Community grants scheme now open to applicants

The scheme consists of two funding streams - Community Capacity Grants and Environment Grants.

A £425,000 fund designed to support projects and ideas to benefit the environment and local communities has opened for its fourth round of applications. 

Crown Estate Scotland’s Sustainable Communities Fund, set up in 2020, has already delivered around £970,000 in valuable support to people across the country. It consists of two grant programmes:-

Community Capacity Grants - open to all communities within five miles of Scotland’s coastline, or one of Crown Estate Scotland’s four rural estates. Early-stage financial support is available for community projects that will contribute to local regeneration and sustainable development. Grants will range between £20,000 and £50,000, with a total of £300,000 being made available in this year of the programme. 

Environment Grants - available to Crown Estate Scotland tenants, providing grants of between £5000 and £20,000 for projects which can deliver demonstrable environmental benefits within 18 months of an award being made. A total of £125,000 is available this year.

Annie Breaden, Head of Policy for Crown Estate Scotland, said: “Over the past three years the Sustainable Communities Fund has provided almost £1m in practical support to an incredible array of projects across Scotland, helping people and their communities.”

Full details on the application process and how grants will be allocated can be found on the Crown Estate Scotland website. The deadline for Expressions of Interest for the Community Capacity Grants Programme is September 26 and October 23 for the Environment Grants Programme.