Phase 2 of the City of Edinburgh Council Resilience Fund aims to provide short-term support to small and medium third sector organisations in Edinburgh that work to end poverty.
Grants: Up to £10,000
Deadline: Fri 4 Jul, 1pm
Phase 2 aims to provide short-term support to small and medium third sector organisations in Edinburgh that work to end poverty. The fund helps organisations facing financial difficulties maintain their services and financial stability during 2025/26.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for this funding organisations must
deliver activities which address or prevent poverty and which align with the city’s End Poverty in Edinburgh framework (further details about this can be found in the fund specification)
be headquartered in Edinburgh
have registered charitable status or be a non-profit distributing organisation
have a gross annual income of less than £500k
be experiencing financial challenges, for example
an unexpected drop in grant funding or other income
an unexpected increase in running or delivery costs, or
an unexpected increase in service demand
not be in receipt of funding from the Council through Phase 1 of the Third Sector Resilience Fund or the Income Maximisation Grant Programme.
Organisations can apply for up to £10,000 from this phase of funding. Funding can be used to support core costs or to maintain service delivery where this is at risk from the loss of expected grant funding, increased costs or unexpected increases in demand.
HES’s annual grants report, published today (Wednesday 11 June) as part of Scotland’s Historic Environment Forum, shows a significant increase in support for projects in Scotland’s most deprived areas.
Investment through HES grant programmes in areas in the most deprived quintile of Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) account for 20% (20.9%) of the total £12.4 million funding package administered by the public body.
The SIMD is the Scottish Government’s standard approach to measuring deprivation and looks at the extent to which an area is deprived across multiple domains, including income and employment.
£2.5 million of HES’s grant funding for 2024-25 was awarded to projects in the most deprived 20% SIMD, beating the previous figure of 6.34% by a significant margin. This figure surpasses previous years and speaks to HES’s Heritage for All vision set out in its new Corporate Plan 2025-28.
HES is committed to using insights from its annual grants report to refine and enhance its funding approach, promoting greater transparency and helping the organisation’s ambition to achieve equitable grant distribution.
The most popular type of grant awarded to these areas was HES’s express grants (up to £25,000). These grants are open to applications year-round with a target ten-week turnaround period. This programme of funding is vital for communities to be able to repair, care for and cherish their historic environment.
Projects successfully awarded express grants in the past year include the Whithorn and the Machars Pilot Archaeology Field School (hero image), where 51 pupils worked on excavating in one of the de-turfed areas of Sinniness, and the community of Luing and surrounding areas where a HES express grant funded guided tours, art demonstrations, multilingual song and more, all in celebration of Luing’s slate heritage past and its future.
With in-house experts on everything from traditional thatching to archaeological fieldwork, HES offers bespoke advice and works closely with projects to establish early success. This is vital for building confidence in new entrants who have not worked with the historic environment before and helps set them up for further success with more ambitious projects that may be eligible for larger grants.
Almost 50% of the overall funding (48.49%) went towards area-based regeneration schemes, including the successful Heritage and Place Programme which funds community-led regeneration projects.
In the past year the programme has celebrated projects such as the revitalisation of Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh, the development of a state-of-the-art heritage quarter in Forres, and more. These projects demonstrate how investment in heritage can help support local economies and enrich communities’ sense of place.
Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships, said: “For too long, heritage funding has mirrored the inequalities we see in wider society. Our ‘Heritage for All’ vision means we seek to allocate our grants equitably to ensure our historic environment belongs to everyone.
“By working with communities in the most deprived SIMD quintile, we increase the diversity of voices and projects in the historic environment. We are committed to supporting projects that include a wide variety of people in decision-making about their heritage.
“We encourage new entrants to heritage projects in particular to reach out and learn how we can help you engage with and look after the heritage in your community.”
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “This report highlights the real impact that investment in our historic environment can have in addressing inequalities and supporting regeneration in communities that need it most.
“By targeting funding towards the most deprived areas, Historic Environment Scotland is helping to unlock opportunities, support skills development and bring people together through a shared connection to place and heritage.
“This level of progress is welcome and reaffirms the commitment to ensuring that our historic environment is accessible, inclusive and benefits everyone across Scotland.”
Cancer death rates are around 80% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived, a new report from Cancer Research UK reveals.
The report, titled Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation, found that there are around 4,300 extra cancer deaths in Scotland each year linked to socioeconomic inequality. This equates to 12 additional deaths each day – around a quarter of all deaths from cancer.
Almost half of these additional deaths are caused by lung cancer, where the death rate for the most deprived areas is almost three and a half times that of the least deprived areas of Scotland.
More than a tenth of all cancer diagnoses in Scotland are linked to deprivation. Many of these cases are caused by preventable risk factors such as smoking.
Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in Scotland, and rates in the most deprived parts of the country are more than four times those in the least deprived.
In publishing the report, Cancer Research UK is calling for urgent action to tackle these stark inequalities.
One vital opportunity to do so is the upcoming vote in Scotland for new legislation which will see an increase in the age of sale of tobacco.
If MSPs vote for the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it would become illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1st January 2009.
This vote will pave the way for the Bill to become law in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK.
Dr Sorcha Hume, Cancer Research UK’s public affairs manager in Scotland, said: “Where you live shouldn’t increase your risk of dying from this devastating disease.These figures are shocking and unacceptable and crucially many of these cancer deaths are avoidable.
“With almost half of the additional deaths being caused by lung cancer, it’s clear that action on smoking is needed urgently.
“Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, a disease that is often diagnosed late when treatment options are more limited.
“One of the ways we can prevent lung cancer is to deter people from ever taking up smoking in the first place.
“If MSPs vote in support of the age of sale legislation in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it could be one of the most impactful public health interventions in living memory, helping people to live longer, better lives, no matter where they live in Scotland.”
Introducing a lung cancer screening programme in Scotland would also help address these inequalities.
The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that all UK nations move towards implementing a national lung cancer screening programme to target those considered to be of high risk of developing lung cancer – people aged between 55 and 74 who either smoke or used to smoke.
A targeted lung screening programme is being introduced in England, but no such commitment has been made by the Scottish Government.
If lung screening were to be introduced, around 400 extra cases each year in Scotland could be diagnosed at an early stage (stages 1 and 2) rather than a late stage (stages 3 and 4).
Dr Hume added: “Lung screening matters because it means more people can be diagnosed at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
“Research has consistently shown that lung screening is effective at reducing deaths from cancer so it’s essential a Scotland-wide programme is introduced here as soon as possible.”
Versus Arthritis, the leading charity supporting those with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in Scotland, is marking World Arthritis Day tomorrow (Saturday 12 October) with a call for greater community-based support for children, young people and adults living with arthritis.
Marking the day, Versus Arthritis has published the report, Putting the Pieces Together in Drumchapel, which shows how tackling MSK conditions is about ‘more than just healthcare’ and that support within and by communities is vital in improving the lives of Scots living with arthritis.
A staggering one in three people in Scotland are affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions like arthritis, which includes problems that affect our bones, joints and muscles. Unfortunately, MSK conditions will remain one of the leading causes of disease and injury in Scotland over the next 20 years.
Arthritis is often debilitating, isolating and can dramatically impact people’s quality of life. In fact, those with arthritis are 20% less likely to be in work and around one in five people with arthritis experiences anxiety and depression. The impact can also be felt by businesses, as MSK conditions are the third most common cause of sickness absence, with over 20 million working days lost per year.
MSK conditions are also more common in areas of greater poverty, and with Scotland facing some of the worst health inequalities in Europe, according to Public Health Scotland, the challenge is to ensure that care and support across the country is equitable and meets the needs of people locally.
Drumchapel is one such area where there are high levels of deprivation and associated health problems, and where there are gaps in supporting people with arthritis. But crucially, as this report points out, it is also an area of mutual support, community organisation, partnership and networks. There are opportunities to make a real difference.
In line with this year’s World Arthritis Day theme (Informed Choices, Better Outcomes), the conclusion of the Versus Arthritis report is that MSK conditions must be understood in terms of the places where people live, meet and interact, including how they access and use information about support and care.
Alan McGinley, Policy and Engagement Manager Scotland, said: “This Versus Arthritis report highlights that ‘softer services’, such as community and peer support groups, matter greatly, and that alternatives to formal care that support wellbeing are important in living well with arthritis.
“That is why Versus Arthritis is calling for a ‘whole community’ approach in looking after the wellbeing and health of those with MSK conditions. We firmly believe that by ensuring our healthcare services are understood in the context of community networks and support, we can build a future where people with arthritis can live the lives they choose.”
“Poverty statistics that hide the real scale of increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.”
Many households remortgaging or taking out new mortgages since 2022 have experienced sharp falls in their disposable income as higher interest rates have pushed up housing costs, and by December 2023 this is set to have pushed 320,000 such people into poverty. But official data do not measure mortgage interest payments properly, so official poverty statistics will only capture about two-thirds of this effect (230,000 people).
These are the findings of a new IFS report, released on Thursday and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which examines recent trends in poverty and deprivation. Other key findings include:
Despite the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the overall rate of absolute poverty was the same in 2022–23 as in 2019–20 (18%, or 12.0 million people), though it did rise slightly by 0.8 percentage points (520,000) between 2021–22 and 2022–23. But there was a significant increase in more direct measures of hardship. For example, the proportion of working-age adults who reported being unable to keep their home warm enough rose from 4% to 11% (1.8 million to 4.6 million) between 2019–20 and 2022–23, and the share who reported being behind on bills rose from 5% to 6% (2.1 million to 2.5 million).
Part of the difference is likely to relate to how the official statistics measure incomes and hence poverty. Higher energy and food prices mean that lower-income households and pensioners faced a higher inflation rate than average – but this is not captured by the official poverty statistics. Taking account of higher inflation for these households implies poverty rose by 210,000 more people than implied by official statistics for 2021–22 and 2022–23 (730,000 people rather than 520,000), including 80,000 pensioners.
In addition, the official statistics do not measure households’ mortgage interest payments directly, instead modelling them based on average interest rates. This matters when there is a growing spread of interest rates as some households come off their fixed rate: in 2022–23, mismeasurement of mortgage interest payments resulted in the number in poverty being understated by 70,000; as more fixed-term mortgages end, that number is set to rise to 150,000 (based on December 2023 interest rates).
There is evidence that mortgage rate rises have pushed some adults into financial hardship. Adults remortgaging in 2022 were 2 percentage points more likely to fall into arrears on bills than those with mortgages who had not remortgaged. This suggests that, once all households have remortgaged, the number of adults behind on bills could rise by 370,000.
Sam Ray-Chaudhuri, a Research Economist at IFS and an author of the report, said:‘Rising mortgage rates have played and are likely to continue to play an important role in many households’ living standards. But, perhaps surprisingly, they are not measured properly in the official income data.
“This has led to the headline statistics understating the number of people in poverty, something set to get worse in next year’s data. Poverty rises have also been understated due to the unequal impact of inflation.
“At a time when rates of deprivation and food insecurity have risen substantially, poverty statistics that hide the real scale of these increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.’
Peter Matejic, JRF Chief Analyst, said:‘This research shows the cost-of-living crisis wasn’t felt equally by everyone. Compared with before the COVID pandemic, many more people, especially those on a lower income, struggled to heat their homes or keep up with their bills.
‘One reason lower-income households went without essentials is because they faced a rate of inflation even higher than the headline numbers. High interest rates also saw many households forced into financial hardship after they remortgaged.
‘This report raises many questions about whether social security is adequate for the challenges looming over struggling households. The new government can’t wait for growth, after years of cuts, caps and freezes to social security have left families without the financial resilience and security they needed to cope with higher prices and costs.’
Commenting on the IFS report IFS on poverty, which shows that 320,000 people pushed into poverty because of mortgage interest rate rises, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “This surge in poverty shows the awful impact on people’s lives of the Conservatives’ economic and policy failures.
“It’s a poverty crisis that has been created by poor growth and social security cuts. Interest rate hikes came on top of the longest period of pay stagnation for more than 200 years.
“Rapid delivery of the government’s plan to make work pay will ensure more better-paid, secure jobs and help reduce poverty among working families.”
£500,000 from Foundation Scotland helped develop the state of the art Broomhouse Hub, transforming the lives of hundreds living in South West Edinburgh
For over 30 years, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has delivered transformative personal, social and community development opportunities for local people in and around Broomhouse, Parkhead and Sighthill.
The charity offers training, volunteering and employment opportunities for those disadvantaged by poverty or other limiting factors, counselling and befriending support, community food initiatives including school holiday support, social groups for isolated older people, and a range of classes and groups designed to support mental health and wellbeing.
An important organisation for many people, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub successfully navigated the many challenges of the pandemic and they are now helping local people to manage the continuing cost of living crisis.
As one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, Broomhouse feels the impact of rising costs disproportionately. Over the past few years, the charity has delivered numerous events to support all parts of the community in coping with mental and economic challenges.
Key services now include dignified access to food. From their popular community café, they offer nutritious, good value food, providing over 1,500 community meals so far this year including free meals for struggling young carers who may barely be getting one meal each day, and free meals for all children (no registration, no other purchase needed) throughout the school summer holidays.
Thanks to their ambitious vision and support from funders, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has undergone a massive period of growth, equipping them to support the growing numbers of people that need them.
Across the last few years, the charity has tripled their staff capacity and doubled the reach of their vital support services post-pandemic. The charity cites the development of their multi-purpose community hub as the catalyst for this expansion.
Foundation Scotland’s social investment played a pivotal role in this development.
The Foundation Scotland social investment relationship with Space @ Broomhouse began in 2018. The two organisations had already worked together on several grant awards, but with growing demand for their services and an ambitious strategy in place, the team at Space turned to Foundation Scotland for expert advice and growth funding.
The social investment support offered by Foundation Scotland is a unique form of blended grant and loan, designed to help organisations to open doors and grow effectively. Over the past 11 years, they have invested over £12.5 million in 72 organisations around Scotland.
The Foundation Scotland team works closely with applicants to offer more than just traditional funding, also providing unique insight, planning support and advice to help attract further investment.
Neil Hay, CEO of Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said:“Support for capital projects, and core funding, is critical to our work, yet unfortunately not so prevalent.
“As an organisation, we believe in connections and working together for the benefit of all. The partnership approach from Foundation Scotland has been so refreshing. Both the funding and relational support allowed us to get the build off the ground.
“Together they helped us to realise our vision, and along with our other funders they have enabled us to develop our spaces, grow our team and ultimately helped us to build the foundations for a brighter future for many.”
Ali Kennedy, Social Investment Executive at Foundation Scotland, said“Space @ Broomhouse is an important and inspiring place for everyone in the local community and we are extremely proud of our involvement in its development.
“Their fabulous new facilities support significant numbers of people in the area, families have an affordable safe and welcoming place to come to and enjoy, young people are provided with opportunities to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, and older people and those living with dementia feel part of a connected community.
“We are thrilled to be here with the team today at the Broomhouse Street Party. We’ve worked together for many years and it’s great to get the chance to see the activities in action. The Hub is a space for the community to come together. It’s clear how much of a lifeline these services are for local people.
“We know there are other groups that urgently need support to get started or grow, and this is even more challenging in the current climate. We are encouraging all interested groups to visit our website or contact the Foundation Scotland team directly to discuss eligibility.”
Tackling poverty and inequality is the biggest challenge facing Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf will say at today’s anti-poverty summit.
Led by the First Minister, the summit offers a vital opportunity for the Scottish Government to listen to, and work with key partners, campaigners, cross-party representatives and those with direct experience of poverty, to help inform Scotland’s drive to tackle poverty and inequality.
Opening the anti-poverty summit, the First Minister is expected to say: “The Scottish Government recognises the cost of living crisis is putting a huge strain on households and no-one should have to make the choice between heating, eating or turning the lights on.
“Tackling poverty and inequality is the single biggest challenge facing Scotland and requires continued, urgent and sustained action.
“Today’s anti-poverty summit is an opportunity to get round the table with campaigners, businesses, the third sector, local government, representatives from Holyrood’s main political parties and, crucially, those with direct experience of poverty, to hear their views and insights.
“This is the collaborative approach that people across Scotland want to see their First Minister and political leaders take – to secure real action on the biggest issues facing our country.
“We have a strong foundation to build on, with almost £3 billion allocated this year to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the cost of living crisis, and we have announced details this week of how tens of thousands of households will be supported as a result of the Fuel Insecurity Fund being tripled.
“But, as we discuss what more can be done, nothing will be off the table and I look forward to hearing all contributions at the summit, which I hope will drive new momentum in the fight against poverty in Scotland.”
First Minister Humzah Yousaf has announced additional support for general practices in most deprived areas.People living in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities will benefit from an additional £1 million of funding to help tackle health inequalities.
The Inclusion Health Action in General Practice programme provides targeted funding for support to patients whose social circumstances have a negative impact on their health.
The funding is allocated directly to practices which are in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area and feature on the list of 100 most deprived practices in Scotland.
First Minister Humza Yousaf made the announcement as he visited the New Gorbals Health Centre in Glasgow.
The First Minister said: “General practice is at the heart of our communities and is uniquely placed to deliver the care and support needed by patients who experience health inequalities.
“Of the one hundred poorest practices in the whole of Scotland, shockingly 81 currently sit within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area – a statistic I am determined to change.
“This additional funding of £1 million will build on the foundations of previous funding. At a time when the cost of living crisis is widening health inequalities, this is an important step that supports our commitments to prevention and early intervention with patients at highest risk of poor health.”
Lorna Kelly, Chair of the Primary Care Health Inequalities Development Group said: “The NHS needs to be at its best where it is needed the most, or health inequalities will continue to worsen.
“This additional resource to general practices serving the most deprived communities in Scotland is therefore very welcome.”
Research suggests vanguard initiative helped people previously unreached by services
A study led by the Scottish Centre for Policing & Public Health at Edinburgh Napier University has found a collaborative initiative between emergency services in a disadvantaged community had a potentially ‘ground-breaking’ impact.
Researchers conducted an exploratory evaluation of a Strategic Delivery Partnership ‘vanguard initiative’, which saw public service agencies Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service establish a ‘team around the community’ model of cross-service response.
The report published today found the initiative transformed traditional practice and helped to address several problems faced by people who found it hard to engage with services. Officers worked full-time in a community hub in the area’s primary school and pro-actively established trusting relationships with people to identify problems, provide solutions and protect people in crisis.
The study made seventeen recommendations, such as the need for more robust evidence on the vanguard initiative, resolving tension between ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ operational working and carefully selecting the officers involved, while retaining the ones who helped to build trusting relationships.
Professor Nadine Dougall of Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Health and Social Care said: “This research could act as a model for providing crucial public services in disadvantaged communities across the country.
“Although more work needs to be done to establish the full effectiveness of the vanguard initiative, these findings suggest this model of connective working managed to reach people who were previously either unable or reluctant to get support from emergency services.
“Issues which are common in disadvantaged communities, like drug supply, anti-social behaviour, and personal safety, appear to be much better addressed by this public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce inequalities and enhance community resilience.”
The rapid research evaluation and case study assessment the vanguard initiative was based on a community in Scotland identified as being in the top 1% of most deprived Scottish areas.
It has the highest number of alcohol and other drugs admissions in the local authority area, a high prevalence of violence, and its most common crimes relate to substance use and vandalism.
The study, funded by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and supported by the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, was conducted between March and June 2022, using in-depth interviews with the services involved.
The number of 18-year-olds from the most deprived areas being offered a place at university is at a record high – up 32% since 2019, the last year there were exams.
The latest UCAS data also shows 29,630 Scottish domiciled students have been offered a place at a Scottish university on SQA results day – up 6% compared to 2019 and the second highest on record.
The number of students accepting places to study nursing at Scottish providers also increased, up 17% to 2,940 compared to 2019.
Separate statistics published yesterday by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) show that in the first quarter of 2022-2023, the number of Modern Apprenticeship starts is up 16% to 3,946 compared to last year.
Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn said: “Congratulations to everyone receiving results today after what has been another extremely challenging year. Whether you are now heading to university, college or taking part in a Modern Apprenticeship, I wish you the very best for the future.
“These statistics are encouraging, particularly the fact we have a record number of 18-year-olds – the closest measure to school leavers – from the most deprived areas being offered a place at university. We want every young person in Scotland to have an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstances.
“The number of students accepting places to study nursing has also increased compared to 2019, demonstrating that Scotland continues to be a popular location to undertake medical education and training.
“EU students enrich our campuses, and make a vital contribution to our economy and society. It is bitterly disappointing to see another sharp drop in the number of EU students coming to study in Scotland – a direct result of Brexit.
“The SQA’s appeals process is now open for anyone who needs it. The clearing process is also now live and places are still available for those who want to study in Scotland.”
Scottish domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers increased by 6% to 29,630 (since 2019) This is the second highest at SQA results day. In 2021 there was a record 31,070 Scottish domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers
the number of 18-year-old acceptances from the most deprived areas has increased by 410 to 1,680, since 2019 (as at SQA results day)
the number of EU domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers decreased by 77% to 720 (as at SQA results day 2019)
the number of Non-EU domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers increased by 15% to 2,670 (since 2019) This is the second highest at SQA results day
Scottish domiciled acceptances to study nursing at Scottish providers increased by 17% to 2,940, since 2019 cycle (as at SQA results day)
Scottish domiciled acceptances to study medicine and dentistry at UK providers increased by 23% to 920, since 2019 (as at SQA results day)
