Information - Organisations

Funding

Midlothian Voluntary Action (MVA) offer a range of Funding Support services that are open to any Midlothian voluntary organisations or community group, including:

assistance in identifying potential sources of funding for your project;
guidance on completing application forms and application letters;
support through the application process;
for larger projects, we can offer some assistance in drafting a Business Plan;
help in identifying other organisations who can be of assistance and networks that will be of use;
support in identifying the need and the potential demand for your project;
for successful projects, advice and assistance in complying with funding agencies' monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Please note that while we cannot complete applications and letters for you, we will work to ensure that you have the knowledge, skills and confidence to do these tasks yourself.

To see if we can help you apply for funding, contact the Development Officer (Funding) on 0131 663 9471. Download our leaflet "Funding, Advice, and Information Services".

In addition:

we publish "Funding Signpost" - a funding briefing for social enterprises. This is produced by the Development Officer (Funding). A sample can be downloaded from here - Funding Digest December 2008 (298kb, .pdf). If you wish to receive future issues, please contact MVA on 0131 663 9471, or send a message from the MVA contacts page.
the Information Officer holds e-mail lists for a number of subjects, including Funding, and produces regular "Midlothian Info" e-briefings which includes Funding information. Further details of the e-mail lists, copies of previous e-briefings, as well as other publications, are available on the Publications section of this website. If you would like to be added to any of the e-mail lists, please complete the online form from that section.
information on local funding is sometimes added to the News section.

Here are some of funding websites and portals which may be useful for organisations working in Midlothian:

Awards for All - Scotland - http://www.awardsforall.org.uk - unlike many funders, organisations do not require to have charitable status to apply. Awards for All give out grants from £500 to £10,000 and give priority to small groups.
Big Lottery Fund (BLF) - http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Coalfields Regeneration Trust - http://www.coalfields-regen.org.uk
Heritage Lottery Fund - http://www.hlf.org.uk - - The Heritage Lottery Fund uses money from the National Lottery. They give grants to support a wide range of projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the United Kingdom.
LEADER in Midlothian and East Lothian - http://www.tyneesk.co.uk - Tyne Esk LEADER Programme 2008 – 2013 ‘Supporting Opportunities for Rural Communities’ If you live in rural Midlothian and have a community project that has expenditure above £1,000 LEADER could be for you. The Programme will provide grants to projects that are innovative in nature and demonstrate community support and involvement. Grants of up to £50,000 are available. For help with applications and a full explanation of all LEADER grant schemes please contact Jayne on 01620 82 7101 or email leader@eastlothian.gov.uk.
Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland - http://www.ltsbfoundationforscotland.org.uk - an independent charitable Trust, funding registered charities focusing on the needs of people in Scottish communities. Grantfunding was suspended in October 2009 but has now reopened - further information from their website.
Midlothian Council Small Projects Regeneration Fund - Are you involved in a community group in Midlothian? Does your group have an idea for a small project or feasibility study to tackle poverty, community development, regeneration, engaging young people or which promotes social inclusion. Grants of up to £1,500 are available to community groups benefiting Midlothian residents. This Fund usually has two rounds in Spring and Autumn. Please contact the Regeneration Development Team on 0131 271 3199
Midlothian Council - Online Funding Database - http://www.open4community.info/midlothian - This is an excellent FREE resource for community groups and voluntary organisations, however, please note that some of the additional information may apply only to England and Wales – if in doubt about information, e.g. relating to charity law, contact the Information Officer, Midlothian Voluntary Action, tel: 0131 663 9471, or by form.
Midlothian Federation of Community Councils (MFCC) Local Grant Scheme - grants of up to £500 from your Community Council. The Community Council Grants scheme is administered through the Midlothian Federation of Community Councils. Funding is provided in part by the Scottish Government and the European Community Tyne Esk Leader Programme. Funding is intended to help rural communities grow stronger through new activities or businesses. Further information from the http://www.open4community.info/midlothian Funding database.
Scottish Community Foundation - http://www.scottishcf.org/strengthening-communities/apply-for-a-grant/ - as at November 2009 they had two main programmes (from £250 to £5,000): General Grants; and Grants for Women's Projects.
Voluntary Action Fund - http://www.voluntaryactionfund.org.uk
WREN - Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd - http://www.wren.org.uk - WREN provides grants for community and environmental projects. Funding is generated by Waste Recycling Group Ltd (WRG) landfill operations via the Landfill Communities Fund. Funded projects have to be within 10 miles of a WRG landfill site.

Funding Portals (gateways to other funders)

Midlothian Council - New Online Funding Database - http://www.open4community.info/midlothian - This project is run by Midlothian Council in partnership with East Lothian and West Lothian Council and is being part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Tyne Esk LEADER 2007-2013 Programme. The Online Funding Database is available to individuals, community and voluntary groups in Midlothian. This is an excellent FREE resource for community groups and voluntary organisations, however, please note that some of the additional information may apply only to England and Wales – if in doubt about information, e.g. relating to charity law, contact Midlothian Voluntary Action, e-mail margaret.nisbet@mvacvs.org.uk, tel: 0131 663 9471.
FunderFinder - http://www.funderfinder.org.uk - They sell grant-seeking software, but the website also contains some very useful free software Apply Yourselves and Budget Yourselves, plus a number of useful information sheets, and links to funders.
National Rural Network - http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk - this website has a funding section which contains lots of info on funding available for rural areas -
Voluntary Arts Scotland - http://www.voluntaryarts.org - this website contains links to information on funding and funders for community arts

Additional Guidance on Applying for Funding

Additional information that may help you make a good funding application can be found on the following websites:

Institute of Fundraising "How2Fundraise" website - www.how2fundraise.org - this website set up by the Institute of Fundraising contains LOTS of information, including an A to Z of Fundraising Ideas (from “100 Club” to “Walking Events”); fundraising know-how; useful templates; directory of suppliers; legal and insurance information.
FunderFinder - http://www.funderfinder.org.uk/ - this website includes free useful software which you can download to help you: "Apply Yourselves" and "Budget Yourselves"; there are also lots of useful downloadable leaflets, for example, "Planning a Fundraising Strategy", "Application checklist for groups"; etc. This website also contains links to a number of charitable trusts, plus links to other useful websites.
SEAM (Social Enterprise Alliance Midlothian) - http://www.seamidlothian.co.uk/ossUsefulDocs.html - for example, information on writing a business plan for a social enterprise;

Useful Information You Can Use to Back Up Your Application

For information on sources of statistics to back up your funding application, see Statistics page.

Disclaimer

If you experience problems downloading any documents, or unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you would like some help, please contact MVA’s Information Officer, Margaret Nisbet, who will do her best to help you.

Midlothian Voluntary Action

Supporting Community and Voluntary Organisations