Scotland Loves Local Fund: Application and Guidance [Closes 25th November 2020]

The £1 million Scottish Government Scotland Loves Local Fund aims to empower communities by enabling local delivery of projects, and giving support and guidance to help communities achieve aims important to them. The fund encourages communities to ‘love local’, recognise the importance of their local areas, and actively engage in and develop them.

Projects can include making small scale local improvements and supporting localised responses in town and settlement centres.

Applications for the fund closed on Wednesday 25th November 2020. 

 

Overview

The Scottish Government are inviting eligible groups to develop projects to improve and promote their local place and communities. This can include making small scale local improvements and supporting localised responses in town and settlement centres.

The Scotland Loves Local Fund will provide grants of between £500 and £5,000.

 

Scotland Loves Local Fund

Where you can agree a recovery strategy for your locality, the Scotland Loves Local Fund exists to help resource your project delivery through capital and revenue funding. This fund is administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership, the national body for towns, on behalf of the Scottish Government. 

Examples of relevant actions may include, but are not restricted to: 

• Marketing and advertising, using the Scotland Loves Local communications pack resources, on what local businesses have to offer. This may include developing social media, print and local campaigns around a ‘Love Local’ message.
• Small scale improvements and information to support the 20 Minute Neighbourhood concept, e.g. maps/signage/small scale infrastructure to join up neighbouring villages/suburbs as a single destination, and which advises on active travel routes and facilities available within 20 minutes.
• Providing information for local residents/tourists (such as in the lead up to Christmas) on safe shopping, business, community and leisure opportunities, in local places.
• Physical distancing and public health infrastructure: Supply or installation of distancing markers, outdoor protection while queuing, street marking, protective screens, PPE, and hand sanitising equipment. Please note, applications should only include future procurement of PPE and infrastructure and not retrospective claims.
• Make minor adaptations to continue trading safely and improve the local environment: This could include canopies, outdoor furniture and lighting.
• Small scale green infrastructure projects, such as ‘pocket parks’, tree and greenery planting, or refurbishment/enhancement of vacant and derelict sites.

 

Eligibility

We are inviting applications from constituted groups with bank accounts and suitable governance controls, and where a recovery plan has been agreed in partnership with the local authority. Local authorities are also able to apply directly to the fund.  ​Please note that this fund is unable to provide direct support to individual businesses (private, for profit) - for information on business support funding see here.

Constituted groups may include:

• Town Centre Partnerships and Town Teams,
• Chambers of Commerce,
• Community or Development Trusts,
• Charitable Community Groups,
• Business/Trader Associations,
• Business Improvement Districts
• Housing Associations,
• Cooperatives, Social Enterprises and the Third sector,
• Community Interest Companies (CICs),
• Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs)
• Local Authorities
• Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs)

Please contact Scotland's Towns Partnership at [email protected] if you are unsure if your organisation is eligible to apply.

The fund may prioritise projects that:

• include community collaboration on shared ambitions for their place.
• evidence solutions that contribution to Scotland’s net-zero emissions target.
• evidence inclusion.
• are from towns which are not already in receipt of funding from the Towns and BIDs Resilience and Recovery Fund.

 

Process and Timeline

Scotland’s Towns Partnership will assess and make recommendations on applications to Scottish Government for final agreement before awards are made. Please note the following dates: 

• Sunday 18^th October - Applications open.

• Applications can be submitted at any time until the closing date. It is envisaged that there will be a Tranche 1 payment around the beginning of November, with a Tranche 2 of Awards following soon after the closing date.

• Wednesday 25^th November, 5pm – Applications close.

 

Application and Guidance

To apply, please download and fill out the application form below, and return to: [email protected]. 

Please consult the guidance document before making your application to ensure you meet all criteria.

For queries or enquiries, you can contact Alison Jones at: [email protected].

Scotland Loves Love Fund - Application Guidance Note (click to download).