Community Led

  1. Funding
  2. Funding programmes
  3. Community Led

This fund is closed.

We're not accepting new applications to our Community Led fund.

This fund aims to support community-led activity and people's wellbeing.

We want to support communities to:

  • improve the places in which they live, and
  • the wellbeing of those most in need.

Organisations must achieve these outcomes:

  • Everyone in the community has the opportunity to influence and get involved in community-led activity.
  • People in the community are better connected and work together to improve their wellbeing.

We're also funding work that is people-led, connected, and strengths-based. These three approaches are vital to help us achieve our mission and address inequality in Scotland. Find out more about our three approaches.

Area
Scotland
Suitable for
Voluntary or community organisations
Funding size
£20,001 to £150,000
Application deadline

This fund is closed.

If you applied

This fund closed at 12pm on 21 August 2024

If you’d like to talk to us about your application:

Information you needed to apply

You access a:

What happens after you apply

As an organisation that gives out public funds, we carry out some checks on the information you provide us. You can find out more about the checks we'll carry out on your information.

What we expect from the organisations we fund

Keeping people safe

If we give you funding, we expect that you’ll:

  • promote a culture of safeguarding
  • keep people safe
  • respond to safeguarding incidents.

These expectations apply to all organisations we are giving funding to, as well as partners doing any part of the activities we’re funding. We’ll consider these expectations when we make decisions about who to fund. We may use them when we ask for updates on your funding. They’re also written into the terms and conditions for all of our funding.

Read our safeguarding expectations for the organisations we fund.

Reduce your environmental footprint

The National Lottery Community Fund cares about our environment and are always striving to manage our environmental impact. We encourage and support projects and communities to do the same. Learn more about how you can make your project or event more environmentally sustainable and perhaps save money at the same time.

Paying your staff the UK Living Wage

We’re a Living Wage Friendly Funder. This means that we encourage our applicants to pay their staff the UK Living Wage. Visit the Living Wage Foundation to find out more about the Living Wage.

If you’re getting money from elsewhere

We welcome some level of match funding but we can fund up to 100% of the costs of your activity including staff, equipment, premises costs and overheads. We refer to these types of costs as 'revenue costs' and would expect these to be the main focus of your application.

However, you can also include up to £50,000 of minor capital costs as part of your overall activity for items such as building refurbishment, adaptations or landscaping.

Who could apply

Who could apply

Organisations in Scotland that are based in the local area they serve and are run by local people.

You could apply if you had other funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. But you can usually only have one Community Led grant at a time.

Your organisation should have a written governing document (like a constitution)

Your governing document should be clear that your organisation:

  • has a social purpose - the organisation must have a clearly stated purpose which benefits the local area in some way.
  • has open membership - everyone living in the area should be able to get involved in your organisation and the work that it does.
  • is controlled by the local community - the majority of people serving on your board or committee should be from the local area and make the decisions.

You need a board or committee with at least 3 members who are not related

Related can mean:

  • related by marriage
  • in a civil partnership with each other
  • in a long-term relationship with each other
  • related through a long term partner
  • living together at the same address
  • related by blood.

All companies who apply must have at least 2 directors who are not related in any of these ways. This also applies to companies that are also registered as charities.