Funding & Training Focus - 17 September

New Season, New Opportunities

September has arrived, and with it comes a new wave of funding opportunities to help Renfrewshire’s community groups bring their ideas to life. This week’s highlights range from small grants supporting music, sport, and local green spaces, to larger funds tackling homelessness, family wellbeing, and travel independence.

As always, if you’d like a hand exploring which opportunities might work best for your group, I’m just an email away: mwollberg@engagerenfrewshire.com
 

Funding

• Arts and music
• Community Projects
• Environment, Nature and Climate Change
• Families
• Housing and Homelessness
• Older Adults
• Sports
• Support for women
• Vulnerable People
• Young People

Events/Training

• Mentally Healthy Workplaces: Line Manager Training

Grants of up to £7,500 Available to Not-For-Profit Theatres to Carry Out Essential Works
Grants of up to £7,500 are available through The Theatres Trust's Small Grants Programme for UK non-profit theatres. This initiative, backed by The Linbury Trust, aims to support projects aimed at ensuring the future viability and success of non-profit theatres in the UK, including essential small capital works, digital upgrades, and critical machinery installations. The deadline for applications in this round is 5pm on 16 January 2026. Find out more

Community ‘Take the Lead’ grants - Applications open
Health Data Research UK are looking to support community organisations with a exciting new initiative.  The ‘Take the Lead’ micro-grants will enable communities across the UK to take the lead in exploring the role of data in their community’s health and wellbeing.
We are looking to support community organisations working with the following audiences:

• People disadvantaged in terms of income.
• People from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Older children and young adults aged 11–25 (especially in areas of deprivation).
• People over 65 (especially in areas of deprivation).
• People living in rural areas (defined as settlements of fewer than 10,000 people in England and Wales, fewer than 5,000 in Northern Ireland, and fewer than 3,000 in Scotland).
• People experiencing digital exclusion.

Grants will be open for applications this September, with community groups able to apply for up to £1500 to deliver a standalone project, event or series of activities exploring how data can support their health and wellbeing between January – March 2026. Find out more
 

Funding for Community Radio Stations
Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, has announced that the Community Radio Fund has re-opened for applications.  Grants can be awarded to support management costs, fundraising efforts for the station, administrative expenses, financial management and reporting, community outreach, and other related activities. A total of £901,742 is available in this funding round to help support the core costs of running licensed community radio stations. Although there is no minimum or maximum grant level specified, the average grant awarded in the past has been around £14,000. The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 5 October 2025.  Find out more
 

Grants of up to £5,000 Available for Social Welfare Projects
Registered UK charities working in medical research, elderly care, general welfare, hospices, support for the deaf and blind, services for the physically and mentally disabled, or Armed Forces welfare can apply to the Inman Charity for grants of up to £5,000. Each year, the charity distributes around £350,000 in total funding, with applications due by the end of February 2026 for consideration at the Spring meeting. Find out more
 

Grants of up to £20,000 for Early-Stage Ideas Driving Social Change
Grants of up to £20,000 will soon be available to support individuals, groups, and small organisations in the UK who want to explore new ideas for social change. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Ideas and Pioneers Fund provides funding and tailored support to help early-stage innovators test, research, and develop new approaches with the potential for long-term social impact. The Foundation is particularly keen to welcome first time applicants, people aged 18 to 30, and those most affected by systemic oppression and/or discrimination. Funding can be used for research, evidence gathering, campaigning, testing new approaches, or working with communities who have relevant experience to better understand the issues they face. Recent examples include supporting initiatives like the Museum of Homelessness, led by individuals with first-hand experience, and POMOC, which explores models to support Polish migrants. Further information will be made in due course. Find out more

Grants for Community Recycling, Biodiversity & Public Amenity Projects
Not-for-profit organisations such as registered charities, community councils, community groups and local authorities can apply for grants of between £2,000 and £40,000 to fund community recycling and biodiversity projects and improvements to public amenities, parks and historic buildings. The funding can be used to cover the costs of contractors, materials, capital items, and small equipment items. Most projects must be within 10 miles of an eligible licensed landfill site or transfer station to be eligible. The funding is being made available through the FCC Scottish Action Fund, which closes to applications at 5pm on the 19 November 2025. Find out more
 
Grants of up to £1,000 Available for Young People to Improve Local Green Spaces
Applications are open for projects that help young people lead initiatives that promote local biodiversity awareness or improve access to nature and local green spaces. Past projects supported have ranged from school festivals and biodiversity murals to community gardens and guided nature walks. Awards of up to £1,000 are available to cover costs such as materials, room hire, publicity, speakers, training, transport and project-specific staff. The scheme is aimed at benefiting groups of young people, typically aged 16 or under, with proposals expected to be youth-led and supported by schools, home educators, community organisations, small charities or student groups. Funding is provided by the Linnean Society of London under its Our Local Nature Grant Scheme, now in its sixth year. Applications open in September and close in October 2025, with successful applicants notified in December before projects begin in January and conclude by June 2026. Find out more
 

Funding to Support One Large-Scale Rewilding Project
Rewilding Britain is offering a £100,000 grant to support one large-scale rewilding project in England, Scotland, or Wales. The Rewilding Challenge Fund encourages community groups, farmers, landowners, and land managers to work collaboratively and ‘Think Big, Act Wild’. The fund will nurture innovative and pioneering initiatives which show maximum potential for upscaling rewilding on land and at sea, and demonstrate the extensive economic and social benefits of rewilding to local communities, as well as to biodiversity. Expressions of interest should be submitted by 10 October 2025. Shortlisted projects will be invited to submit a full application. Find out more

Funding of up to £5,000 Available to Tackle Problems within Families
Charities that support families or individuals facing family-related problems such as domestic abuse, separation, mental health challenges, addiction, or financial hardship, etc can apply for grants of up to £5,000. This funding can be used for core costs like staff salaries or utility bills, revenue costs such as running support groups or training volunteers, and capital costs including purchasing equipment or refurbishing a family centre. Grants are awarded twice a year, with the next deadline to apply being is 1 March 2026. The funding is provided by the Kelly Family Charitable Trust, which usually supports smaller charities with an income under £500,000 but may also consider larger organisations working on innovative pilot projects. Newer charities are especially encouraged to apply, to help them develop and grow. Find out more

Homelessness Prevention Pilot Fund
‘Ask and Act’ are new duties proposed in the Housing (Scotland) Bill that require public bodies to ask about a person’s housing situation early—and take action to prevent homelessness before it happens.

The Scottish Government’s Homelessness Prevention Pilot Fund (up to £4 million) supports a range of bodies including local authorities, Health Boards, the police service, registered social landlords, prisons, along with third sector organisations experienced in preventing homelessness. The pilots will develop, test, scale and cost the new prevention duties in real-world settings.

This marks a major shift: from reacting to homelessness after it happens, to working together across public and community services to stop it before it begins.

The fund is being administered by Advice Direct Scotland. It is designed to help public bodies, alongside third sector organisations experienced in preventing homelessness, prepare for and test the practical application of the new prevention duties with a particular focus on how ‘ask and act’ can be effectively embedded in day-to-day practice. It will also help relevant bodies and others to scope out the groups most at risk of homelessness, identify resource requirements, and best practice approaches. Find out more

 

Grants Available to Combat Isolation and Loneliness Amongst Older People and Adults with Disabilities
Funding of between £100 and £2,500 is available for individuals, charities and small community groups in England, Scotland & Wales to combat isolation and loneliness amongst older people and other adults with a disability. The funding which is being made through the Barchester's Charitable Foundation focuses on connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community. Applications for individuals must be completed by a third-party sponsor such as a health care professional, social worker or charity/support group representative. Applications are assessed on a case by case basis, with funds allocated to those who demonstrate greatest need. Applications can be submitted at any time. Find out more

Funding for the Provision or Upgrading of Sports Facilities
Organisations such as local authorities, schools, area sports associations, sports trusts and charities; etc can apply for funding of up to £200,000 to improve their sports facilities. In areas of high deprivation, the maximum grant can be £250,000 (up to 75% of project costs). Grants are available to help with the provision or upgrading of sports facilities for the public good and that benefit the community. Priority will be given to projects which focus on increasing participation within underrepresented groups in sport such as young people, women and girls, disabled people or those from deprived communities. The next closing date for small grant applications is 1 April 2026.   Find out more

Grants of up to £5,000 Available to Support Women Songwriters and Composers
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support the development of exceptional female, trans, and non-binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at various stages of their careers. The funding can be used to support touring, recording, promotion, marketing, community projects involving top-quality music creators, music creator residencies, and live performances featuring new UK music. This funding opportunity is part of the PRS for Music Foundation’s Women Make Music Grants Programme, with a deadline of 6pm on 29 September 2025. Find out more

Funding to Promote Home Electrical Safety for Vulnerable People
Not-for-profit, schools and public organisations can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support projects that help tackle the risks associated with electrical products and increase the public’s awareness of electrical safety. The funding is made available through the Electrical Safety Fund, which aims to keep people, particularly the most vulnerable, safe in their homes. The activities that could be funded include product testing, product replacement events, educational and awareness-raising activities, home safety initiatives, and data collection projects. Funding of up to £10,000 may be considered for joint and/or larger projects. The closing date for applications is 12 October 2025. Find out more

 
Grants of up to £1 Million Available to Improving Travel Independence for Disabled People
Charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of between £50,000 and £1 million to support a wide range of activities and projects to improve transport and travel independence for disabled people. The funding is available for projects and activities taking place for one to three years. The funding is being made available through the Motability Foundation’s Organisation Grants programme, and covers active travel, wheelchairs and mobility aids, community and shared transport, driving tuition, travel training schemes, and initiatives to strengthen the community transport sector. Applications are now open through the Foundation’s website, and closing dates vary across the different funding streams included in the programme. Find out more


Up to £75,000 in Grants to Help Vulnerable People Build Financial Resilience
Scottish charities working to improve the financial resilience of vulnerable people can apply for unrestricted grants of up to £75,000 over three years, with funding available for financial advice, education, resilience-building activities, or initiatives that encourage good financial health. The programme is aimed at supporting those experiencing poverty, debt, poor mental health, homelessness, or social and economic exclusion, and is open to organisations with incomes between £50,000 and £300,000. Applications close at noon on 17 September 2025, with successful applicants notified by the end of November. The funder is Lloyds Banking Group, and the grant programme is the Bank of Scotland Foundation’s Thrive initiative. Find out more

Funding for Music Education Projects for Young People
Small to medium-sized charities, community groups, and other not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding to deliver instrumental music education projects for children and young people across the UK. The funding is provided by the Scops Arts Trust, which aims to give disadvantaged people opportunities to access, enjoy, and participate in the arts, particularly the performing arts. The Trust has previously awarded multi-year grants of up to £30,000 per annum, although most awards are usually for less than £10,000. Funding may cover project costs and, for smaller organisations, some core costs. Both one-off and multi-year grants will be considered. Choirs are excluded from this funding round. There is a 2-stage application process, and the next stage 1 closing date is 5pm on 23 September 2025. Find out more

Mentally Healthy Workplaces: Line Manager Training

23rd October 2025 Time: 0915 to 1600
Venue: Training Room D, 3rd Floor Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AX

Mentally Healthy Workplaces Line Manager Training

Renfrewshire HSCP are pleased to announce we are running a session of the popular, interactive course which has a mix of slides, videos and group discussion… so there’s something to suit everyone's learning style! The way people are managed on a day-to-day basis is central to their mental wellbeing and engagement, as well as trust in their employer. A supportive manager can be crucial in supporting wellbeing, spotting early signs of distress and initiating early intervention.
 

This course has been designed by Public Health Scotland to:

• Identify the key factors that contribute to a mentally healthy workplace
• Give managers a broad understanding of mental health in the workplace
• Ensure managers are aware of their responsibilities in relation to health and wellbeing
• Improve managers’ skills and confidence in dealing with mental health in the workplace.

To apply for a place please email stating your name, post title and place of work to either : chooselife.sw@renfrewshire.gov.uk or HealthImprovement.Renfrewshire@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Places will be confirmed two weeks prior to the course, and joining instructions sent at that time.