Royal approval for Scotland’s Response, Recovery and Resilience

It’s not every day our future king requests a personal call but that’s exactly what happened this week when the Duke of Cambridge, Patron of the National Emergencies Trust, contacted two projects who have received funding from The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust.

The Duke first spoke to Cor Hutton, Founder of Finding Your Feet, which is a Paisley-based charity that provides physical and emotional support to amputees and those with limb absence across Scotland.

A swift response from The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund saw the organisation awarded £5,000 at the very beginning of the pandemic allowing them to adapt their services, providing online and telephone counselling, as well as online lockdown classes.

Next on the video call were PEEK Project, who have provided 123,000 nutritious meals since lockdown began to families requiring assistance in East Glasgow. The Duke got a peek into their food truck – called PEEKACHEW – where they are making around 300 meals a day.

A £5,000 grant from The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund enabled PEEK to respond to demand for hygiene and wellbeing packs, such as sanitary products and soap which are being provided alongside the food deliveries.

Across Scotland all of NET’s Coronavirus Appeal funds are distributed by The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund to small charities and grassroots groups that are delivering real results for the most vulnerable and affected during this crisis.

To date Foundation Scotland have supported 550 community projects with total funds in excess of £2m. Among the local projects to have benefited are SCRAN Academy and FSU Circle, who both received £5000, Ferrywell Youth Project (£2917) and Leith’s Greatway Foundation, who were awarded £4600.

Giles Ruck, Chief Executive of Foundation Scotland said: “We are delighted to see the real impact these funds are making in Scotland and to receive recognition directly from the Duke this week is wonderful.

“Foundation Scotland distributes dozens of funds from National Emergencies Trust every week and we’re privileged to be their sole partner in Scotland.  We remain committed to supporting the ongoing needs of small charities and groups to help them adapt and recover to create more resilient communities across Scotland.”

To watch the interviews between the two organisations and the Duke of Cambridge please click here.

Foundation Scotland launched the Response, Recovery and Resilience Fund on Friday 27th March 2020 with funding from the National Emergencies Trust (NET). The overall aim of the Fund was to help those most affected by the recent coronavirus outbreak.

In order to quickly evaluate the initial impact of the RRR Fund, and understand the next set of challenges in the short, medium and longer-term, FS worked in partnership with Scottish Community Development Centre to survey the recipients of all funds distributed in the first 12 days. Within this time we distributed just over £1m in grants to 300 different projects.

The online survey went out to 291 recipients and was completed by 135. In addition, there was also a series of 31 telephone interviews with a cross-section of the grantees.

The high response to both the survey and interviews was very encouraging and shows how important this funding has been to the recipients and their commitment to continuing to support those people who are most vulnerable and at risk during the crisis and in the aftermath.

This report highlights what the key impacts of the funding are, and the main challenges that the grantees are now facing.

The review has set out a list of recommendations for Foundation Scotland (and other funders) to consider when developing and delivering future phases of the Fund. The report combines an overall analysis of the findings with illustrative examples, along with a set of key findings and recommendations for Foundation Scotland and their partners in the RRR Fund.

To read more, please choose from one of the following links:

To find out more about the RRR Fund, how to apply and where the funds have been distributed to date please click here

If you’d like to know more including how to apply for funds please visit our The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund page.

Foundation Scotland launches community support fund

Foundation Scotland has established a new Community Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund to support local charities and grassroots organisations across Scotland.  The fund will help them respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and recover from its impact and is already providing grants.

Launched by the Duke of Cambridge, the National Emergencies Trust is a UK-wide fundraising appeal initiated which will distribute money through the network of community foundations across the UK.

‘Response’ is about providing emergency funding for local charities and grassroots organisations currently supporting some of Scotland’s most affected and vulnerable people and over 30 grants have reached communities in Scotland today. This includes funding to:

  • Support for the Senior Centre in Castlemilk to provide soups, meals and snacks to over 400 elderly people and ensure they remain connected via phone calls and essential health awareness updates
  • Enable the Rock Trust in Edinburgh working with young people moving on from homelessness to provide essential food, toiletry packages and mobile phone cards – ensuring vulnerable young people remain connected
  • Equip volunteers at the South Islay Development Trust with essential safety equipment so they can safely continue to distribute hot meals for their vulnerable community members on their island
  • Support Glasgow the Caring City to scale-up their successful Soap Aid campaign – coordinating with food delivery charities to ensure free hygiene packs reach as many people as possible
  • Help Wellbeing Works in Dundee – who support community members facing mental health challenges – to supplement their phone support with advice and discussion materials – encouraging good health
  • Equip the Concrete Garden in Possilpark for indoor play and activity packs – treasure hunts, exercising, crafts, storytelling, drawing and board games – plus grow your own window ledge kits – creative and educational for all

Chief Executive of Foundation Scotland, Giles Ruck, said: “In this time of national crisis, it is critical to get funds quickly to where its needed. The Response Fund is open and up and running.

“I’m pleased to see word is spreading fast and community charities are getting in touch – we had about 100 new applications over the weekend. We can provide immediate funding of between £1,000 and £5,000. We aim to turn around funding applications swiftly, and to keep our application process straightforward.”

Lord Dannatt, chair of the National Emergencies Trust, said: “We are delighted that there is growing support for the Trust and that we have been able to start getting money out to organisations who can help people within a week of launching – but we need much more.

“That’s why we are calling on everyone, even at this unsettling time to dig deep and make a contribution. That generosity will ensure that we get through this unprecedented time with our most vulnerable communities cared for and supported.”

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/programmes/the-national-emergencies-trust-(net)/

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£6m grants to ‘vital’ Third Sector

More than 115 organisations to benefit from Enterprise Ready Fund

spartans 2Grants totalling £6 million have been awarded to over 115 enterprising third sector organisations, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed yesterday. Mr Swinney said that an enterprising third sector is ‘vital’ to Scotland’s future.

Fresh Start, Edinburgh Cyrenians Trust, MY Adventure and The Spartans Community Football Academy (pictured above) are among the Edinburgh organisations to benefit from Enterprise Ready funding (see below for full list of awardees).

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The Enterprise Ready Fund fund provides continued support to enterprising third sector organisations across Scotland, building on the Scottish Government’s commitment to promote a sustainable, capable and enterprising third sector.

Mr Swinney said: “We had a great response to the Enterprise Ready Fund and I would like to congratulate all organisations that have been successful in securing grants.

“Each and every one of the recipients are working in their own unique way to become more self-sufficient but more importantly for me, they are creating change at a local level. We can look forward to a future where these organisations play a full role in public service reform.

“We strongly believe that an enterprising third sector is vital to our economy, to civic society and in the creation of a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. That is why we have invested heavily to help the sector develop further.

“Organisations like Move On which operates across Scotland to deliver a range of support and advice services to those affected by or at risk of homelessness are excellent examples of how the sector is helping to create a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. This investment will help them deliver important services and opportunities to people across the country.”

Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We were encouraged by the high volume of applications received and are delighted that the fund is supporting such a variety of enterprising third sector organisations. We look forward with great anticipation to seeing the difference these awards will make in communities throughout Scotland.”

Foundation Scotland (FS) is Scotland’s busiest grant maker, making more awards to charity than any other independent funder. Each year FS clients make over 2,000 payments to charities and community organisations, about a third of which are to organisations recommended by FS.

FS supports a wide range of charities, voluntary community groups and sports clubs, giving clients a great range of causes to donate to and enabling FS to reach a wide range of community activity across Scotland.

A broad spectrum of local projects have received support through Foundation Scotland – from small grants to Pilton Community Gardeners, North West Carers Centre and Davidsons Mains & District Children’s Pipe Band through t0 a £30,000 grant to Pilton Community Health Project to contribute to the cost of a Women Supporting Women development worker. In all, 34 Edinburgh-based charities, community organisations and sports clubs received funding through Foundation Scotland.

For full details of grants awarded (1 July 2013 – 30 June 2014) see below

July 2014 awards

FoundationScotland logo

 

Spartans net share of social enterprise funding

The Spartans are among 67 enterprising third sector organisations to be awarded a share of £2.3 million social enterprise funding, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed today.

Spartans will receive almost £16,000 from the Enterprise Ready Fund and eight other city-based charities and voluntary organisations will also be supported.

The £6 million Enterprise Ready Fund, which opened to applications last September, builds on a number of current initiatives the Scottish Government has in place to continue to support a sustainable, capable and enterprising third sector.

The Finance Secretary’s announcement comes ahead of a trip to Oslo where he will plans to highlight the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting the third sector at a conference on Social Entrepreneurship. It’s estimated that there are now between 3,000 – 4,000 social enterprises across Scotland and that that number is growing.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth said: “I would like to congratulate the 67 organisations which have been successful in securing grants from the Enterprise Ready Fund, ensuring the impact of these investments will be felt across Scotland.

“We believe that an enterprising third sector is a vital partner in our economy, in civic society and in the creation of a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. That is why we have invested heavily to help the sector develop.

“We have had a great response to the fund so far and I am keen to remind new, emerging and established third sector organisations that they have until 16 June to apply for funding. I hope that by investing in the third sector and enhancing its self-sufficiency we can look forward to a future where these organisations play a full role in public sector reform.

“Speaking at the Ferd conference provides an opportunity to share the experience of building a strong social enterprise sector, with our friends in Norway. Scotland has an excellent reputation for our work with the third sector. It is regarded as the best place in the world to start a social enterprise and there is increasing international interest in what some are calling the ‘Scottish Model’.”

The Enterprise Ready Fund will help organisations to develop, become more efficient and self-sustaining, or diversify into new markets. Priority is being given to activities that contribute towards the Scottish Government’s Prevention and Welfare Reform agendas. The fund is being delivered by a consortium of third sector organisations led by Foundation Scotland in partnership with Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), Developing Strathclyde Ltd (DSL) and the Social Value Lab.

Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We are delighted with the wide variety of applications we have received so far, which showcase the innovative ways organisations plan to use their awards to make a real difference to the people and communities they serve. We hope this initial announcement will encourage new or developing third sector organisations to apply to the Enterprise Ready Fund before it closes on 16 June.”

Other Edinburgh-based organisations to receive Enterprise Ready funding include Children in Scotland (£24,840), Comas (£37,833), Grassmarket Community Project (£69,963), Greetings from Leith Ltd (£14,287), Nourish (Scotland) (£50,000), Power of Youth (£21,000), Spartans (£15,804), The Melting Pot (£25,000) and Transform Scotland (£49,544).

Further information and full details of the Enterprise Ready Fund can be found at:http://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/grants-and-funding-for-organisations/what-grants-are-available/enterprise-ready-fund.aspx

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