Tag: funding

£400 million of new funding to support Scotland through Covid-19

New funding of £800 million is being guaranteed for the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support people, businesses and public services with the ongoing impact of Covid-19.

Yesterday’s announcement increases the UK Government’s unprecedented upfront guarantee this year to at least £16.8 billion on top of funding outlined in Spring Budget 2020.

This funding can be spent on priorities such as the NHS and business support.

This means a further £400 million for the Scottish Government, £200 million for the Welsh Government and £200 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Any changes to devolved funding are normally confirmed towards the end of the financial year – but in July the UK Government introduced an unprecedented guarantee to provide them with funding certainty to respond to Covid-19.

Wednesday’s announcement ensures that all parts of the UK can continue their response to Covid-19 through the winter months.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay MP said: “We’ve already committed unprecedented levels of support to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“This extra funding will provide the nations with the certainty they need to plan through these difficult months.

“We remain committed to an economic recovery for the whole of the United Kingdom and will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations to support people and businesses.”

Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack said: The UK Government is committed to supporting people in all parts of the UK during this difficult time which is why today we have given £400 million extra to the Scottish Government for their Covid-19 response. This brings our total additional Covid-19 support to Scotland to £8.6 billion since Spring Budget 2020.

“This is on top of direct UK Government Covid-19 support to people and businesses in Scotland, including the furlough and self-employment schemes, business loans, VAT cuts for the hardest hit sectors and investing billions in our Plan for Jobs and our welfare safety net.

“The UK Government is also providing the bulk of Covid-19 testing in Scotland and we invested £6 billion to ensure we were the first country in the world to roll out the first vaccine.

“The strength of the Union and support offered by the UK Treasury has never been more important. Together, we will continue to get through these challenging times.”

People and businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also continue to benefit from the UK Government’s unprecedented £280 billion UK-wide economic response package.

This includes schemes such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme providing billions in support to businesses across the three regions.

Alongside this, millions of jobs in the three regions continue to be supported through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

£104 million lifeline for tourism and hospitality sector

Targeted support package for key sectors

Tourism and hospitality businesses across Scotland are to benefit from a £104.3 million package of support in the New Year.

The funding is part of the short term response to the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce recommendations and follows lengthy discussions with industry to target support specifically where it is needed the most. 

It is part of the £185 million package previously announced by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes. Further work will be urgently undertaken to establish what additional support is needed in light of the announcement to move mainland Scotland to level 4 and the Scottish islands to level 3 from Boxing Day.

Businesses required to close by law are currently able to claim up to £3,000 every four weeks through the Strategic Framework Business Fund.

Areas set to benefit include:

  • £19.2 million to provide one-off grants for hospitality businesses
  • £50.8 million for businesses with a rateable value of more than £51,000 that have not received support from the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund or Hotel Support Programme and some additional support to smaller businesses impacted by restrictions
  • £11.8 million for international inbound, coach tourism and domestic tour operators
  • £7 million for self-catering
  • £5 million for visitor attractions
  • £2.5 million for outdoor tourism
  • £2.3 million for hostels
  • £2 million for ski centres
  • £1.5 million for travelling show people ineligible for other support
  • £1.2 million for Destination Management Organisations
  • £1 million for B&Bs and guest houses excluded from the latest Non Domestic Rates scheme

Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “It’s been a particularly bruising year for our tourism and hospitality sectors. The COVID-19 crisis has shattered previously successful businesses and we are committed to doing everything possible to get them back on their feet. These funding streams seek to throw a lifeline to some sectors that we know are particularly vulnerable and may not have access to help from other sources.

“We’ve already invested well over £2.3 billion to support businesses across Scotland, including 100% rates relief for pubs and restaurants but we know this is not enough. The restrictions, as necessary as they are, continue to have a profound effect and it is fair to say that tourism and hospitality businesses are feeling it more than most. This funding will provide a vital lifeline in the build up to what should be much of the industry’s busiest time of the year.

“The funding aligns in the short term with many of the tourism taskforce’s recommendations and I am grateful to it for its work on this.

“Clearly, in light of the enhanced restrictions announced at the weekend to control the spread of the virus, we will be undertaking further work on what additional support is needed by businesses, including for the longer term. There is a need to move quickly to ensure the sector is adequately supported and ready to go again, when the time is right.” 

An early Merry Christmas for local community projects

As a difficult year draws to a close, 20 community groups in Edinburgh are ending 2020 with some good news: a £328,583 cash boost from The National Lottery Community Fund! 

Among the local organisations receiving early Christmas cheer are Ama-Zing Harmonies, Muirhouse Millennium Centre and North Edinburgh Arts.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

£3.3 million to help children’s charities this winter

Extra support for families on low incomes

Charities working with children and families on low incomes will receive a share of £3.3 million to help meet the needs of those affected by poverty at Christmas and in the new year.

The money forms part of the £100 million winter support package announced by the First Minister last month – of which £22 million is to specifically support low income families. The £3.3 million committed will support those most in need of help, including lone parents, families with a disabled child or young person, kinship carers, care leavers and families with a loved one in prison.

Nine charities will receive funding to support their work, or to distribute to grass-roots organisations. The money will go to help with essential items such as food, warm clothing and nappies, heating, bedding and furniture and white goods, and to support a scheme giving gifts to disadvantaged children who might otherwise go without a present on Christmas Day.

The charities benefiting are the STV Appeal, Cash for Kids, Aberlour, Barnardo’s, Action for Children, Family Fund, Families Outside, Who Cares? Scotland and One Parent Families Scotland.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The Winter Plan for Social Protection, announced by the First Minister on 30 November 2020, already includes a one-off £100 per child payment for those in receipt of Free School Meals who are on low incomes, to be paid by Christmas.

“Whilst this is an important boost to family incomes we also want to help families with children of pre-school age.

“This funding will strengthen the help available to families across Scotland – supporting people during the festive period and throughout the winter months.

“We have taken unprecedented action to support people affected by the impact of COVID, with over £500 million committed for social protection since the onset of the pandemic. This latest investment is part of wider support available to people including increased funding for the Scottish Welfare Fund, Discretionary Housing Payments, and through wider third sector and councils action.”

Margaret Ford, Chair of STV and STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Amidst the seasonal festivities, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that winter is one of the most difficult times of the year for so many families across Scotland, and the economic impact of Covid-19 will be an additional issue this year.

“We work closely with dozens of charities and projects across the country to help the most vulnerable in society, and this new support package will go some way in doing that. We’re pleased to be helping to distribute these funds, so that essential food, clothing, shelter and heating can be provided to those who need it most in this particularly challenging period between now and the spring.”

The charities to be supported by this funding include:

Aberlour£220,000
Action for Children£300,000
Barnardo’s£300,000
Cash for Kids£500,000
Families Outside£50,000
Family Fund£162,000
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)£200,000
STV Appeal£1,200,000
Who Cares? Scotland£360,000

New Funding for Live Theatre & Dance Performances

From today, Thursday 10 December 2020, applications are invited from the dance, theatre and multi artform sector for a share in £600K National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland, for live performance tours from Spring 2021. 

In this latest round of theTheatre and Dance Touring Fund, applications are invited from Scotland-based dance and theatre artists, companies and organisations, independent dance and theatre producers and venues, for the making and touring of new work or the restaging of previous work for presentation to live audiences under Covid-19 restrictions, in a minimum of three locations across Scotland. 

Iain Munro, Creative Scotland’s CEO said: “Supporting Scotland’s theatre and dance touring infrastructure is important, helping high quality theatre in Scotland to flourish and creating opportunities for more people across the country to experience and enjoy it.  

“Made possible by the generosity of National Lottery players who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, this round of the Theatre and Dance Touring Fund responds directly to the challenging position that theatres, venues, producers, artists, companies and their audiences are in due to the Covid-19 pandemic.” 

Creative Scotland is also seeking five external panel members to work alongside Creative Scotland staff to decide the successful applications in this round of the Fund.

Panel members will be expected to hold credible professional knowledge and expertise of the Theatre and Dance Touring sector in Scotland, either from a programming perspective or as a maker/producer of touring work.  

The Deadline for applications is 12 noon, Thursday 7 January 2021 through the Scottish Government e-Tendering System, Public Contracts Scotland.  

PDSA passes 500,000 remote appointment milestone

PDSA, the vet charity for pets in need, has carried out a remarkable 500,000 phone appointments since the start of lockdown, as demand for the charity’s services has surged due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the charity – which provides free and low cost vet care to the pets of owners who are suffering from financial hardship – introduced a new phone appointment system back in March during the first lockdown.

Since then, the scheme has meant over half a million remote appointments have been provided to poorly pets and their owners, ensuring they could still receive the vital veterinary advice they needed, despite lockdown restrictions. 

PDSA Vet, Paul Manktelow, said: “Sadly, even during a pandemic, our pets can still become sick or get injured and need urgent veterinary treatment.

“When the first lockdown started looming, it was clear that we needed to drastically adapt the way we worked across our 48 Pet Hospitals around the UK to help keep everyone safe and help stop the spread of Covid-19, while still providing support to desperate pet owners seeking our help.

“Providing remote consults has allowed pets to access the essential veterinary care they need, while freeing up the space and time needed in our pet hospitals to treat the sickest pets and emergencies in a socially distant manner..

“Thanks to kind support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we were able to quickly develop new ways of working, allowing many of our dedicated vets and nurses to work from home providing vital pet advice remotely.

“Leading into the first lockdown we started offering our first remote consultations. Within weeks we were delivering around 2,000 phone appointments daily, which has now risen to over 2,300 a day.”

Remote consultations have enabled PDSA staff to help all but the most serious cases over the phone, offering advice, and posting out or delivering essential medications. This ensured the charity could keep their vet teams, owners and pets safe while continuing to provide life-saving emergency treatments at its Pet Hospitals.

Hazel Johnstone, Longterm Partnerships Manager at People’s Postcode Lottery said: “Pets have been a lifeline for so many people during the lockdowns this year – providing companionship and helping improve mental wellbeing for owners during incredibly difficult times. 

“So for those who face financial hardship causing increased worry when a pet falls ill during the pandemic, it’s vital they’re able to continue to access veterinary care. By supporting the development of these remote consults for PDSA, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have ensured that hundreds of thousands of pet owners always have somewhere to turn, even during the darkest of times.”

But PDSA is now facing a double threat – the pandemic has resulted in PDSA’s income decreasing by £3m a month in 2020 due to all fundraising events being cancelled and its charity shops temporarily closing their doors.

This is coupled with an expected increase in unprecedented demand for its services as many more pet owners fall on hard times.

PDSA Vet Paul Manktelow continued: “Delivering half a million remote appointments in eight months just shows what vital assistance PDSA provides for a huge number of pet owners. For many, we are their only emergency service – a safety net when times are tough, but we rely entirely on generous public support to keep our charitable veterinary services running.

“As we enter what is likely to be a challenging winter, we know many people are facing extremely difficult times through no fault of their own, and their pets are a lifeline, providing unconditional love and comfort during these worrying times. We greatly appreciate every donation, to help us to continue to be there for much-loved pets in need.”

To find out more about PDSA, its Pet Care Crisis Emergency Appeal and how you can help, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/whywematter

The Welcoming shares in funding to prevent destitution

Scotland takes steps to mitigate UK funding policy

A further £278,784 is being made available to six organisations supporting people subject to No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). 

The grants will support projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow which are helping people subject to the UK Government policy which imposes conditions on someone due to their immigration status and restricts access to welfare, housing, and financial support.

The projects receiving support focus on access to essentials, including food, clothing, essential travel and digital access.  Outreach and advocacy support will also be delivered to help people understand and access essential services and maintain support networks. 

The Scottish Government has repeatedly urged the UK Government to suspend its policy to enable people to access public services and health advice during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is a second round of funding and brings the total grants awarded through the Immediate Priorities Fund specifically for NRPF support during COVID-19 to £553,174.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “These projects are part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to provide support for everyone living in our communities during COVID-19 and contribute to our overall response to the pandemic.

“The Scottish Government as well as many stakeholders have urged the UK Government to lift No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions during the pandemic, so far without success.

“Given the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, it is crucial that people can access public services and also health guidance, the majority of which is provided online, keep in touch with friends, family and networks and access the accommodation and support they need to be safe.”

The six organisations receiving funding are:

  • Community InfoSource
  • Govan Community Project
  • Refugee Survival Trust
  • Refuweegee
  • Positive Action in Housing
  • The Welcoming

All are based in Glasgow, except for The Welcoming, which is in Edinburgh.

The funding support is for a 12 week project proposed by the grant recipient in response to the immediate needs of people who have limited support options due to NRPF restrictions.

Under the first round of grants, £274,390 was distributed between the six organisations to support 12 week projects which ran between April and July.

Further support is available to people subject to NRPF through wider COVID-19 response, including:

  • the £350 million Communities Funding Package announced in March (which the Immediate Priorities Fund is part of) provided funding to local authorities and third sector organisations to support people across communities.  This new funding is not restricted by NRPF.ince 23 March, the Scottish Government has provided more than £1.5 million to third sector organisations to enable them to provide emergency hotel accommodation and support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  This includes people who are rough sleeping or have NRPF.
  • £20 million has been made available to local authorities as a flexible fund to tackle financial insecurity.  This is not restricted under NRPF and Local Authorities can use this funding to support people unable to afford essentials like food or fuel; they can also top-up Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payment allocations.
  • a discretionary payment, equivalent to the Self Isolation Support Grant, can be provided to people with NRPF who are working on low incomes and would lose earnings where they need to self-isolate.

Projects across Scotland receive funding to promote healthy eating

HENRY to tackle childhood obesity in Lothian

Projects working with young families to encourage healthy eating and good nutrition have been awarded a share of more than £600,000 of funding.

Ten initiatives around Scotland are being allocated funding by the Scottish Government, supported by Public Health Scotland, to help prevent and reduce levels of childhood obesity.

Among the initiatives are the Bump and Beyond Buddies scheme in Tayside, which aims to extend its successful peer support infant feeding programme and a pilot scheme in areas of deprivation in Lothian where 120 family workers and early learning childcare practitioners will be trained to support families in community settings in good nutrition.

The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “We want children and families to have access to appropriate support to achieve as healthy a weight as possible, no matter where they live and we will continue to support local partners to develop ambitious and effective plans to prevent and reduce childhood obesity.

“We all have a responsibility to work together to help people in Scotland to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and these projects will help address inequalities in obesity between children in our wealthiest and poorest areas.

“As we set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery plan, our ambition is to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities.”

NHS Lothian will trial HENRY, an evidence-based training package, with family workers and early learning childcare practitioners working across the four local authority areas.

The pilot brings together support for parenting efficacy, family emotional welbeing and behaviour change with information about nutrition, physical activity, oral health and more.

Tracy McGillivray OF NHS Lothian’s Health Promotion Service said: “The Childhood Obesity, Early Intervention and Prevention funding will allow NHS Lothian to work closely with our partners in City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. 

“The project will work in areas where families are at increased risk of diet-related health inequalities.

“We will be able to provide training to community-based family support staff to have increased knowledge, skills and confidence around the promotion of eating well and ensuring consistent messaging in the importance of establishing good nutrition in the early years.”

Scottish Government emergency funds for Edinburgh youth arts

Emergency funds from the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland are enabling youth arts and music organisations to roll out new activities and initiatives for young people in the Edinburgh area.

Drake Music, Tinderbox Collective and Starcatchers* are among 18 youth music and wider youth arts organisations receiving a share of £1,053,000 to deliver a range of local and national projects, all of which target priority groups of children and young people and provide important work for freelance artists.

Thursa Sanderson, Chief Executive, Drake Music Scotland said: “This funding will enable us to forge ahead with Sound Explorers, a new programme of online activity. It responds positively to the changed learning landscape for young people with additional support needs – offering an interactive and fun way to make music.

“It will directly tackle the lack of access to music making for young people with disabilities and additional support needs caused by the Covid pandemic removing the barriers for those isolating at home and those in the classroom.”

Jack Nissan, Director, Tinderbox Collective said: “The Youth Arts Targeted fund is an invaluable support that will enable us to provide a range of music projects, youth clubs and creative opportunities to hundreds of children and young people at this time, both on-line and in person, as we adapt to the changing circumstances of the pandemic.

“It is so important that all young people have access to positive, social and creative activities like this, and that we do whatever we can to keep these going at this time.”

Rhona Matheson, Chief Executive, Starcatchers said: “On behalf of Starcatchers, Imaginate and Lyra I am delighted that we have secured the Youth Arts funding to deliver the Where We Are project together.

“As well as providing children and young people with the opportunity to engage with, and participate in creative activities in their own communities, it will also provide more than 15 jobs for artists and freelance practitioners over the next year.

“Given the challenges we are all facing as a result of the Covid pandemic, this is an exciting opportunity to initiate a new project that fosters collaboration, creativity and connection.”

Opportunities for young people are also being provided on a nationwide basis through other Fund recipients including Engage, Film Access Scotland, National Piping Centre, National Youth Choir, Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Brass Band Association, Scottish Music Centre, Scottish Youth Theatre and Youth Theatre Arts.

Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop said: “Youth music and youth arts organisations across Scotland are playing an important role in the lives of young people during these difficult times.

“This funding will support these organisations to expand their work and provide creative opportunities to young people as well as work and income for the artists and practitioners working with them through these projects.”

These awards are the first to be announced from the Scottish Government’s £3million funding package for Youth Arts. Further announcements will follow regarding recipients of at least £1.2million through the Access to Youth Arts Fund, the £700,000 Small Grants Scheme and £50,000 assigned to the Time to Shine Nurturing Talent Fund.

Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “All the emergency funds currently being delivered by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government are vital in addressing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m particularly pleased that we are able to announce today the first recipients of this Youth Arts funding which will reach some of the children and young people most adversely affected by the pandemic and provide important work for freelance artists whose opportunities have been so severely impacted by Covid-19.”

The full list of Fund recipients:

Organisation (Trading name) Local Authority Area Funding Amount 
Drake Music Scotland Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highland £61,880 
Engage National £40,744 
Fèisean nan Gàidheal Highland, National £30,000 
Fèis Rois Highland £64,820 
Film Access Scotland   National £40,744 
National Piping Centre National £37,477 
National Youth Choir of Scotland   Aberdeen, Glasgow, National £64,820 
National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Glasgow, Stirling £30,000 
Scottish Book Trust National £64,820 
Scottish Brass Band Association National £50,680 
Scottish Music Centre National £64,820 
Scottish Youth Theatre National £64,079 
Sistema Scotland Dundee, Aberdeen £50,805 
Starcatchers* Edinburgh, Fife £193,605 
Tinderbox Collective Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross £64,820 
Toonspeak Young Peoples Theatre Glasgow £44,448 
YDance North Lanarkshire £35,892 
Youth Theatre Arts Scotland National £48,939 
  Total: £1,053,393.00 

*Starcatchers led consortium working in partnership with Imaginate and Lyra.

Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on this website and publicised through media and social media communications.

Photograph: Anne Binckebanck, courtesy of Drake Music

Foundation Scotland’s crisis support surpasses £6 Million

Over 1.3 million people reached to date and essential ‘winter-ready’ funding available

Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation, has announced the total amount distributed through their dedicated crisis fund now exceeds £6 million to date. 

This significant level of funding breaks all its previous records and illustrates the continued and growing needs coming from groups supporting those most vulnerable throughout the country.

The community foundation is today stressing that the Response, Recovery and Resilience fund remains open. 

Foundation Scotland is now particularly eager to support groups to get ‘winter-ready’, so they’re better equipped to deliver essential services through the darker, colder, winter months ahead.

For example, to enable groups to extend counselling and wellbeing services remotely, to purchase all-weather protective clothing, to create virtual energising activities through the cold dark months or to offer phone-based companionship for the isolated.

Helen Wray, Head of Programmes at Foundation Scotland, said: “It’s been a long seven months since the crisis began, we hoped we’d be able to get back to a little more normality by now.  However, it looks unlikely that restrictions will ease any time soon and we’re painfully aware the next few months will bring even more significant challenges as the nights get longer, darker and colder.

“The emotional, physical and financial impacts of lockdown are becoming increasingly problematic, lives have been turned upside down.  Sadly, there are even more people in Scotland experiencing extreme hardship, isolation, loneliness and fear.  

“However, we’re always encouraged by the resilience and strength we see in our communities.  Groups across the country are coming together to urgently deliver essential and critical services to those most in need.  

“We understand our support is needed more than ever. Crisis grants enable dedicated groups to offer vital services in protecting the most vulnerable from long-term impacts.  Therefore, our fund will remain open to applications for support where it is needed most.   

“For example, wellbeing services like virtual counselling and befriending will be even more important. Volunteers might need all-weather protective clothing to support those in need safely and awnings and heaters to provide services outside.  We are, however encouraging groups to apply as soon as they can.” 

The community foundation’s Response, Recovery and Resilience fund, delivered in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, has to date supported over 1.3 million people across Scotland. 

A total of £4.6 million in small grants have been distributed to 1,188 dedicated organisations delivering vital support to some of the most isolated and vulnerable people across the country.  A further £1.4 Million has been invested in strategic grants to national charities such as Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland, Shelter Scotland and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) to deliver higher-level strategic support throughout the pandemic.

With the pandemic likely to impact on services well into 2021, the Foundation is now preparing to enter the Resilience phase of the fund. 

From 1st December the fund’s renewed focus will be on providing support to organisations to look even further ahead, to future proof their services more long term.

The continued restrictions will undoubtedly increase demand for many services delivered by small organisations, so it’s vital they’re equipped to continue meeting the needs of their local communities. More details on the Resilience phase will be available on the Foundation’s website in the coming weeks.

Since launching the dedicated Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund in March, the Foundation Scotland team have worked hard to assess an overwhelming level of applications ensuring vital support reaches those most in need as quickly as possible. 

Recent figures revealed that since the start of the crisis the Scottish funder has received almost the same number of applications in the last six months as it received in the whole of the previous financial year.

The Foundation Scotland Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund continues to welcome applications between £1,000-£5,000 from constituted community groups and registered charities. 

The funder is eager to distribute funds quickly and is appealing to eligible groups to apply as soon as they can.  Unlikely many other funding streams previous applicants are eligible to reapply to access further support needed. 

For more details, eligibility criteria and to apply online visit https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/