With support from STV Children’s Appeal and Scottish Government, Youth Scotland has launched the Youth Scotland Winter Fund.

The fund is open to Youth Scotland members, who can now apply for £500 – £5,000 to support children, young people and families in their youth group in immediate need. The fund can be used for food, clothes, fuel, toiletries, and basic household essentials which meet the immediate material needs of the most vulnerable children and young people.

Eligibility – Who Can Apply:

This fund is for Youth Scotland member groups who:

are based in and work in local communities within Scotland
are working with, or have reach to children, young people and their families who are experiencing extreme poverty
can allocate funds to these children, young people and their families by the end of March 2021
are applying for between £500 – £5,000 (applicants are asked to please be realistic about their reach; they can apply for a further award if they spend the first allocation)
can provide a bank statement in the name of their youth group or organisation into which the funds can be paid

Youth Scotland encourages applications from members who can identify children, young people and families who are experiencing poverty and are struggling to meet the financial requirements to feed their children, heat their home and afford the basic essentials.

Applications Details

Groups should apply to for the amount of funding they are able to distribute to these families facing poverty; Youth Scotland’s suggested maximum amount is £100 per child. Families with multiple children are able to receive larger amounts, for example, a family with 3 children could receive £300.

Knowledge of each family and their circumstances will determine what method of support is most suitable for that family (eg. food hamper, fuel cards, data top-ups, assisted shopping, etc). Applicants will be expected to use their own discretion to deliver the support to the families, in the best way they see fit, as they know these families best.

Process

There are no deadlines and applications will be reviewed on a regular basis. As long as applicants provide all the information needed, Youth Scotland aims to get these funds to them as soon as possible, so that they can begin to help these children, young people and their families immediately.

Successful applicants will be asked to complete an end of project reporting form at the end of their distribution, with information about the number of children and families helped, the methods used, the communities reached and the difference this has made.

To apply, or for any further information, please visit the Youth Scotland website.