Langhope Rig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund
| Grant size | Up to £20,000 |
| Area |
Scottish Borders
|
| Key dates | |
| Application Deadline: | 06/01/25 |
| Decision Notification : | Mid March 2025 |
| Application Deadline: | 18/06/25 |
| Decision Notification : | Late August 2025 |
About this fund
The fund is provided by Greencoat UK Wind, the owners of the Langhope Rig Wind Farm located near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. It opened in 2017. An annual amount of £80,000, rising in line with inflation, will be paid into the fund for the operating life of the wind farm. In 2024, the annual contribution to the fund was just over £114,000.
The fund comprises two sub-funds.
- Sub-fund A is a single, joint fund that supports groups and organisations delivering projects and services across the three community council areas of Ettrick Yarrow, Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk Midlem, Upper Teviotdale and Borthwick Water. Grant Size: From £1,000 - £20,000
- Sub-fund B includes the above three community council areas and Hawick & District and Denholm & District. Each of the five community councils is responsible for fund distribution locally within their own community council area. Please contact the individual community councils for further information.
Purpose of this fund
The fund will provide grants to support charitable activities that:
- Encourage community activity and promote community spirit
- Ensure adequate access to services for all community members
- Improve local transport infrastructure
- Build the local economy
- Build community capacity and cohesion between groups
- Develop or maintain community assets.
Grant requests to support a wide range of costs and activities will be considered, such as equipment costs, running costs for local groups, staff or sessional worker costs, consultations, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities, etc. For revenue projects, there is no guarantee of ongoing support. The fund encourages groups to be working towards being self-sustaining where possible.
Additional criteria
Applications for grants of over £20,000 can be considered where an application is for a strategic project. This means a project that would be delivered over more than one year or a collaborative project that brings benefits to people across all three community council areas. Those wishing to apply for more than £20,000 are advised to call the fund administrator (contact details below) to discuss their application in the first instance.
Who can apply?
Groups and organisations working to benefit people in eligible communities can apply. Your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. You do not need to be a registered charity to apply.
Applications from groups/organisations located out of the fund area will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate a clear benefit for residents within the fund area.
What can’t be funded?
Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here.
How are decisions made?
A community panel, composed of people who live, work, or volunteer in the three communities, makes recommendations on grant awards from sub-fund A.
The panel has up to nine members. It comprises people who live in the area the fund covers and comprises a mixture of community councilors and other community members.
Each panel member serves between one and four years, with members retiring on a phased basis to ensure knowledge and expertise are retained. Opportunities to become a panel member are openly advertised when these arise, both locally and on this website, and are selected through a fair and transparent process. Previous panel members may stand again.
The panel meets twice each year, in March and August. Minutes are available from the Community Funds Adviser (please see details below).
More information on the award-making process is available here.
How to apply
Complete the online application form. Completed applications and supporting documents must be received by the application deadline.
If you would like to review the questions you will be asked to answer before starting the form, you can see them here.
If you have any problems accessing the form, please email grants@foundationscotland.org.uk or call 01557 814927 and we can help.
If you have already started an application and not completed it, please login here to resume.
Panel Recruitment
Click here for more information about becoming a panel member.
For further information, please get in touch with Niome Lucjan on 0131 524 0304 or email niome@foundationscotland.org.uk
Frequently asked questions
-
How many grants can I apply for?
Eligible groups may apply for more than one grant per year from the fund. More than one grant application from an organisation can be submitted to a funding round; however, additional applications may not prioritised by the panel depending on the level of funds available.
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What if my project needs less than the minimum grant amount?
If your grant request is for less than £1,000, you can approach the Ettrick & Yarrow, Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Midlem, or Upper Teviotdale & Borthwick Water Community Councils to submit an application to sub-fund B.
-
Can I apply as an individual?
You cannot apply to the main fund as an individual but you can apply to the Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund which provides bursaries to residents of Ettrick & Yarrow; Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Midlem and Upper Teviotdale & Borthwick Water Community Council areas to help them access training and education opportunities. Go to Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education & Training Fund (Sub Fund A) | Foundation Scotland for more information.
Contact information
Central Systems Support
Niome Lucjan, Community Funds Adviser