Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Halsary Fund

Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Halsary fund

The Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Halsary fund is reopening for applications on 2nd May with a closing date of 30th June.

The Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Halsary Fund is funded by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) community benefit funds from its Halsary Windfarm. The fund supports projects/initiatives that benefit the residents within the Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Community Council boundary. These can be located outside the Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Community Council boundary if they provide a clear benefit to the residents within Latheron, Lybster and Clyth and the panel members agree to provide funding.

Grants of between £200 and £5,000 can be applied for. Grant holders must be able to spend their grant within 12 months of an award. For full details go to https://cvg.org.uk/latheron-lybster-clyth-halsary-fund/ or contact halsary@cvg.org.uk

Bank Of Scotland

Bank of Scotland Foundation – Energise

The aim of this fund is to improve the quality of life for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people, through two-year unrestricted grants of £20,000 (£10,000 per annum), and to help small and local charities (income <£150K) continue to provide their vital services, and become more sustainable. The funding can be used towards core costs, delivery costs, project costs and/or general running costs, enabling charities to use their funding in the most effective way.

Stage One

Our application process is simple and straightforward.  You’ll be asked to provide information about your charity such as contact details and highlight other recent funding applications. 

Whilst funding is unrestricted, you will be asked to provide a broad indication of what our funding may be used for such as overheads, project costs or salaries.  However, rest assured, whilst we welcome an indication, we will not insist that you use our funding in this way, as it is to be used in the way that helps your charity best.  (The only exceptions are that our funding may not be used for project costs or overheads incurred before the grant application is received, any costs not related to delivering outcomes such as a contribution to reserves, notional costs that will never be incurred e.g., rent free premises and redistribution of your grant e.g. food/fuel vouchers)

At this stage of the process, they also ask you to provide a MAXIMUM of one A4 page letting us know:

  • The purpose of your charity (why you do what you do) and the vulnerabilities of the people you support.
  • The activities of your charity and the difference your charity makes to the lives of the vulnerable people you support.
  • How your charity puts vulnerable people at the heart of everything it does.
  • Why your charity needs funding and what unrestricted funding will help it to do.

To find out more go to https://bankofscotlandfoundation.org/funding-programmes/energise

Deadline: Thursday, June 6

King Charles III Charitable Fund

King Charles III Charitable Fund: Small Grants

Each year, the fund will allocate grants of up to £5,000 to about 100 community-based organisations, including Charities, Community Interest Companies, and Parish Councils. Their May funding round will only be accepting applications from organisations for projects / activities in their environment and countryside funding themes. Deadline 15 May 2024.

Robertson Trust

Important Information

Later this year, they will be making adjustments to the structure of their Funds. So that they can make the necessary changes to communications, applications, monitoring forms and guidance, they will be closing to new applications from 12 noon on Friday 31st May 2024 and reopening with the new look version of Our Funds in September 2024.

For more information and detail on what this means for applicants, please see their latest blog > Sharpening the focus of Our Funds. go to https://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/funding/funding/

North Highland Initiative

Community Infrastructure Support Programme now open

Although they have set a nominal £ 2000 limit, they can consider individual applications on their merits. Please do not allow this limit to deter applying for more if you believe the programme may require this.

Please also ensure that all supporting information is submitted with this application, and sent to info@north-highlands.co.uk, with the name of your group and project clearly identified. The required information is:

· A copy of your group constitution or charitable information (Including Charity No.)

· A copy of your organisation’s most recent approved financial statements (no older than 18 months)

· A written or e-mail quotation for any work or purchases required.

Priorities:

They welcome applications that enable the region’s much needed voluntary and not for profit services and build community resilience. We respect and rely on these services to best identify their own needs. However, to guide the applicants and the decision-making panel we encourage applications that fit the criteria below:

Community Infrastructure

· More effective visitor management including content creation, signage or information on local facilities or amenities

· Environmental Improvements, incl. public toilets / motorhome waste management / tree planting, community gardens or woodlands

· Public seating, path creation, sport or play facilities

· Supporting volunteers through learning & development of skills or training

· Supporting community led efforts that support socio economic development or cost of living services provided through the community

· Supporting community led efforts that focus on improving the education, resilience or life skills for young people

· Supporting community led health and well-being services or projects

Energy Reduction

· Installation of more efficient heating and insulation in community spaces

· Purchase of energy saving equipment in community spaces

· Sourcing of professional advice towards energy reduction programs for communities

· Fund or train fuel, energy, or cost of living advisors in local support roles

· Improving community awareness of energy improvement activity or schemes

Community Facilities support

· Encouraging more creative or innovative use of village halls

· Developing more effective multi – use “hubs” within existing facilities

· Matched or seed funding to enable larger scale projects

End of Project Reporting Requirements

To find out how to apply go to https://www.northhighlandinitiative.co.uk/cisp/

Voluntary Groups Information Event

Wick St Fergus Church is planning to hold a free event, open to the public, with the aim of increasing awareness of all the work that goes on in Wick and East Caithness by local voluntary organisations.

It is intended that it will take place in the middle of this year, on a Saturday afternoon, for two to three hours. To encourage the public to pop in there will be two showings of the BBC documentary My Kind of Town focusing on Wick.

Groups will each be given a table to display information about their work and will be able to seek volunteers and donations while networking with representatives of other voluntary organisations.

If your group is interested in attending, contact Wick St Fergus Church by emailing contact@wickstferguschurch.org.uk by the end of April.

Changes to OSCR

From 1st April Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) now has several new powers to help them protect charities and their assets. They include: 

  • Power to direct charities to take particular actions: this will allow them to compel changes and improvements that need to be made in a charity.  
  • Power to appoint interim trustees: this will allow OSCR to help charities that cannot function due to a lack of trustees. However, specific criteria must be met to allow them to do this.  
  • Power to inquire into former charities and former trustees: this will extend OSCR’s reach in making enquiries into organisations that are no longer charities and individuals who were previously trustees. 
  • Changes to OSCR’s powers to require charities and others to provide information; timescales involved here will be clarified and the process streamlined.  
  • Power to remove charities that fail to submit accounts and respond to OSCR: OSCR will be able to remove charities from the Register that have failed to submit accounts on time and failed to engage with OSCR about correcting this breach of trustee duties. 
  • Power to refuse organisations applying to be a charity who have no or a negligible connection with Scotland. 

Other changes: 

  • Charities will no longer be required to give OSCR 24 days’ notice of changes which require their consent. 
  • OSCR will be able to enter two charities on the Register with the same name when there is a merger of charities. 
  • OSCR will be able to act when an organisation’s working name or “known as” name is misleading, offensive or too similar to another charity’s name. 

Future Phases: 

Phase 2: 1st October 2024 

  • Creation of a publicly searchable record of individuals who have been permanently disqualified by the Courts from being a trustee.

Phase 3: Summer 2025 

  • Creation of a schedule of charity trustees 
  • publication of trustee names 
  • a record of charity mergers; and 
  • updates to the disqualification criteria for charity trustees.