Harthill, Eastfield and Greenrigg (HEG) Community Fund

About this fund

The Harthill, Eastfield & Greenrigg (HEG) Community Fund supports community projects benefiting those living in the Harthill & Eastfield and Greenrigg community council areas. The fund is a vehicle through which three different funds are administered which are provided by:

• Gresham House, the owners of Torrance Wind Farm .
• Netro Energy, the owners of Harthill Wind Ltd (Torrance Extension Wind Farm).
• EDF Renewables, the owners of West Benhar Wind Farm.

An annual amount of £98,600 inflation-adjusted, is paid into the fund each year for the operating life of the wind farms.
 

Grant Size:  £1,500 to £35,000

If you can demonstrate, why you need a grant of over £35,000 and there is significant community support for the project you propose, then the Harthill, Eastfield and Greenrigg (HEG) Community Group may consider your request. If you think this applies to your project, please contact the Community Funds Adviser for an initial discussion. Please do not complete an application form for this level of funding without speaking with us first.

Purpose of this fund

The fund provides grants to support charitable activities that:

•  Improves people’s quality of life.
•  Increases opportunities for people to participate in community activity.
•  Promotes community spirit.

Grants may support a wide range of costs, for example, the costs of equipment, staff or sessional workers, consultations, running costs for local groups, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities, and so on.

As the community begins to recover from the impact of the pandemic, we recognise that many groups will have lost income and be struggling to get back on their feet. The HEG Community Fund is here to support you and really wants to help local groups build forward better. Please apply if your group needs some help to get back on its feet or to develop and deliver activities. 

Additional criteria

Groups can only apply for one grant per round. However, this does not guarantee that you will receive a grant in each round.

Requests to fund up to 100% of the project costs can be considered but applicants are always encouraged to seek other funds too, either through local fundraising or other sources.

Any outstanding feedback reports from previous grants, including any proof of purchases from grants, need to have been received by Foundation Scotland before further grants are paid.

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the local Community Action Plan (see Useful Links, below).

Who can apply?

Groups and organisations working to benefit people in Harthill, Eastfield and Greenrigg can apply.  You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply, but your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria.

Applications from groups/organisations located out of the fund area will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must strongly demonstrate clear benefits for residents within the Fund area. There requires to be

• Clear consultation and evidence of local demand from local people e.g. - what local consultation have you undertaken specifically in, or with, the HEG communities, and/or what evidence can you provide showing demand/need for your proposed services in those geographies? Have you run a pilot of your project or trialled it in the Fund area somehow?
• Partnership - do you have any partnerships in place/planned to serve the HEG Fund area? Please provide letters of support from your local HEG partners. How will the project specifically reach individuals in the HEG area?
• Projected beneficiaries - how many individuals from the HEG area do you plan to reach and support in the project timeframe?   

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here.

How are decisions made?

Trustees of the Harthill, Eastfield and Greenrigg (HEG) Community Group (SC045681) decide on awards granted by the fund.  In 2023 there will be four rounds of funding with application deadline dates in January, April, July and October.