The Scottish Community Foundation is the only charity in Scotland dedicated to funding small charities and voluntary groups.We fund projects that provide much-needed services at a grassroots level, which enrich the quality of people’s lives and help them build stronger communities.

Around 91% of income raised in the voluntary sector in Scotland goes to just 5% of
registered charities. At the Scottish Community Foundation we aim to change this
by working in partnership with individuals, companies and charitable trusts to fund the
smaller charities and voluntary organisations which may lack the means to raise  funds for themselves.

We do this by offering a cost-effective way for donors to support the causes closest
to their heart. With our in-depth understanding of local issues we can target funds to
where they are needed most – either in a specifi c local community or across the whole  of Scotland. All projects funded by the Foundation are vetted by experienced assessors so donors can rest assured that their funding reaches the very best projects.

Since being founded in 1996, we have awarded almost £18m in grants, ranging from £500 to £50,000, in every region of Scotland. In the last year alone, we awarded approximately £3.5 million, making us one of the largest funders of the voluntary sector in the country. We now manage over 250 separate funds, including endowments worth over £6m.

OUR PARTNERS

We distribute funding which is gifted to us by our partners in philanthropy, for example, individuals, families, companies and private charitable trusts who are interested in supporting Scotland’s communities. Partners can target their support precisely, both by geographical area and by issue. We work closely with them, taking time to understand their interests and wishes before devising an individually tailored support programme.

GRANT-MAKING EXPERTISE

The Scottish Community Foundation is a professional grantmaker and an expert in assessing applications for funding from charitable organisations. We employ eight full-time grant offi cers and work with over 40 volunteers with a background in community development and social welfare to assess every grant application we receive. Our expertise in supporting community groups is recognised by the Lottery, Comic Relief and the Scottish Government, all of whom have commissioned the Foundation to work on their behalf.

BESPOKE GRANT PROGRAMMES

The Foundation offers a quick and easy alternative to setting up a charitable trust. It devises grant programmes that allow donors to:

• decide which specific charitable causes and areas they wish to support
• select a name for their fund and the awards made on their behalf
• choose how widely they wish to publicise their support, with the option to remain completely anonymous
• play an integral part in the grant-making process, for example, choosing which approved grant applicants they wish to fund
• visit projects with Foundation staff

KEY FACTS ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

• We fund the work of registered charities and community groups (groups that have a constitution but are not formally registered as a charity)
• We are not tied to supporting any single cause or type of project – we support projects which provide the greatest benefi t to local communities
• We fund charitable and voluntary organisations in the places where our partners want to make a difference, whether that’s in a specific region, town, village or neighbourhood
• We often bring partners together to support the work of an organisation where their support can achieve more collectively

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Scottish Community Foundation was formed in 1996 and is part of a worldwide network of community foundations that seek to match funders with local causes. There are over 60 foundations in the UK, the majority operating on a town or county basis in England. The Scottish Community Foundation is the only community
foundation in Scotland, and has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Since its early days the Foundation has been known for Scotland’s most successful fundraising event organised by a charity – the Caledonian Challenge. This endurance event attracts around 1,600 participants each year, walking an astonishing 54 miles along the West Highland way, from Fort William to Ardlui, in 24 hours! It raises
close to £1 million each year.

The trustees of the Scottish Community Foundation have always been carefully selected to represent all areas of Scotland, and for their breadth of knowledge of the voluntary sector, industry, charity law and finance, and of course, personal philanthropy.

The Foundation is now one of the largest funders of the voluntary
sector in Scotland.