SCT boosts spending on community organisations

November 21st 2024

Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT) is to spend an extra £810,000 on community grants next year as its new five-year financial plan kicks in.

It means that local charitable organisations will see up to £9.8 million coming their way during 2025/26, mainly under SCT’s Large Grant Scheme. Details of its latest awards will be announced next week.

The grants are shared among the providers of public services in sport, leisure, arts and heritage, elderly care and the voluntary sector.

Over the next five years to 2030, SCT aims to spend an extra £9.3 million on grants. This would see local charitable organisations funded to the tune of over £51m from SCT alone.

SCT chair Robert Leask said the extra would amount to a 22 per cent increase in funding from the trust over the five years.

“It will make a significant contribution to supporting the charitable activity in our community and will improve the overall quality of life in Shetland. It’s an enviable position for Shetland to be in compared to the much bleaker picture down south.

“The trust’s focus on building its funds over the previous five years means that it can afford this extra funding while ensuring that the benefits will continue to be there for future generations.”

At their meeting on Thursday trustees heard an update on their stock market investments which generate the funds that SCT passes on through grants. In recent weeks the investments recovered in value to reach £460m this week following a slump during September and October. They began the financial year in April at £445.3m.

Mr Leask said: “Our investment managers report that the markets have been volatile and will continue to be so with investors moving away from some of the tech stocks in search of more stability.”

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.