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Scotland Loves Local Fund

Eligible activity

The Scottish Government are inviting eligible groups to develop projects to improve and promote their local place and communities. This can include making small scale local improvements and supporting localised responses in town and settlement centres. The fund encourages communities to ‘love local’, recognise the importance of their local areas, and actively engage in and develop them.

Eligible applicants

We are inviting applications from constituted groups with bank accounts and suitable governance controls, and where a recovery plan has been agreed in partnership with the local authority. Local authorities are also able to apply directly to the fund.

Eligible costs include

Ideas of the types of projects considered:

Revenue projects

  • Marketing and Advertising, using the Scotland Loves Local communications pack resources, on what local businesses have to offer. This may include developing social media, print and local campaigns around a ‘Love Local’ message.
  • Small scale improvements and information to support the 20 Minute Neighbourhood concept, e.g. maps/signage/small scale infrastructure to join up neighbouring villages/suburbs as a single destination
  • Providing information for local residents/tourists (such as in the lead up to Christmas) on safe shopping, business, community and leisure opportunities, in local places.
  • Projects to encourage cooperatives, independents and social enterprises to develop local initiatives, collaborations and ownership (such as Community Wealth Building approaches).
  • Create local online job or volunteering platforms.

Capital projects

  • Physical distancing and public health infrastructure: Supply or installation of distancing markers, outdoor protection while queuing, street marking, protective screens, PPE, and hand sanitising equipment. Please note, applications should only include future procurement of PPE and infrastructure and not retrospective claims.
  • Make minor adaptations to continue trading safely and improve the local environment: This could include canopies, outdoor furniture and lighting.
  • Small scale green infrastructure projects, such as ‘pocket parks’, tree and greenery planting, or refurbishment/enhancement of vacant and derelict sites.
  • Shared home delivery digital schemes to encourage digital shopping in the local community using local providers instead of major chains.
  • Local digital projects for advertising, provision of information, similar to work being carried out by some Business Improvement Districts and aligned with national platform projects.

Deadline

Applications close at 5pm, Wednesday 25 November 2020

Min award: £500

Max award: £5000

How to apply

  • Application form and guidance available online at https://www.scotlandstowns.org/scotland_loves_local_fund_application_form_and_guidance
  • There will be a Tranche 1 payment around the beginning of November, with the second Tranche of Awards following soon after the closing date.
  • Priority consideration may be given to towns in areas of higher multiple deprivation.
  • Multiple grant applications for one settlement will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.

Funder contact details

For queries or enquiries, email Alison Jones at alison@scotlandstowns.org.