Scottish charities welcome £889,880 of grants from Bank of Scotland Foundation in first half of 2018

A total of 44 charities have welcomed £889,880 of funding from Bank of Scotland Foundation’s Small, Medium and Large Grants Programmes during the first half of 2018, benefitting community projects right across Scotland. 

Of these, six were charities receiving Large Grants totalling £482,170. Now in its fourth year, the Large Grants programme provides successful charities with steady, reliable, funding of between £50,000 and £100,000 for larger projects over one or two years. Awards made this year were for:- 

• The cost of project workers for a digital inclusion project run by Thenue Housing Association in Glasgow (£100,000); 
• Staff and running costs to support six cafes run by Healthy Valleys in Lanark which deliver food and hygiene courses to vulnerable people (£89,730);
• Salary and running costs to enable Lodging House Mission in Glasgow to continue providing food and shelter for the homeless seven days a week (£82,965); 
• The costs of a senior welfare officer within Glasgow's Golden Generation who will advise and guide clients through the benefits system and to access entitlements. (£78,646);
• Staff and running costs so Coatbridge Citizens Advice Bureau can deliver a frontline financial advice project and raise awareness of financial literacy to vulnerable clients (£74,413); and 
• Support worker costs, so that YMCA Glenrothes can support young people for up to a year who progress to their own tenancies, particularly those that have been through care (£56,416). 

So far this year, the Foundation’s Small and Medium Grant Programmes have provided 38 charities with funding crucial to them delivering a range of services and personal support within their local communities. Funding has been used for a wide range of projects, from covering running costs of an outreach café that supports people with mental health issues and drug / alcohol addictions; delivering dance classes for adults with mental and physical disabilities; delivering money advice and financial skills training to prisoners due for release; to providing advice and support to families that have a child with disabilities.     

It’s impossible for charities to operate without staff or volunteers so it’s little surprise that many of the grants awarded so far this year involved the funding of, or a contribution towards, staff costs. Bank of Scotland Foundation is one of the few grant makers who will provide funding for core costs such as salaries, rent or running costs, enabling charities to provide specific programmes or projects within their communities that they may otherwise struggle to operate. 

Philip Grant, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Scottish Executive Committee, Lloyds Banking Group said, “Demand from charities for funding will undoubtedly continue to rise under the current climate, so we are delighted that our Small, Medium and Large Grants Programmes will help support these 44 Scottish charities and the communities they serve. 

“We are also excited to be supporting Scottish charities even further this year, with the launch of our new Mental Health Fund, where £320,000 of funding is available to mental health charities and other charities that deliver projects focussing on mental health. We are pleased that our funding programmes help people across Scotland to benefit from a variety of much needed local services and personal support.”

Charities who wish to apply for the Foundation’s new stand-alone Mental Health Fund, or the third tranche of the 2018 Small and Medium Grants, have until 12 noon on 6 July 2018 to send in their applications. 

The Small, Medium and Large Grant approvals for Scotland in the first half of 2018 were: