Community cash on offer to small charitable organisations

November 5th 2024

A fund offering grants of up to £5,000 for small community groups in Shetland has opened to applications for financial year 2025/26.

Fifteen charities have benefited under the previous round of the scheme, run by Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT) to improve the quality of life in Shetland. Among these were Sandwick Community Allotments to provide more affordable growing spaces for the community and a large polycrub for community workshops.

Shetland Samaritans used its grant to help ensure that its service is available to all in Shetland and can be delivered by volunteers from all parts of the islands. Maddrim Media was awarded funding to provide access to training and equipment essential for the continuation of its filmmaking group.

In line with all SCT’s grant aid, the Small Grant Scheme aims to support community based voluntary and charitable organisations to provide services and associated facilities that help individuals and the community to thrive. Awards can cover up to 90 per cent of a project’s costs.

The scheme is open to constituted community groups with a turnover of less than £100,000 a year. They need to demonstrate in their application that they support SCT’s Quality of Life Goals: community wellbeing, individual wellbeing, everyone matters and generational fairness.

The scheme is open to requests for help with running costs and buying equipment or adapting buildings. Applications for revenue funding can be for a minimum of one year but the trust will consider multi-year funding to a maximum of 5 years.

The closing date is Friday 24^th January 2025.

SCT chair Robert Leask said: “It’s a pleasure to offer this award scheme for another year and I hope lots of groups can make use of it. If you’re in doubt about whether your idea might qualify, please get in touch.”

Application forms and further details about the Small Grant Scheme are available on SCT’s website at www.shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk or by emailing grants@shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk

For more information

Contact: Shetland Charitable Trust - mail@shetlandcharitabletrust.co.uk - Tel: 01595 744 994

Media Contact: John Robertson - noostmedia@gmail.com - Tel: 07775 407 796

Testimonials

The funding COPE Ltd receives from the Shetland Charitable Trust supports us in many ways. It allows us to develop and maintain a strong foundation to our core business and assists us to provide on-going employment skill development opportunities to people with disabilities living within Shetland. COPE Ltd highly values the support provided to our organisation by The Shetland Charitable Trust.

“The substantial grant made to us by Shetland Charitable Trust every year allows us to provide first-class facilities and dedicated staff to underpin sporting success among people of all ages and abilities in the islands.”

Having this core funding from the Charitable Trust means that we can use that money where we need it at any given time. It's multi-year funding which really takes the pressure off. To have the funding to keep going is really important as it is improving the lives of disabled folk in Shetland.

The funding that we get from the Charitable Trust pays for part of staff support and matching with other funders. Without local funders we wouldn't have national funders, and without either of those funders, we wouldn't be able to do this, so funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust is incredibly important.

The funding Shetland Arts gets from Shetland Charitable Trust is about making sure the organisation can thrive, access other funds, and deliver on behalf of the community of Shetland. Our funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust really helps us with our conversations with national funders because it shows that we're working on behalf of what the local objectives and priorities are.

The Access to Leisure scheme was introduced to allow folk to be able to get access to classes and activities for a lower cost. I feel that the SRT play a critical role in every community across Shetland and that's all down to the funding of the Shetland Charitable Trust that we're able to maintain that.

Unpaid carers do an amazing job looking after people 24/7 in their own homes, keeping them living at home safely, and they really need help to do that. Thanks to the funding from Shetland Charitable Trust, we've been able to employ a deputy manager, recruit more care attendants, and provide overnights. We're also really grateful for the funding because it means that everybody can get the service for free.