Clyde (Dumfries and Galloway) Community Fund

About this fund

The fund is provided by SSE, Greencoat UK Wind Plc and GLIL Corporate Holdings Ltd, who own the Clyde Windfarm (Scotland) Ltd as a joint venture partnership.

The fund opened in 2012, an annual amount of £155,000, index-linked, will be paid into the fund for the operating life of the wind farm, with each community allocated a 1/12th share. In 2020, the annual contribution to the fund was just over £184,000, with each community receiving about £15,000. However, the amounts available for distribution vary, depending on each area's previous funding commitments. Some areas may have already allocated their funds and therefore no longer have funds available for grant-making.

Purpose of this fund

The fund will provide grants to support charitable activities that:

• Enhance the quality of life and promote people's well-being
• Promote community spirit and bring people together
• Foster vibrant, sustainable communities.

Grant requests to support a wide range of costs and activities will be considered, such as equipment costs, running costs for local groups, staff or sessional worker costs, consultations, and maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities.

Additional criteria

Each community makes its own recommendations about how its share of the fund will be distributed. Applications should be able to demonstrate a clear benefit to at least one of the twelve fund areas. The panel will discuss how best to support applications benefitting more than one area within the fund. To facilitate this, please provide estimates of your project’s beneficiaries in each area, if applicable.

Who can apply?

Groups and organisations working to benefit people in any of the twelve communities can apply. Your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. You don’t need to be registered charity to apply.

Applications from groups/organisations located out with the fund area will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate clear benefit for residents within the fund area.

We cannot fund the following:

• Non constituted groups.
• Applications from individuals. However, individuals may be able to apply for funding under any micro-grant scheme associated with a fund, or under some education and training funds.
• General fundraising appeals or activities.
• Trips abroad (unless otherwise stated on the fund page).
• Costs already incurred or activities which will take place before we’ve decided on an application, i.e. retrospective funding.
• The repayment of loans or payment of debts.
• The advancement of religion or politics, including requests to support religious or political groups' core activities. However, religious groups may apply for funding for non-religious activity that will benefit the wider community beyond their own specific congregation and is open to all on a non-denominational basis. For example, a church may apply for funding to upgrade a church hall that is regularly used by other community groups.
• Payments towards areas understood to be the exclusive responsibility of statutory authorities. However, we can provide grants to Parent Teacher Associations/Parent Councils if they are appropriately constituted and occasionally to schools where the activity being delivered is additional to the core curriculum/statutory activity.
• Activities that are likely to bring the fund, Foundation Scotland or the donor into disrepute. For example, we can’t fund groups or organisations using hate speech or inciting violence, or those linked to such groups or organisations.
• Activities that conflict with the interests of the funder. For example, where a renewable energy company provides funding, we can’t fund any projects or organisations that are anti-windfarm or anti-renewable energy as such activities are likely to be contrary to the interests of the funder or its subsidiaries.
• For place-based funds, we can’t support projects which don't benefit the people who live within the defined fund area. Projects that benefit people in the fund area plus others outside that area can be supported on a proportionate basis. Applicants to these funds don’t need to be based in the fund area.
• For themed/cause-related funds we can’t support projects which don’t relate to the priorities stated for the fund.
• Costs directly related to the sale of alcohol, including but not limited to the refurbishment of a bar area