Halkirk District Benefit Fund

About this fund

Halkirk District Benefit Fund provides community benefit to individuals residing in and to groups operating in the Benefit Fund area.

The area of benefit is Halkirk District Community Council boundary, this includes Altnabreac, Banniskirk, Calder, Georgemas, Harpsdale, Spittal, Mybster and Westerdale.

Halkirk District Benefit Fund receives an annual payment from the 21 turbine Causeymire Wind Farm, which is owned and managed by Ventient Energy. The wind farm is situated near several sites of special scientific interest and is part of the wider Flow Country area. 

Purpose of this fund

The aim of this fund is to advance education and relieve poverty for the benefit of the public and:  

• to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure.
• provision of facilities for meetings, lectures classes and entertainment and for other forms of education, recreation, and leisure time occupation
• provision of facilities for the young and elderly including mother and toddler groups, playgroups, out of school care groups, youth groups, young adults, senior citizens, and elderly
• provision of facilities for those of any age who have special needs including the mentally and physically handicapped, athletes and sports persons.
• provision of training, education, meetings, lectures, seminars and talks and the promotion and publication of leaflets, pamphlets books and articles, whether concerned with the area of benefit or elsewhere.
• Bringing together in the furtherance of the objects of the company of any organisations whether incorporated or unincorporated, statutory, or non-statutory bodies or individuals
• promotion for the benefit of the public of the environment and its enhancement  
• the research, collation, recording, publication by any means, dissemination, and promotion of the history of the Area of Benefit.  

Additional criteria

Applicants should also demonstrate the following:

Local consultation:  Applicants requesting funding for community activities or projects should demonstrate they have undertaken consultations with the project’s intended beneficiaries and can clearly evidence community support.

Partnership working: Applicants should consider whether delivering their project in partnership with other organisations / groups will add value to their project. This could involve working with voluntary, private, or public sector bodies.Local procurement: It is desirable that, where appropriate, applicants should seek local providers of the goods and services they are seeking a grant towards. However, this should be shown to offer the best value, balancing considerations of cost, availability and quality as appropriate to the specific goods or service in question.

Local procurement: Where possible, applicants should consider local providers of the goods and services they are seeking a grant towards. However, this should be shown to offer the best value, balancing considerations of cost, availability, and quality.

Sustainable Development: Applicants should consider whether projects will likely contribute to sustainable development, including minimising the environmental impact of projects and reducing the ‘carbon footprint’ of the applicant organisation and/or Halkirk community. 

Who can apply?

Members of the fund can apply. You can apply for membership if you live in the Halkirk District Community Council area.

Organisations and clubs can apply. Organisations and clubs can apply for membership if they are based in the Halkirk Community Council area.

Applications will be considered by the Board of Directors. These applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate a clear benefit for residents of the area of benefit.

Please read Foundation Scotland’s standard eligibility criteria before submitting your application. 

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the fund cannot support can be found in our What We Can't Fund page.

In addition, groups or organisations without a representative membership structure - i.e. those that unduly restrict their membership and/or where the committee or board is not elected by, or otherwise accountable to, a wider group of people - cannot be supported. 

How are decisions made?

Halkirk District Benefit Fund is run by a board of seven volunteer Directors. Each year at the Annual General Meeting Directors who have served their time on the board step down. Members of the fund can be nominated to take a position on the Board of Directors.  

We check:

1. The project fits the fund criteria.
2. The organisations competence and financial status
3. How the project has been identified
4. How the project has been planned.
5. The budget planning to ensure it is realistic.

If we require additional information to present to the Board you will be contacted by telephone or email and asked to provide this.

Applicants will be informed of the Board decision within two weeks of the Board meeting advising next steps and any conditions of offer. Unsuccessful applications will receive feedback to help them understand why their application was not funded. All decisions are final.

Halkirk District Benefit Fund Membership

Halkirk District Board of Directors partners with Foundation Scotland to ensure professional, efficient, and transparent management of the fund, ultimately enhancing the positive impact on the community. The Halkirk District Benefit Fund is looking for members and, potentially Directors.  This will enable you to receive updates, to vote at an AGM and to help direct and steer the local community benefit fund.

You can apply using the form here

For further information please contact Eilidh Coll at Foundation Scotland on 07801 530218 or email eilidh@foundationscotland.org.uk