Scotrail cash for culture projects
ScotRail has launched a new Cultural and Arts Fund, worth £80,000 to local communities across Scotland. The Fund will award £40,000 by the end of January 2016, followed by £10k each quarter until January 2017. Continue reading All aboard for arts funding
Dunedin Canmore and Port of Leith Housing Associations among projects t0 receive People and Communities Fund awards
Projects which promote healthy eating, IT skills and household budgeting will receive more than £690,000 funding to tackle poverty and inequalities in Edinburgh, it was announced this morning.
Fourteen projects from across the city have secured a share of the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund (PCF) to change disadvantaged communities by providing advice, training or voluntary opportunities.
These include Port of Leith Housing Association’s Canny Budgeting which will receive £35,000 to offer advice to residents on tackling fuel poverty, more than £10,000 for Dunedin Canmore Housing Ltd’s Digital Skills for All for IT workshops and £23,000 for Broomhouse Health Strategy’s healthy eating classes.
The 20 More project, will receive £37,000 through PCF to empower local people and help households save £20 a week, through training opportunities which will allow them to gain skills and qualifications in community development, and benefits and energy advice, at the project’s community shop.
Speaking on a visit to the 20 More Community Shop and Serenity Café which is also operated by Comas, Community Empowerment Minister Marco Biagi said: “Every community in Scotland has different challenges and aspirations and there is no one-size fits all approach to tackling poverty.
“That’s why our People and Communities Fund is giving communities in Edinburgh the power and confidence to shape their own futures.
“With household budgets under pressure, it’s great to see a project like 20 More looking for ways to save 600 of the area’s most vulnerable families at least £20 a week and helping to ease some of the stress of paying their bills.”
Ruth Campbell, Chief Executive of Comas said: “We are so pleased that the Scottish Government is focusing on empowering communities, as sustainable change must be community-led and start from the grassroots. This grant enables us to put local people in the driving seat and builds their capacity for community-led action.
“Training local people in benefits advice and energy saving will directly impact on wellbeing in this community. It will also help some residents gain employment in these growing sectors, so the grant will have a strong ripple effect.”
See below for the full list of projects to receive PCF awards:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/community/pcf/awards
Leith-based The Junction youth project has been awarded £30,000 from The King’s Fund. The Junction is the only Scottish project among ten recipients of a GSK IMPACT Award, which recognises excellence in health and wellbeing – and The Junction is one of a very select few to have won the award TWICE!
The GSK community investment programme has been running for 18 years, during which time it has awarded more than £5 million in unrestricted funding to charities across the UK. This year’s winning organisations were selected from more than 350 charities who applied for the GSK IMPACT Awards, which are run in partnership with The King’s Fund.
Winning charities are also given access to a free training and development programme and are invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network. This Network offers previous winners the opportunity to develop their staff and provides a forum to share and learn from each other’s experiences and expertise.
This year’s winners will join more than 60 previous winning organisations from across the UK, who have committed to ongoing professional development, collaboration and delivering outstanding services to patients and communities.
An overall winner, who will receive an additional £10,000 in funding, will be announced at an award ceremony recognising all winners to be held at the Science Museum in London on Thursday 14 May 2015.
The winners were selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts including broadcast journalist Fiona Phillips; Gilly Green, Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief; Sir Christopher Gent, Chair of GSK; and Sir Chris Kelly, Chair of The King’s Fund.
Katie Pinnock, Director, UK & Ireland Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said: ‘These awards recognise charities that make an incredible difference to many people’s lives right across the country. The programme has grown immensely since we started in 1997, and we are extremely proud of the way it has brought people together, enabling them to share knowledge and learn from each other. Each year we are impressed, inspired and moved, not only by the innovation and talent in the work our winning charities undertake, but by the commitment and dedication of everyone involved.’
Sam Anderson, director at The Junction, said: “We are delighted at being a 2015 GSK Impact Award winner. Being a GSK Impact Award winner in 2009 provided the Junction with the platform to celebrate our strengths, develop and deepen. The 2015 GSK Impact Award offers fantastic recognition of all we have achieved in the six years since and provides us with both significant funding and development opportunities which will ensure we are able to continue to flourish.”
Lisa Weaks, Third Sector Programme Manager at The King’s Fund, said: ‘Charities provide important services and support in our health and social care system. These winners show just how much can be achieved with relatively limited funds, through the passion and dedication of the organisations and their volunteers. Their work spans the whole of our lives – they can help prevent young people from making detrimental decisions like taking up smoking, or provide support for people at the end of their lives so they can make the right decisions for them and their family. Their energy and commitment is inspirational.’
A Junction spokesperson added: “We have been named a winner of the GSK IMPACT Awards, and in fact we’re one of the rare organisations that have won twice! Not only is this a huge honour but it is a great way to recognise how The Junction has continued to strive for excellence year after year.”
The ten winners are:
£2.86 m to local communities to help tackle climate change
Two Leith-based community projects are among thirty-three organisations from across the country to receive grants from the latest round of Climate Challenge Funding announced today.
The Fund has helped communities throughout Scotland reduce, reuse and recycle their waste, increase the energy efficiency of homes and community buildings, encourage active travel and the use of low-carbon transport, and promote and produce local food.
Leith Schools Food Project will receive almost £109,000 and The Himalayan Centre Climate Change Hub will receive over £70,500 from the fund.
Leith Schools Food Project, run by Leith Community Crops in Pots, will reduce food-related carbon emissions through the establishment of community growing space at three local primary schools and initiatives to encourage production and consumption of local, lower carbon produce. Additional project activities include a programme to help reduce food waste and encourage composting. (£108,966)
The Himalayan Centre Climate Change Hub will operate from the Himalayan Centre for Arts & Culture in Leith, Edinburgh. Advice will be available to help the local community reduce home energy use and carbon emissions with the hub also providing a meeting space to learn more about climate change. A bike pool and cycle training will support lower carbon travel while swap shop events will re-use items that would have been destined for landfill. (£70,510).
Announcing the awards, Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod said the awards will support local communities to take action on climate change and move to low-carbon living.
Dr McLeod said: “Climate change is one of the most serious challenges to global society and the natural environment both at home and abroad. We know that reducing greenhouse gas emissions isn’t easy, but the Scottish Government takes climate change extremely seriously. This is why we have set the most ambitious global targets to cut emissions.
“Some of the best initiatives to reduce carbon are devised and delivered at a local level. That is why I’m delighted to announce the latest round of grant awards. Beyond doubt, the Climate Challenge Fund is making a real difference in our transition to a low carbon future.
“To date we have invested £64.4 million in the Climate Challenge Fund and helped 527 community led organisations across the length and breadth of Scotland tackle climate change at a local level.”
Derek Robertson, Chief Executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “We congratulate the latest projects to be awarded Climate Challenge Fund and Junior Climate Challenge Fund grants and look forward to working closely with them in the implementation of their projects.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful is very proud to support community action on climate change through our management and development of the Climate Challenge Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government and see it as part of our work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.”
Other city projects to receive good news today are Community Alliance Trust’s Magdalene Community Food Growing Project (£119,251) and central Edinburgh student-led co-operative SHRUB (The Swap and Reuse Hub) who receive over £87,000.
For all full list of successful applicants see below:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/climatechange/ccf/projects/CCF20
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
Enterprising third sector organisations are being encouraged to apply for grant awards of up to £250,000 as part of the Enterprise Ready Fund, John Swinney confirmed today.
Grants will be awarded to third sector organisations with the most sustainable and ambitious business plans, and new, emerging and established organisations have until 16 June 2014 to apply for funding.
The Enterprise Ready Fund will help organisations to develop further, become more efficient and self-sustaining, or diversify and enter into new markets. Priority is being given to activities that contribute towards the Scottish Government’s Prevention and Welfare Reform agendas.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainability John Swinney said: “The third sector plays an integral role in our society, providing superb services, creating employment opportunities and connecting with the most vulnerable people in our communities.
“We’ve had a great response to the Enterprise Ready Fund so far and as we look ahead to the New Year, I’m keen to remind organisations 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.
“Through this investment successful applicants will be able to rely more on their own resources, be in a position to win more public sector contracts and be able to be more innovative and diversify into new markets.”
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: “Foundation Scotland has received applications so far from a wide range of organisations and this funding will make a real difference to them and their communities. We’re keen to receive more applications to the Enterprise Ready Fund from third sector organisations needing investment to help them win more contracts, increase sales or become more efficient. Our team is happy to speak to potential applicants and we’d encourage people to visit our website or get in touch.”
Sainsbury’s Gail Wilson (left) presented a £400 cheque to Edinburgh Athletic Club recently. Sainsburys Blackhall awarded the community grant to enable Edinburgh AC to purchase some throws equipment. The picture also includes Olympic 800m runner Lyndsey Sharp holding the cheque (far right).
Sainsbury’s Blackhall
