfer Scheme applications from community bodies such as valuation - funding will not normally cover legal fees
- projects that support the Queen's Green Canopy initiative
Funding is not suitable for:
- land based and infrastructure spending that can be supported by the Scotland Rural Development Programme
- formal education including forest schools, forest kindergarten and staff continued personal development
- funding staff who work for public sector organisations such as local authorities
- capital funding for the acquisition of fixed assets such as land and buildings, or mobile assets for public sector organisations.
How do I apply?
There are 2 seperate application processes:
- for applications up to £1000 via an application letter
- for applications above £1000 via an application form
The level of funding will be on a sliding scale as follows:
- up to 100% for projects with a total cost of up to £1,000
- up to 90% for projects with a total cost of between £1,001 to £5,000
- up to 75% for projects with a total cost exceeding £5,000
Contact
Contact your local office if you have any questions or you need an application form.