In response to the cost of living crisis, the Volant Charitable Trust has grants of up to £5,000 available through its Small Grants Programme for one year to cover core or project costs. Managed by Foundation Scotland, the programme currently prioritises support for charities tackling poverty and deprivation, especially projects benefiting women, children, and young people. Approximately £90,000 will be distributed through the programme.

Projects must align with at least one of the following themes (in order of priority):

poverty and deprivation (eg. food provision, mental health support)
women (eg. support for lone mothers, victims of abuse, or Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities)
children and young people (eg. counselling, outreach for those at risk)

Eligibility

Applicants must be charities operating in Scotland with an annual income under £350,000, as reflected in their recent annual accounts.

Organisations which are a current recipient of a Volant grant from the large, multi-year, programme are not eligible to apply to this programme. Capital projects and organisations exceeding the income cap are also ineligible.

For those who have been previously rejected from the Volant large multi-year programme, there is no time limit to re-apply, provided their feedback does not prevent them, due to being ineligible (please note the difference in the amount you can request, and the different income cap between the 2 programmes).

All applicants must fit Foundation Scotland’s funding criteria; those interested in applying should check their Common Eligibility Criteria page before beginning their application.

What Can be Applied for?

Organisations can apply for grants of up to £5,000 for one year (maximum), for both core and project costs. However, organisations cannot apply to both the small and large Volant grants programme at the same time.

Additionally, capital projects (building/ground works, renovations/refurbs, purchasing large capital items/equipment) cannot be funded.

Foundation Scotland also has some standard exclusions which apply to all funds they manage; these are available to view on their website (linked for your convenience)