Tag: funding

Helping families with their living costs

Extra funding to help offset UK Government benefit cap

The Scottish Government is providing £8.6 million in direct support for people affected by the UK benefit cap as part of its work to tackle child poverty.

An estimated 4,000 families with around 14,000 children are now able to apply for extra financial support through their local council’s Discretionary Housing Payments scheme.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We are increasing funding to help bridge the gap between what people need in benefits from the UK Government and what they actually receive. Eligible households could be £2,500 better off on average per year as a result.

“We will spend up to £84 million in 2023-24 on Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate not only the UK Government’s bedroom tax and the on-going freeze to Local Housing Allowance rates, but now also the benefit cap which is pushing families into hardship.

“Our child poverty targets are ambitious and that is why we are choosing to invest significantly more in social security than the funding we receive from Westminster and helping to mitigate the damaging impact of UK Government welfare cuts.”

John Dickie, Chair of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: “Mitigating the UK benefit cap is absolutely the right thing to do. Support for struggling families shouldn’t have an arbitrary limit that pushes children into deeper poverty.

“It’s now vital that everyone affected by the benefit cap applies to their local authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment to replace as far as possible the cash support removed by the cap. The Scottish Government has done the right thing, now the UK Government must act to scrap the cap altogether.”

Laura Millar, Strategic Manager at charity Fife Gingerbread, which helps lone parents and families in need, said: “Last year Fife Gingerbread supported the ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign calling on Westminster to end the benefit cap and the financial hardship this causes.

“Therefore, the Scottish Government’s commitment to empower local authorities to mitigate the impacts of the benefit cap using Discretionary Housing Payments is a positive step.

“Although the number of households affected across Scotland may be relatively small this is an important measure. The greatest risk is that households may be unaware of their entitlement, and every year millions of pounds of benefits go unclaimed. Therefore, we must all raise awareness of this announcement to ensure those most in need of support receive it.”



Funding for benefit cap mitigation by Scottish local authorities through Discretionary Housing Payments is as follows:

2022-23£2.6 million
2023-24£6 million
Total£8.6 million

The benefit cap is a UK Government policy which limits the total amount of benefit that most working age people can receive, even if their full entitlement would be higher.

Discretionary Housing Payments are administered by Local Authorities to support with housing and living costs.

Further information about support available for people during the cost of living crisis can be found at gov.scot/costoflivingsupport.

Schools: Something’s got to give (1)

Holyrood and Scotland’s councils on collision course

Measures to ensure that teacher and pupil support staff numbers as well as school hours are protected have been announced by Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.

The Scottish Government has committed to increasing teacher numbers by 3,500 during this Parliament.

Since 2017/18 local authorities have received funding to protect the pupil-teacher ratio, teacher numbers and to provide places  for all probationers who need one.

Additional annual funding of £145.5 million is also being provided to maintain increased teacher numbers and support staff. In the year ahead (2023/24), if this is not delivered by a local authority, the Scottish Government will withhold or recoup funding allocated for these purposes.

Regulations will also be introduced under legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2016 to enshrine a statutory minimum number of school hours.

Ms Somerville said: “The measures I have outlined today demonstrate our unyielding commitment to closing the attainment gap and making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up. 

“We are committed to recruiting more teachers and support staff, and we have already provided significant additional funding to Local Authorities to help ensure this happens.

“The Scottish Government recognises the challenging budgetary decisions facing councils and that is why the Deputy First Minister has committed to delivering a new deal for local government. However, this Government has a clear commitment to improving education – and maintaining both teacher and support staff numbers and learning hours is crucial to that.

“I recognise the importance of strong partnership working between local government, central government and Education Scotland to achieve our ambitions. 

“I will be writing to COSLA today, and each individual council in the coming days, to set out the details on protecting teacher and support staff numbers, and next steps on learning hours.”

COSLA HIGHLIGHTS MASSIVE CONTRADICTION IN RELATION TO EDUCATION AND COUNCIL FUNDING

COSLA yesterday (Tuesday) highlighted to the Scottish Government a massive contradiction in relation to Scottish Education and council funding. This followed an emergency meeting of Council Leaders on Friday and ahead of Ms Somerville’s Parliamentary statement.

At Friday’s meeting Council Leaders reacted with great disappointment to the Scottish Government’s cutting of Local Government’s funding on the one hand whilst at the same time legislating/intervening to prevent headlines showing the unpalatable consequences of those cuts.

Councils are unanimous that attainment is not just about teacher numbers, especially in areas where school rolls are declining, and depends also on a wide range of other council services and support staff.

Accordingly, councils must be left with the flexibility to manage their inadequate budgets to minimise the impact on attainment and the other services the public depend upon. To do more than this will require the Scottish Government to provide additional funding, not more restriction.

Council leaders were clear that Local Government wants to protect education. Councils want to continue to improve the attainment and achievement of children and young people, whilst also retaining the teachers and support staff that are required to do this.  It’s the Budget which is putting these things at risk, not Local Government.

COSLA said that the reality is that Scottish Government Budgets over a decade have left us with a funding crisis in Local Government the likes of which have never been seen before.

Commenting yesterday in a joint statement, COSLA’s Presidential Team said: “The timing and approach of the Scottish Government’s latest move undermines the democratic mandate of Local Government and is a U-turn on previously agreed flexibilities for councils over their budgets.

“It is not the case that Local Government wants to cut any of our services; we have to work with the budgets we have and unless there is more funding, we are forced to make democratic decisions on priorities for the communities we serve.

“On the one hand our budgets have been cut in real terms, and on the other hand the Scottish Government is intervening with additional policies which means significant cuts will have to be made in other areas that support children, young people, families and our communities.

“We have been clear about the limited options facing Local Government because of the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2023/24, a view which is shared by the independent body Accounts Commission.

“We have also highlighted the impact of the initial proposed interventions on other Local Government services, including those which directly support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people.

“These latest asks and the Government’s narrative demonstrates a Government who does not fully value and respect Local Government’s role. Asks of this nature are addressing a symptom, not the cause.”

A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness

Funding will help tackle social impact of rising cost of living

Projects supporting people most at risk of social isolation and loneliness will receive a share of almost £1 million support funding announced today.

The money will help to provide warm spaces, hot meals, group activities and fuel payments to people most at risk of isolation including older people, young parents, carers and disabled people.

Organisations to receive grants/funds include Age Scotland, who will continue to deliver their ‘Keeping The Doors Open’ grants programme, and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland who are recruiting Urdu and Punjabi-speaking volunteers to make Kindness Calls.

Equalities and Older People’s Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone, especially at this time of year when people can struggle to get outside and socialise. The pandemic and the cost of living crisis have increased isolation for some people, including young people, carers and disabled people.

“The funding will be a lifeline for a range of organisations who are helping to keep people connected during this challenging time.

“This fund is just one of the many crucial steps that we are taking to tackle social isolation and loneliness as part of our plan, A Connected Scotland.”

Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Chief Executive Jane-Claire Judson said: “We know that living with a disability or long-term condition can be hugely isolating and that for those who are unable to read or communicate fluently in English, this isolation can be even more significant.

“This funding from the Scottish Government will greatly enhance the ability of our support services to reach non-English speaking and minority ethnic populations in Scotland to reduce isolation and loneliness.

“Ultimately, it will allow us to engage with and support more people across Scotland who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions, better enabling them to live their lives to the full.”

Chief Executive of Age Scotland Mark O’Donnell said: “Older people’s groups have an incredibly important role in communities across Scotland, supporting health and wellbeing, physical activity, tackling loneliness and food insecurity.

“Our research has identified that around 200,000 over-65s rely on groups like this but the impact of Covid-19 and spiralling inflation has meant that these lifelines have been facing incredible pressures to keeping their doors open. We’re incredibly grateful that the Scottish Government took notice of our research and our ask of greater financial support for older people’s groups.

“The funding will help many such groups and clubs meet the rising cost of energy bills, food, transport and venues to meet, ensuring that their members can stay connected and are able to be as well as they can be.”

18 projects and organisations will receive a share of £971,019. They are:

  • Age Scotland
  • Befriending Networks
  • British Red Cross
  • Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland
  • Glasgow Disability Allowance
  • Home-Start Scotland
  • Youthlink Scotland
  • Cosgrove Care and Jewish Care Scotland
  • Faith in Community Dundee
  • Glasgow Central Mosque Foodbank
  • Safe Families
  • Bethany Christian Trust
  • Christians Against Poverty
  • Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society
  • Sikhs in Scotland
  • Church of Scotland
  • Edinburgh City Mission
  • Glasgow City Mission

A Connected Scotland: our strategy for tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections

Support for Scotland’s Hip Hop artists

Twenty-four Scotland based Hip Hop artists working in music, visual arts, dance, drama, literature, and screen have received bursaries totalling more than £31,000 thanks to a growing nationwide programme of support designed to strengthen and sustain Scotland’s thriving Hip Hop community.  

With a doubling of funding in this, its second year from Sunny Govan Radio, UP2STNDRD, 644 Studios and The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the Scottish Hip Hop Bursary Programme is providing one off grants of up to £1,500 to emerging and established artists towards development, presentation and promotion of new work.  

From Turriff to Dumfries, Angus to Aberdeen, the bursaries are backing DJ workshops, the development of new EPs, singles, albums and music videos; dedicated writing, producing, audio engineering and dance training, the creation of new Hip Hop web series’, provision of DJ equipment and the roll out of new events.    

Artist, producer, lyricist Queen of Harps (Anise Pearson – pictured above) is in development on a new EP and music video; Angus’ NoQuestion (Connor Metcalfe) is working on an instrumental beats album offering open-source material for future collaborations; and Tristyn Jay Trustler’s forthcoming album – created in memory of their mother, will form the basis for a new theatre production.  

Edinburgh’s Werd (Andrew Devine), who’s using his bursary to develop a new album in collaboration with local producers, said “Sunny Govan’s always been a cornerstone in showcasing and supporting Hip Hop in Scotland.

This funding will allow anyone to progress doing what they love while easing financial concerns. I’m proud to be included and given the chance to push myself and others I work with and I encourage all independent acts to learn about these great opportunities on offer.”  

Steg G of Sunny Govan Radio said: “These bursaries are an important step towards improving access to arts funding and support for new and existing Hip Hop adjacent artists to develop their skills and talents. 

“Hip Hop’s energy, artistry and community spirit is alive and thriving in Scotland. It’s a culture, a movement, and a way of life. The ambition, the appetite is palpable and now we’re working together with partners to put the infrastructure and opportunities in place that will help sustain and grow Scotland’s vibrant and diverse scene.”  

 121 mentoring with legendary Hip Hop Artist Steg G, Talent Manager and Creative Producer Mobo Agoro or DJ and Producer K4CIE also features this year, alongside availability of additional access costs.  

 Jenny Tipton, Place, Partnerships & Communities Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Now in its second year, we’re excited to be able to provide refreshed opportunities for Scotland’s growing Hip Hop community and pleased to be able to offer increased provision, additional mentoring opportunities and further access support for each bursary.

“In a time of increased uncertainty for the creative sector, small bursary programmes like these are more important than ever to support artists to develop their careers and provide sustained opportunity across the multi art form genre that is Scottish Hip Hop. It’s with thanks to The National Lottery that we’re able to continue to support this programme.”  

Artist   Project Summary  Location  Amount £  
Karin Bezchlebova  DJ workshops for women in hip hop, supporting guest women DJs to deliver sessions.  Glasgow  £1,500  
Gracia Brill  6 track EP for CrayTwinz that also documents the creative process via video so that it can be shared with other artists as a resource.  Dunbar  £1,000  
Steven Buckby  Hip Hop writing and producing workshops for women over 21 in Polmont Prison.  Fife  £1,478  
AJ Crawford  Two new singles with accompanying music videos.  Glasgow  £1,500  
Sean Cosgrove  Web series showcasing young Scottish MCs in a cypher format with artist as DJ.  Glasgow  £1,000  
Ibrahim Dikko  Collaborating with local videographer to develop music video for new music release.  Glasgow  £1,035  
Andrew Divine  New album for Werd (SOS) working with local producers.  Edinburgh  £1,500  
Yas Farzan  Filmed DJ sets showcasing 4 under-represented Hip Hop artists in Scotland.  Glasgow  £1,050  
Rowena Gatenby  Equipment to support artists development in DJing, and MCing.  Aberdeen  £1,500  
Lewis Linich  Audio engineering workshops for early career audio engineers and producers.  Glasgow  £1,500  
Connor Metcalfe  16 track instrumental project by NoQuestion creating an open source beats material for future collaboration.  Angus  £879  
John Lee Miller  5 track EP that highlights theme of mental health.  Glasgow  £1,000  
Andre Muvuti  7 tracks with 7 Scottish producers focusing on spoken word pieces to be developed into music.  Glasgow  £1,500  
Ian Nijdam  Producing a collaborative Hip Hop EP with artists based across Scotland.  Glasgow  £1,250  
Anise Pearson  Develop new EP and music video for Queen of Harps.  Edinburgh  £1,000  
Harry Raitt  3 track release, with recording, mixing, artwork and visuals collaborating with Scottish based creatives.  Turriff  £1,500  
Jordan Robertson  Collection of music videos to support development of work.  Glasgow  £1,000  
Alexander Romance  Live music event supporting under-represented artists in Hip Hop.  Dumfries and Galloway  £1,150  
Joe Rosenthal  Music video for band AROMA collaborating with rapper Skittles.  Glasgow  £1,500  
Nadia Sewnauth  Midgierakers Unite Dance workshops in collaboration with Shelltoe Mel, offering sessions for women and young people to learn different Hip Hop Dance styles.  Dumbarton  £1,500  
Sarah-Jayne Simpson  2 tracks exploring contemporary life in the North East of Scotland.  Aberdeen  £1,262  
Faris El Sheikh  Working with producer Stu Brown and filmmaker Meray Dinar and contemporary dancer to develop a new song, music video and dance piece.  Glasgow  £1,500  
TJ Trusler  Album created in their mother’s memory, that will form the basis for a theatrical production.  Edinburgh  £1,500  
David Wark  Collaborating with Big City Brains in Copenhagen, two dance artists from the popping scene in Glasgow will travel to Copenhagen to meet this dance collective and develop a sustainable model of artist development for dancers.  Glasgow/Copenhagen  £1,500  

BDA: Scotland can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists

The British Dental Association has warned the Scottish Government must step up to prevent a wholesale exodus from the service in April, following new figures from the Scottish Liberal Democrats suggesting an 8% fall in the number of NHS dentists since lockdown.

The professional body warns that dentists have little sense of what payment system they will be working to come 1 April. On 1 October the Scottish Government cut the ‘multiplier’ designed to support the pandemic recovery, that increased NHS fees by 1.3. A lower bridging payment’ took effect uplifting NHS fees at a rate of 1.2 for the next three months, falling to 1.1 for the period up to April 2023. 

While COVID emergency measures have been withdrawn, practices continue to face an historic backlog, with many patients requiring more extensive treatment having bottled up problems during the pandemic. 

The BDA say that in the weeks ahead progress must be made to deliver needed change to the broken high volume/low margin model NHS dentistry is based on. Without reform it stresses we will see a further flight of dentists from the NHS that is already evident in other UK nations. 

Facing surging practice running costs, the BDA says that without an adequate interim funding package several key treatments, and anything – like dentures – that requires laboratory work, risk being delivered at a financial loss. 

Robert Donald, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council said: “Ministers need to understand that Scotland can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists. 

“Today colleagues have little sense of what the future will bring when the last pandemic support is pulled away.

“What they do know is this service hasn’t bounced back, and that some NHS treatments are now being delivered at a loss.  “The Scottish Government needs to make a serious long-term commitment to prevent a wholesale exodus from the NHS.”

COSLA: Scottish Government budget settlement simply not good enough

‘FUNDING REALITY IS A REAL-TERMS CUT’

Local Government spending decisions are being increasingly directed by Scottish Government, and the way Local Government finances are presented by Scottish Government is potentially confusing for the general public.

This can lead to raised expectations and lack of clarity in our communities about the reality of what is now possible to deliver on the ground, COSLA said today (Monday 16th January).

COSLA was clear that this year we needed and asked for a £1bn extra in real terms however we have ended up with £38million and that this was simply not good enough.

COSLA added that to avoid socially harmful cuts, the finances of Local Government need early and proactive discussions to avoid an annual public argument about the reality of what can and cannot be afforded by Councils.

Councils also need more freedom to address local priorities and the ability to focus on improving outcomes.

Commenting today, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said:  “Given the significance of our council services to the lives and livelihoods of everyone across Scotland, communities deserve clear and consistent facts in relation to Local Government finance rather than a yearly debate on how much money is or is not available.  

“All our communities are concerned about is the level of service they can expect that there is support for the most vulnerable and want to ensure their local environment looks and feels as good as it can – all of these things are under threat because of successive years of underfunding.

“Last week saw the publication of the Accounts Commission’s report on the health of council finances. The report makes it clear that councils are going to have to take very tough decisions over the next few years to balance the books, given the financial pressures they face.

“Responding to the Accounts Commission report, Scottish Government has quoted both real and cash terms increases of £2.2 bn between 2013-14 and 2022-23, but this is contradictory.

“We owe it to our communities to be clear, consistent and transparent about the starting point and how much less, in reality, councils have to spend year on year on the services that our communities rely on.

“In 2013-14, the Local Government funding settlement was worth £10.3 bn. Looking to 22-23 the Scottish Government provided £12.5 bn. This does equate to a £2.2 bn cash increase. However, that increase is heavily ring fenced and directed funding for core services and local priorities has stayed the same.

“The reality of having the same amount of money this year as 10 years ago for core services is a real terms cut. As well as increasing costs, this money is also now required to deliver more services than it was 10 years ago – Scotland’s population has increased, the number of households has gone up, COVID has left a legacy of support needs for the most vulnerable and as people live longer, their care needs have become more complex. This is just a snapshot of the demands being faced by councils, not to mention inflation and energy costs.

“For 2023-24, Scottish Government has stated that councils have seen a “£570m increase in their budgets” but the reality is, that only £38m of this can go towards pressures such as inflation, pay and service demand with the rest is for policy commitments that are already in the system, for example £100m to meet Real Living Wage commitments in social care.

“To put this into perspective, a 1% increase in pay across the Local Government workforces equates to around £100m. £38m will not go very far, especially when combined with energy price hikes, supporting the most vulnerable and our commitments to tackle the climate emergency.

“This year, demand for services like social care is at an all-time high but given the range of pressure facing councils, they simply don’t have the resources they need to work towards keep people out of hospital.

“Each day during winter, there is quite rightly a focus on getting people out of hospital to free up beds– currently councils support just over 97% of patients to be discharged without delay.

“The problem is not just getting people out of hospital but stopping them going in – councils simply don’t have the resources they need to provide the care packages or the interventions that prevent ill-health.

“COSLA’s key concerns are not only the socially harmful impact of cuts on our communities, but the way in which Local Government finance has been presented to them. The messaging is that there is more money for essential services each year despite this not being the case with councils asking communities about where they want to see cuts and reductions if essential services, like schools, roads, waste collection, child and adult protection, environmental health and social care are to continue to be delivered, every day of every year.”

More support to make homes warmer and greener

New offer to make climate-friendly energy improvements simpler

As of today it will be simpler and more affordable for people to install climate-friendly heat and energy efficiency measures in their homes.

Homeowners can now apply for a standalone grant of £7,500 from the Home Energy Scotland Scheme to install heat pumps. Previously, applicants were required to sign up for a loan before they qualified for this funding, but can now access the money directly.

The new approach is designed to offer greater flexibility for those looking to make their homes more climate-friendly.

The enhanced measures will also include an extra £1,500 to homeowners in rural areas, in line with a commitment made as part of the Bute House Agreement. A standalone grant of £7,500 for energy efficiency improvements to homes will also be made available.

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Patrick Harvie announced the changes whilst on a visit to a Home Energy Scotland advice centre in Edinburgh to learn more about the ways their advisors have been helping people to access energy efficiency funding.

He said: “Reducing emissions from our homes and buildings is one of the most important things we can do to help end Scotland’s contribution to climate change.

“Our Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out ambitious targets to transform how we heat and insulate buildings and we have committed £1.8 billion over this parliament to support its delivery. This includes doubling our funding for the Home Energy Scotland scheme this year.

“The improvements to the Home Energy Scotland Scheme – including, importantly, targeted support for those in rural areas – will make it easier for people to access funding to ensure their homes are more energy efficient and use climate friendly-heating.

“I would encourage anyone that is interested to visit the Home Energy Scotland website. Advisors are also available to guide applicants through the process.”

Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland, said: “Having a warm home and reducing energy bills are big priorities for households in Scotland. The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan will help thousands of households make much-needed improvements to their homes to keep out the cold and drive down bills.

“The changes being made mean that homeowners can now apply for grant funding without a loan; this will be a huge help towards covering the cost of making energy efficiency improvements or installing renewable systems such as heat pumps.

“The updated scheme comes at just the right time as we’re going into winter with energy prices at record highs. The rural uplift, which will provide extra financial support for those who live in rural and island communities who often face increased costs for home improvements, is especially welcome.”

Scottish Government extends support for long COVID advice line

Thousands more people living with long COVID will find it easier to get help as the Scottish Government boosts funding for an advice line.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has been awarded £157,000 to continue offering expert advice on how to manage long COVID symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness.

The charity will recruit extra staff to ensure more people can speak to a trained nurse who can offer practical support for anyone struggling with the long-term effects of COVID.

This service is helping ease winter pressure on the NHS by enabling people to speak directly to healthcare practitioners from the comfort of their own homes. This is one of the many ways the Scottish Government is boosting care in the community to help ease pressure on A&E departments.

This complements the support for long COVID already being delivered by NHS boards. The Scottish Government has made an initial £3 million available to boards to develop local pathways providing co-ordinated access to services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and mental health support.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I recognise how debilitating long COVID is for many people across Scotland – it is therefore vital that people can get help to manage their symptoms and know when to escalate and see a doctor.

“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s service is helping people with long COVID across Scotland from the comfort of their own homes – helping support them sooner and easing the pressure on our NHS over the winter months.”

CHSS Interim Chief Executive Allan Cowie said: “There are 180,000 people living with Long COVID in Scotland today and they desperately need services like this to help them get their lives back.

“CHSS is grateful to the Scottish Government for funding the national CHSS Advice Line. The advice line is a key part of the Pathway service, and this funding means we’re ready and able to work with every health board and GP in Scotland.”

Advice line user Chloe Folta, 26, from Penicuik became ill with COVID-19 in December 2021.

The biology and science teacher said: “I was referred to CHSS in March. I filled out an online survey that asked what kind of support or help I needed, so I was able to request telephone support. And that was so helpful to me.

“The calls were partly about how I could manage my symptoms, deal with the pain and eventually get back to work, and they were really specific to me, which was great. What was really beneficial was that CHSS gave me advice on how to talk to my doctor about the symptoms. 

“I still suffer from fatigue and muscle and chest pain. Brain fog has been a real issue, too. I was very active before, and it’s been hard to adjust and scale back to doing almost nothing.

“It felt very supportive to speak to someone from CHSS and know that someone understood and was sympathetic to what I was going through. Having this service is a must for people in my situation. We all need that support.” 

Two community support co-ordinators will deliver one-to-one and group support, and five healthcare practitioners will work on the CHSS Advice Line to offer expert support, advice and reassurance to anyone living with long COVID.

To contact the Advice Line nurses:

Movement for Good Award for The Edinburgh Remakery

The Edinburgh Remakery has been granted £10,000 as part of the Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards. 

The latest phase of the Movement for Good Awards will see more than £500,000 in funding be awarded to 31 charities working across the climate change and environment, education and skills, heritage and arts and rural and community sectors.

The Scottish based charity is an award-winning environmental social enterprise committed to creating a culture of sustainable, waste-free living and protecting the planet for future generations.

The £10,000 funding will go towards the charity’s Tech Exchange for Community Hubs project, which will gift up to 200 refurbished electronic devices to 10 Community Hubs, giving their beneficiaries essential access to digital support and services and replacing old devices with newer, higher quality, refurbished ones.

The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities and beyond. More than 500 charities applied for the funding with the winning projects being selected against four criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “At Benefact Group we believe business should be a force for good. More than ever, charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability.

“Through our Movement for Good larger-grant awards, we are championing a more imaginative way of supporting charities so that they can have some certainty in these challenging times.

“We know our funding can be a lifeline to those who are struggling with cost-of-living increases and a grant of this scale can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do.  

“Benefact Group is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all our available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do.”

Elaine Brown, CEO of The Edinburgh Remakery Ltd, said: “The Edinburgh Remakery social enterprise is committed to supporting people in our communities whilst creating positive change for our planet.

“We reduce waste by taking in old electronics to be refurbished and reused, we reduce carbon emissions by providing affordable and eco-friendly alternatives to buying new, and we support our communities by providing people in need with gifted tech devices and valuable life skills to improve employability, confidence and wellbeing.

“Thanks to the Movement for Good funding, we are able to further our mission and help even more people whilst reducing waste and helping our planet at the same time.”

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.

£150,000 Award for Civic Arts Organisations open for applications

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation opens applications for £150,000 Award for Civic Arts Organisations

Cultural organisations across the United Kingdom have been invited to apply for the £150,000 Award for Civic Arts Organisations, run by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. 

This year’s award is themed around ‘Co-Creating the Future’. It spotlights organisations that are helping to transform communities, even in the most challenging of contexts – whether by igniting joy, hope, compassion and energy, improving wellbeing, forging new connections, or developing solutions.

The Award for Civic Arts Organisations began in 2020, as a response to the Covid19 pandemic. This year, many arts organisations still face difficulties: according to Arts Council Wales, the costs of staging cultural activities have risen by as much as 40 per cent. The Award offers prize funding of £150,000, one of the largest amounts for an award in the arts.

Louisa Hooper, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch), said: “The Award for Civic Arts Organisations is designed to support cultural projects that put community at their hearts. In difficult times, it’s more important than ever that art and culture are available to everyone.

“By prioritising co-creation, this year we’re looking to recognise organisations that create lasting change by working with and in communities to address their needs and concerns, deepen relationships, and use arts and creativity to enable positive change.”

Previous recipients of the award include The Art House in Wakefield, which created the first studio sanctuary for asylum seekers in the UK, Project Art Works, a collective of neurodivergent artists and activists based in Hastings, and Heart n Soul and the Museum of Homelessness, both based in London.

Baroness Bull, chair of the Award panel, said: “The Award for Civic Arts Organisations is vitally important in encouraging and rewarding genuine engagement and co-creation with local communities.

“In the years since the award was founded, we’ve seen hundreds of entries from organisations across the UK demonstrating a commitment to changing lives through art.”

Sydney Thornbury, CEO of The Art House in Wakefield, highlights the impact the award can have for organisations themselves: “The stability the Award provided combined with these new funding opportunities has deepened the work we were already doing and has opened up new opportunities for how we can further extend our civic impact.”

The independent panel of judges are Darren Ferguson, CEO/Founder, Beyond Skin; Ica Headlam, Founder, We Are Here Scotland; Philipp Dietachmair, Head of Programmes, European Cultural Foundation; Rachel Noel, Head of Programmes and Partnerships, Tate; Rhiannon White, Co-Artistic Director, Common Wealth Theatre; Saad Eddine Said, CEO/Artistic Director, New Art Exchange; and Sydney Thornbury, CEO/Artistic Director, The Art House (main recipient of 2022 Award).

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, founded in 1956, was one of the earliest champions of community engagement in the arts.

In 1959, it published the seminal report Help For The Arts, which pioneered ideas including artists and writers in residence in non-artistic institutions, and arguing for more focused and sustained funding for arts organisations outside London and the major cities.

‘Perfect storm’ of financial pressure facing Scotland’s cultural sector

A ‘perfect storm’ of financial pressure is being faced by Scotland’s cultural sector. This is the warning from the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

In a report published this week, Holyrood’s Committee looks ahead to the Scottish Government’s 2023-24 budget and the impact of budgetary decisions on Scotland’s culture sector. It calls on increased urgency to address budget pressures through innovative approaches to funding.

The report underlines recommendations made by the Committee during previous budget scrutiny. It calls for these innovate approaches to be accelerated in order to address the difficulties being faced.

During its consideration, the Committee heard the challenges facing that sector have become more acute as it struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and further compounded by the cost of living crisis following on from longer term budget pressures. The Committee has recommended taking an innovative approach to budgeting including greater use of public and private investment as well as multiyear funding.

The Committee also repeats its call from last year for the mainstreaming of the culture budget. It also asks the Scottish Government for updates on embedding culture more broadly as part its plans for a wellbeing economy.  This would take into account the contribution which preventative spend in areas like the arts and other cultural activities makes towards health and wellbeing.

Speaking as the report launched, the Committee Convener Clare Adamson MSP said: “Scotland’s cultural sector plays a vital role in Scottish life. But we heard blunt warnings from those within the sector that stark choices lie ahead.

“Increased operating costs come at a time when most cultural venues are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and without truly innovative approaches to funding, there is a real danger that Scotland’s skilled cultural workforce will be lost along with some of our best loved cultural icons.

“There are no doubt considerable pressures across all areas of the Scottish Government budget, and there are no easy choices. But the current situation provides an opportunity to accelerate these innovative solutions. The Scottish Government must take action to protect this fundamental part of our society.”