Trust opens doors to funding bids
New funds are on offer to charitable organisations in Shetland to improve people’s quality of life by addressing clear need or filling gaps in existing services or activities. The extra grant aid of up to £1 million a year from Shetland Charitable Trust will be targeted particularly at projects designed to reduce inequalities and social exclusion in the islands.
The new money available under the Main Grant Scheme is part of the charity’s grant budget of up to £8.2m for 2020/21, an increase on this year’s maximum of £7.3m. The increased spending is part of a new five-year strategy agreed by the trust in September.
The Main Grant Scheme is open to organisations with a turnover of more than £50,000 a year undertaking charitable activities in the fields of social care and welfare, arts and culture, heritage and the environment or sport and recreation.
Trust chairman Dr Andrew Cooper said: “We are beginning to move in a new direction as a trust and there’s a determination among trustees that the extra funds we can now afford are spent in ways that make a real difference in the community. As a trustee board we want to better demonstrate the impacts and outcomes achieved through trust funds”
Bids for the new funds are capped at £100,000 for 2020/21. Applicants will have to outline clearly the gaps identified in existing services or activities and how they aim to address these. Attention should be paid to how grant aid will contribute to promoting inclusion and reducing inequalities, what outcomes will be achieved and how these would be measured and evaluated.
To apply, the first step is to complete a short Expression of Interest form, which will gauge eligibility for the scheme. The closing date for Expressions of Interest is 13th January. Eligible organisations will then be invited to submit full application forms with a view to decisions being made in early June.
To help groups with their bids, the trust plans a series of information sessions at its offices at 22-24 North Road, Lerwick, to explain the process and answer questions. The first two sessions are set for 26th November at 4pm and 27th November at 11am. Places should be booked in advance by emailing grants@shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk
Forms for Expressions of Interest are available by email request or to download from the trust’s website at www.shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk
Once the new-look Main Grant Scheme is up-and-running successfully, the trust intends widening access to its enlarged funding pot from 2021/22 by inviting smaller organisations and individuals to apply through its Small Grant Scheme.
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For more information, contact John Robertson on 07775 407 796 or email noostmedia@gmail.com
