Shedloads of Opportunities

• Health & Wellbeing
• Social Connection Projects

Grants (up to £25,000) are available to small charities or community groups in Scotland for work addressing sport, health, culture, animal welfare, or recreational facilities.

Grants are available to support services/projects in the following categories:

• Sport - Projects to encourage and increase public participation in sport (eligible activities should involve physical skill and exertion).
• Recreational facilities - Providing or organising recreational facilities (buildings, pitches or similar) with the aim of improving the conditions of life for the people for whom the facilities are primarily intended. This is only in relation to facilities which are primarily intended for people who need them due to age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
• Animal welfare - The advancement of animal welfare.
• Health - The advancement of health, including prevention or relief of sickness, disease or human suffering.
• Culture - Supporting the heritage - tangible or otherwise - of Scotland, through projects that encourage participation in and preservation of Scotland's distinctive culture.

Grants are available for any purpose that provides a benefit to the applicant's target audience.

Examples of eligible activities and costs are as follows:

• Capital projects (such as equipment, fixtures, fittings and refurbishments)
• One-off projects
• Running costs
• Core costs
• Salaries

• Capital & Equipment

Grants are being invited from community groups, charities and cooperatives throughout Aberdeenshire (excluding the Cairngorms area) and can fund specific activities aimed at benefitting rural communities in the region.

There are two types of grants available:

Capital grants for new projects to support expenditure on assets which will last longer than one year, for expenditure such as:

The purchase of equipment over £6,000
Improvement to buildings and property
Construction of paths
Retrofit upgrades to properties
Revenue grants to support new projects, which are not capital and not part of the core running costs of the organisation, such as:

Feasibility studies
Alleviation of poverty measures
Access to services
Supporting children to gain new skills
Applications will be assessed and approved by the Aberdeenshire Local Action Group (LAG), a cross-sector partnership which represents rural communities throughout Aberdeenshire.

Grants will be targeted towards capital expenditure which can be delivered before 28th February 2027 and supports one or more of the following priorities:

An inclusive and connected Aberdeenshire – Enabling better connections within and across rural Aberdeenshire Communities
Accountable and Fair Aberdeenshire – Ensuring no one community is left behind or exposed to the devastating effects of inequality and poverty.
Sustainability of Places and Planet - Achieving a just transition to net zero through reducing emissions and regenerating the local environment

• Community Development
• General & Misc
• Health & Wellbeing
• Social Connection Projects

Grants of up to £3,000 are available per year for three years.

The total cost of the project should not exceed £50,000.

Small grants are available for UK registered non-profit organisations supporting grassroots projects in diverse and deprived communities in the United Kingdom.

The scheme provides small grants to support independent UK registered non-for-profit organisations for grassroots, community-based projects that fall within its core funding themes:
• Heritage and conservation – the preservation of historic and culturally important buildings and traditional craftmanship, together with the sustainable regeneration of communities and the built environment across the globe.
• Education – supporting education, training and employability opportunities through which young people and adults can fulfil their potential. This includes grants to non-profit organisations working to narrow the attainment gap, support broader education through music, the arts, sports and outdoor pursuits, as well as investing in teachers continuing professional development.
• Health and wellbeing – improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities. Grants have enabled people with disabilities, those facing life limiting illnesses and people from disadvantaged and marginalised communities to benefit from improved physical and mental health.
• Social inclusion – promoting social inclusion for vulnerable and marginalised communities through projects that relieve poverty, loneliness and other social issues.
• Environment – protecting and promoting the natural world through efforts including habitat restoration, species conservation, carbon savings and sequestration and circular economies.
• Countryside – investing in the economic and environmental future of the countryside. This includes grants to support sustainable and regenerative agriculture, nature friendly farming practices and a brighter future for those who live and work in rural communities.

Priority will be given to projects serving the most disadvantaged communities.

Funding provided through this programme is restricted and must be used exclusively for the project. Core costs or staff salaries may be covered, provided these expenses are directly attributable to the delivery of the project. For example funding for a youth coordinator’s salary to support the delivery of a youth project will be considered.

• Community Development
• General & Misc
• Health & Wellbeing
• Older People
• Social Connection Projects

Grants range from £500 to £25,000.

The following funding levels apply to specific applicants:

• Applicants that are not formally registered as a charity with OSCR can apply for between £500 and £2,500 in funding.
• Applicants that are registered with OSCR and can provide a charity number can apply for between £500 and £25,000 in funding.

• Arts, Culture & Heritage, Community Development

Helps transform historic buildings at the heart of communities (churches, mills, police stations, etc.) into viable community assets such as workspaces, housing, or cultural centres.