Clackmannanshire’s Transformation Space awards over £100,000 to improve support for women and girls
Clackmannanshire's Transformation Space has announced £105,000 in funding awards under its latest theme — Supporting Women and Girls — bringing the total allocated by the Transformation Space to just under £500,000 across three funding rounds.
The awards focus on early intervention and prevention, supporting initiatives that help women and girls build confidence, resilience, skills and social connection, and access support earlier and closer to home. By investing upstream, the Transformation Space aims to improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities, while reducing the need for crisis responses later.
About the Transformation Space
The Transformation Space is a first-of-its-kind model in Scotland, backed by £1 million from the Scottish Government's Invest to Save Fund alongside other council funds. It brings together public and partner funding — breaking down barriers between separate budgets — so that resources are directed to initiatives tackling the root causes of challenges such as homelessness, poverty and poor mental health.
The initiative represents a radical shift towards a preventative and relational model of public services. At its heart is the Community Voice panel: a diverse group of local residents with lived experience and local knowledge who shape funding calls and make decisions on proposals that will deliver meaningful, lasting change across Clackmannanshire.
The Transformation Space is a partnership between local residents, Clackmannanshire Council, The Hunter Foundation and other funding partners, and aims to distribute £1 million within its first year of operation.
Why Supporting Women and Girls?
Community Voice members who were involved in designing this funding round, described a system that is difficult to navigate, inconsistent and not always trauma-informed — challenges compounded by rising demand, limited resources and the long-term effects of trauma and inequality. Panel members set out a positive, forward looking vision; a Clackmannanshire where women and girls feel supported, confident and connected, where families and communities play a stronger preventative role, and where services are trusted, trauma informed and easy to access.
Seventeen proposals were considered before funding was awarded to six organisations.
Circle was awarded £7,050 to contribute towards early-intervention services supporting families in Clackmannanshire to build healthy relationships, safety, and resilience, and £7,720 was awarded to Ochil Youths Community Improvement to support a creative gender equality project helping young people to explore and challenge gender norms.
Resilience Learning Partnership received £28,684 to establish and convene a lived experience panel over two years, enabling women with lived experience of violence to directly inform planning and service design, and Street Soccer Group will establish and support a women-only football project in Alloa for women who are isolated and excluded with an award of £17,968.
Victim Support Scotland will receive £11,298 provide support to women and girls affected by abuse in accessible community hubs across Clackmannanshire. And finally, £32,100 was awarded to Wasp Community Club to support a weekly girls-only drop-in and targeted intervention programme addressing gender-based violence through education, support and prevention. The programme will run and develop over three years.
Kerry Knox, Head of Service Delivery at Victim Support Scotland said:
“We are grateful to receive funding for this project, which will help us to create accessible, local spaces where women and girls affected by abuse in Clackmannanshire can seek help earlier, feel less isolated and receive trauma-informed support. Thank you to the Clackmannanshire Community Voice for recognising both the scale of need locally and the importance of early, community-led intervention. Too many women face barriers to accessing support, whether through stigma, isolation or practical pressures — this funding will help us reduce those barriers. By working in partnership with local organisations and shaping this work around lived experience, we look forward to seeing the positive difference this project can make for women and for the wider Clackmannanshire community over the coming year.”
Ellen Forson, Leader of Clackmannanshire Council said:
“By placing lived experience at the centre of decision making, we are investing in early intervention and prevention services that support our women and girls to be confident, resilient, included and able to fulfil their potential. These awards reflect our shared commitment to creating a Clackmannanshire where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and access the opportunities and support they need to succeed.”
The Transformation Space continues to drive change across Clackmannanshire. Two further funding themes are currently in progress:
• Employment that can lift people out of poverty — currently under consideration.
• A better experience of finding and providing information — Expressions of Interest are open now, with a deadline of 15 May 2026. Further details are available at here
The Transformation Space builds on local successes including the Family Wellbeing Partnership, STRIVE (Safeguarding Through Rapid Intervention) and What Matters to You. With strong governance through the Citizens' Panel and Oversight Board, and real-time learning captured by a dedicated partner, the initiative is striving to support change that matters most to local people.
Want to get involved? For more information on the Transformation Space, including how to join the community voice panel, please visit the website.