A Scottish Government funding programme is now open in Dumfries and Galloway to support community facilities and mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
The Community Led Local Development (CLLD) programme will make more than £566,000 in funding available this year for revenue and capital projects.
Dumfries and Galloway-based charities, constituted community groups, co-operatives, public sector organisations, small and medium-sized enterprises, community interest companies, and community benefit societies can all apply.
A Local Action Group made up of representatives from the third, public, and private sectors will decide what applications are successful.
There are four priorities within Dumfries and Galloway:
- Enabling community facilities / assets to make changes in pursuit of becoming carbon neutral.
- Supporting activities that enable small communities to avoid further loss of amenities, such as community transport, meeting places, and leisure and sport facilities.
- Enabling service providers to deliver support to the most vulnerable and in need families across the region to help address the cost-of-living crisis and eradicate poverty.
- Supporting activities that identify and assess community needs in advance of the place planning production, such as consultation and engagement work.
Full information on the CLLD and how to apply can be found here: www.tsdg.org.uk/clld
The grant funding has been split into a Small Revenue Grants Programme, worth a total of £60,000 and open to applications up to £3,000, and a Main Revenue and Capital Grants Programme, with £450,531 revenue funding and £56,000 capital funding available and open to applications from £3,001 up to £60,000.
The deadline for applications is 12pm on Monday September 25. Projects must have spent their grant and completed their activity by Sunday March 31 next year.
Applications are encouraged from rural Dumfries and Galloway, though applications will be considered from organisations based in Dumfries and Stranraer, if the majority of beneficiaries are based outside the boundaries of the particular town.
The current membership of the LAG is: Chair Harry Harbottle (third sector), Vice-Chair Karen Ward Boyd (third sector) Susan Garnsworthy (third sector), Helen Keron (third sector), Rose Murdoch (third sector), Lara Porter (third sector), Charlotte Gibson (third sector), Lewis Shaw (third sector), James Galloway (third sector), Councillor Archie Dryburgh (public sector), Economic Development representative from Dumfries and Galloway Council (public sector), Professor Nick Sparks, (public sector), Sharon Ogilvie (public sector), Will Marshall (private sector).
Further representatives will come from Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce (private sector), National Farmers Union, Scotland (private sector), Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere (third sector), and two youth representatives.
The LAG will be supported by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway.
Harry Harbottle, LAG Chair, said: “We know from what is going on in our communities that they can be very agile in finding new ways to deal with the economic and social challenges that face them.
“This fund, with its key priorities of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and reducing energy costs at community facilities, will help those communities further respond to those challenges and at the same time nurture community capacity.”
Karen Ward Boyd, Vice-chair, said: “I would encourage organisations and companies to consider applying for CLLD funds to help strengthen the resilience of our region and develop opportunities for growth across the breadth of Dumfries and Galloway.
“I am delighted to be a part of the local action group and to help support investment in our local communities.”
Norma Austin Hart, TSDG’s CEO, said: “Our team is delighted to help bring this new funding opportunity for the community groups and charities in the region. We look forward to seeing project applications about the important services that could be supported by the CLLD fund.
“The voluntary sector plays such an important part in supporting vulnerable people and communities in Dumfries and Galloway and we want the fund to be used as effectively as possible.”