Renewable Energy Fund Grants

All projects should meet at least one of the four Themes and projects meeting the following investment priorities will score higher in assessment.

Theme one: Stronger Communities

Investment priorities

• Support for communities to consider their own priorities at a community level and deliver projects that address these priorities.
• Support for projects that seek to address fuel poverty, financial poverty or access to services.  
• Support to improve mobility for rural residents.
• Support for projects aimed at older and younger residents of remoter rural communities.
• Support to assist communities take on local community owned and/or managed assets.

Theme two: Prosperous Communities 

Investment priorities

• Support for targeted engagement in training, education and employment initiatives. 
• Support for projects that aim to improve the vitality and viability of rural town and village centres. 
• Support for growing the SME infrastructure and environment through improved business infrastructure and services but not direct to individual businesses. 
• Support to locally focused social enterprises and not for profit organisations which aims to increase profitability and numbers employed. 
• Support for tourism infrastructure, attracting visitors and or employment.  

Theme three: Healthy Active Communities 

Investment priorities

• Support for projects that help healthy and active life styles including sports, recreation and leisure.
• Support for projects that aim to maintain independence for older people and disadvantaged groups.
• Support for the relief by reason of age, ill health disability financial hardship or other disadvantage. 

Theme four: Sustainable Environmental Communities 

Investment priorities

• Support to protect and enhance the area’s natural and cultural heritage assets including increasing awareness of the asset.  
• To promote and encourage environmental enhancements including the provision or upgrade of infrastructure.
• Support for projects which aim to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, develop sustainable transport, climate change mitigation and increase community growing. 

Renewable Energy Fund priorities

Through the work of the rural Community Led Local Development Programme (CLLD) funded by Scottish Government, and community engagement such as the Rural Conference, several strategic challenges have been identified for South Lanarkshire’s rural area. The fund now seeks to create strategic and lasting change within these priority areas the priorities are listed below:

1. Transport and connectivity           
2. Recreation and community facilities
3. Rural entrepreneurial activities and business infrastructure
4. Jobs, training and employability
5. Environmental and net zero sustainability
6. Rural poverty and wellbeing
7. Tourist and visitor infrastructure to support tourism and business

Projects that address one or more of these at a strategic and significant level for rural communities may be given priority and are more likely to be funded by the REF.

Some enquiries and applications may be assessed as delivering less strategic impact and may not be funded or will require greater match funding or seek contributions from beneficiaries these areas include the following:-

• Kit and clothing for sports clubs or bands
• Bus hire and trip costs not related to the priorities
• Environmental projects with low or no carbon reduction or significant community benefit
• Christmas lighting that doesn’t reduce carbon emissions

All projects will be assessed on their value for money and benefit to the local communities.