Funding

Funding: undoubtedly a major concern for most third sector organisations, and one of the main ways in which charities generate income. It is a varied landscape out there, but there are lots of different websites which allow you to search for different types of grant to suit your needs. Read on for more information about where to find funding in Midlothian and beyond.

In this section:

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults

Funding is a key concern for most third sector organisations – and understandably so. The funding landscape in Scotland can be a bit of a moveable feast, however many websites allow you to search for specific grants to suit your needs, and to sign up for bulletins about new opportunities as and when they arise. On this page we will tell you about a few different sources of funding that you might want to consider.

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund

UPDATE: ***Year 2 of the Fund is now complete and all grants have been distributed in Midlothian. We will update this website soon with the details of which projects were funded. Year 3 of the Fund has also been announced, which is great news. We are awaiting further information from the Scottish Government regarding when the money will be paid out to TSI’s, for distribution thereafter. It’s likely that the application process in Midlothian will open again in autumn 2023.***

The Fund is being used to promote mental health and wellbeing in Midlothian through community based activity that is led by local third sector organisations, voluntary groups, and social enterprises.

Find out more about the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.

Other funding opportunities

Probably the best known funding page is that of SCVO, which includes FAQ’s, a search engine and information about COVID-19 funding. You can view the page here.

National Lottery Community Fund provides regular updates and details of funds which are over or under subscribed. For newer organisations we recommend Awards 4 All as a great way into National Lottery Community Fund funding.

Often the best way to keep tabs on funding is by signing up to networks operating in your sector. Social Enterprise Scotland and DTAS, for example, all send out regular alerts with funding news, sometimes only available for their members.

Unfortunately in 2023, Midlothian’s elected members voted to cut the council’s grants programme in order to make budget savings.

Get one to one support

If you want to discuss funding, get in touch and we can point you in the right direction. We also run training sessions about funding and financial sustainability – sign up to our TSI email bulletin to be kept up to date about these. For more immediate information and guidance, international NGO the Charities Aid Foundation also have a useful set of fundraising resources and other guides on their website.

Fundraising resources

There are a number of current priorities that have been set by Midlothian and the Scottish Government which can support your funding application, we advise that you spend some time researching the relevant links below and look at our good practice guides to evaluation.

Accessibility

Equality Act 2010

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Template

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Community Engagement / Consultation

National Standards for Community Engagement

Place Standard Tool

Using Co-production

Evaluation

Evaluation approaches

Impact Measurement

Setting outcomes and indicators