Crown Estate Scotland Community Capacity Grants Programme

About this fund

The Scottish Crown Estate, which Crown Estate Scotland manages on behalf of Scottish Ministers, is a unique and diverse portfolio of natural and built assets spanning seabed, coastline, rural estates, commercial properties, housing, infrastructure and more.

Crown Estate Scotland’s Corporate Plan 2026-31 sets out its strategic priorities for the next five years, which includes a commitment to ensuring the Estate is managed in a way that benefits and strengthens local communities and economies.

The fund comprises two grant programmes, an Environment Grants Programme for tenants on the Scottish Crown Estate and the Community Capacity Grants Programme. Foundation Scotland is administering the Community Capacity Grants Programme (see below). More information on the Environment Grants Programme can be found on the Crown Estate Scotland website.

Purpose of this fund

The purpose of the Community Capacity Grants Programme is to enable communities on the Scottish Crown Estate to thrive through provision of early-stage financial support for local projects that will help achieve the following objectives:

1. Create self-sustaining community enterprises that will promote sustainable development through the provision of local economic, social, and/or environmental benefits.
2. Contribute to the regeneration of places through improvements to buildings or community spaces that will support self-sustaining community enterprises delivering sustainable development. 

The fund is open to all communities that are:

• Situated up to 5 miles from coastal and estuarine foreshore in Scotland; or
• Situated up to 5 miles from the Scottish Crown Estate’s four rural estates (Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills and Applegirth). 

To view the boundary lines for the estates and applicable radius, please click to view Crown Estate maps with applicable radius.

Awards of between £20,000 to £50,000 for a one-year period will be made through this fund. Crown Estate Scotland currently has £390,000 available for grant distribution. This Fund is therefore highly competitive and around 10-15% of organisation receive an award.

Please note that this programme cannot fund capital works, only revenue costs will be eligible for funding. All awards are made on a no subsidy basis and applicants may be asked to evidence that their project does not compete with other providers.

Additional criteria

The Community Capacity Grants Programme has a keen interest in community wealth building and is committed to funding the following community priorities:

• Contribute towards sustainable development on and around the Scottish Crown Estate
• Strengthen, and provide essential infrastructure for, communities who live and work on the Estate
• Support innovation and enterprise opportunities that will boost Scottish Crown Estate supply chains, build skilled workforces and maintain the vitality of the Estate
• Improve visitor experience opportunities across the Scottish Crown Estate

In broad terms these themes for eligible applications would be: 

 

Theme	Alignment to Scottish Crown Estate assets	Example
Sustainable Rural/Coastal Housing	Projects addressing depopulation and housing affordability that may otherwise threaten the long-term sustainability of the Scottish Crown Estate and/or its tenanted business. Projects must demonstrate community relevance to specific business sectors operating upon the Scottish Crown Estate.	Scourie Community Development Company received £42,000 to support completion of the technical design stage for the construction of nine affordable homes, helping to address challenges for nearby aquaculture businesses to attract and retain staff.
Climate-Resilient Communities	Projects helping communities adapt to climate risks impacting Scottish Crown Estate (e.g. sea-level rise, flooding near coastal sites or tenanted rural land).  Marine and coastal projects such as blue carbon and marine nature enhancement or piloting marine low-carbon innovation such as renewable energy, electric vessels, marine plastic recycling. Projects promoting sustainable food practices (aquaculture and agriculture*) such as community growing, education around food production and improving access to local produce    *All projects must demonstrate relevance to the Scottish Crown Estate and agriculture projects must relate to at least one of its four rural estates.	Scalloway Community Development Company received £50,000 to support a feasibility study and options appraisal for a district heating scheme.
Community Infrastructure for SCE-linked assets	Projects furthering development of improvements to infrastructure on or around Scottish Crown Estate, or supporting their sustained viability. Examples include renewable energy generation utilising seabed or enhancing amenities upon the Scottish Crown Estate such as marinas, ports, and harbours.	Tarbert (Loch Fyne) Harbour Authority received £21,000 towards employing a Project Officer to scope options and review feasibility for remediation of a derelict boat yard.
Skills, Enterprise & Circular Economy	Projects that support skilled workforce development, enhance supply chains or progress innovation for business sectors operating upon the Scottish Crown Estate. Examples include provision of training opportunities for young people.	Kintyre Sea Sports received £38,000 to support the expansion of a maritime skills programme delivering practical, industry-recognised training to local young people, tackling an identified skills gap for marine-based employers.
Sustainable Tourism, Recreation & Heritage	Projects that support skilled workforce development, enhance supply chains or progress innovation for business sectors operating upon the Scottish Crown Estate. Examples include provision of training opportunities for young people.	Lossiemouth Community Development Trust received £36,000 to support development and feasibility costs for the regeneration of Lossiemouth’s West Beach, including scoping of infrastructure improvements and possible redevelopment of a water sports centre.

 

Crown Estate Scotland is looking to fund projects that provide benefits to the wider community and support economic regeneration. Applications will be assessed on their potential to contribute to these goals. For first-stage investment, this will involve a degree of forward-looking judgement, with emphasis on the project's intent and the strength of its proposed approach. The assessment will consider:

• Whether the project clearly fits with one or both of the fund objectives
• How well the organisation has articulated this alignment
• The outcomes the project intends to achieve, and how these reflect the purpose of the fund
• The strength of the evidence for local need, including any local needs analysis undertaken

Who can apply?

All applicants must meet Foundation Scotland's Common eligibility criteria, please check this list before starting your application. 

In addition groups and organisations must be based and working to support communities within 5 miles of the coast or estuarine foreshore, or within 5 miles of one of Crown Estate Scotland’s 4 estates; Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills and Applegirth. 

What can be funded

Examples of what the fund is looking to support:
•    Salary costs of new posts (ensuring that salaries meet the national living wage requirement)
•    Feasibility studies
•    Business plan development
•    Legal/consultancy costs
•    Training/coaching costs
•    Community consultation
•    Community plans
•    Planning permission/building warrants
•    Community engagement activities
•    Developmental grants that support sustainability, new ideas, or innovative solutions for local regeneration
•    Activities that help build internal capacity and contribute to creating more sustainable organisations
•    Projects that demonstrate a community enterprising approach – where income will be generated as part of the project.
•    Projects with a long-term or heavy reliance on securing future grant funding are unlikely to be a strong fit.

What can’t be funded?

The Crown Estate Scotland's Community Capacity Grants Programme cannot support adaptations to buildings or large-scale capital projects

 or the purchase of equipment. This fund is designed to provide revenue to support the first step investment for local projects.

Ineligible projects would also include:

• Applications from individuals or private businesses
• Applications to advance a campaign or a religious or political cause
• The promotion of religious beliefs
• Activities that are understood to be a statutory responsibility and/or seek to replace statutory sources of funding
• Pre-existing costs that your organisation already incurred as a result of its day-to-day activities

Please read through the What we can't fund page; for additional exclusions which apply to all Foundation Scotland funds.

How are decisions made?

An Awards Panel made up of a Foundation Scotland Trustee, representatives from the community and voluntary sector and from agencies with skills and expertise in sustainable development and regeneration will meet once a year to consider grant awards.

For more details on our assessment processes please visit How funding decisions are made.