OSCR Briefing on Water Charges and Sewerage Exemption Scheme

Posted on August 18, 2016

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) have produced a briefing document with regard to the Scottish Government’s Water Charges and Sewerage Exemption Scheme, which sets out the answers to some of the questions they frequently receive about the scheme.

In January 2015, Scottish Government introduced a new scheme to assist Charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) with the payment of water and sewerage charges.

Organisations that meet the eligibility criteria must apply each year for an exemption by contacting their Water Retailer (also known as Licensed Provider).

To find out if your organisation is eligible, or for further information, please visit the OSCR website.

Catalyst Fund for Social Enterprises

The Catalyst Fund is now open for applications. The fund is a new social investment product supporting social enterprises to start and scale their businesses and deliver social impact. It offers loans starting at £50,000, using a flexible, revenue-based repayment model, and is open all year round; in order to apply, social enterprises should first attend an information webinar, and then submit a note of interest. The next webinar is on Tuesday 3rd August at 11am, with more scheduled.

CVS Falkirk Funding Portal

The FREE CVS Falkirk Funding Portal is available via our website to help third sector groups and organisations of all sizes with their funding searches. The portal is powered by Grantsonline, the UK’s most comprehensive and up to date UK grant funding information service. Once registered, users will be able to search for a range of different funding opportunities, across local and national organisations.

Public Health Scotland Maternity Care Research Survey

Public Health Scotland (working with the Universities of Aberdeen and Dundee) has launched an online research survey gathering experiences of parents who gave birth in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are specifically looking to hear from parents who gave birth in the last 12 months, or who are currently at least 36 weeks pregnant, about their experiences of maternity care during the pandemic.

UK Parliament Tailored Outreach Sessions

The UK Parliament offers free, interactive and tailored outreach sessions for community and youth groups in Scotland, designed to increase awareness of how Parliament, encourage active citizenship, and develop campaigning and lobbying skills. These sessions are currently delivered online, and are available to be book throughout the rest of the year. They are entirely free of charge, and no prior citizenship knowledge or training is required.