Tannach and District Wind Farm Trust
| Grant size | Up to £25,000 |
| Area |
Highland
|
| Key dates | |
| Application deadline: | 30th June and 31st December |
| Notification dates: | Late February and early September |
About this fund
The Tannach and District Charitable Wind Farm Trust, formed in partnership between Tannach and District Community Council and Foundation Scotland, has been set up to allow funds from different companies or donors, pledged for the benefit of the Tannach and District community, to be managed in an efficient and effective way. Donors are currently received to the Trust from:
- Wathegar Wind Farm, owned by Gresham House Asset Management, provides £30,030 (index-linked) each year for the life of the wind farm.
- Wathegar 2 Wind Farm, owned by Gresham House Asset Management, provides £40,590 (index-linked) each year for the life of the wind farm.
- Bilbster Wind Farm, owned by RWE, provides £4,025.50 (index-linked) each year for the life of the wind farm.
The Trust’s available balance for grantmaking is currently £169,000.
Note the RWE Camster Wind Farm Community Fund also provides grants for projects benefitting this community council area and is administered by Foundation Scotland.
Purpose of this fund
The outcomes for the Trust are:
- There are more and better opportunities to take part in sports and recreational pursuits
- Access to and through settlements is safer
- People of all ages enjoy more, better and varied activities and services
- Community life is enhanced and maintained through a wide range of activities, events and improved amenity of settlements
- Economic activity is encouraged within the fund area
- People have more vocational skills and experience
- The natural and cultural heritage is more valued, experienced and understood by both visitors and residents
- Energy use in homes and community buildings is more sustainable
- Tourism opportunities are promoted and created in the fund area.
Your application must demonstrate how it contributes to at least one of these outcomes. It should also list the measurable activities and outputs you will deliver to achieve the outcome(s).
Additional criteria
Applicants should also demonstrate the following:
- Local consultation: That you have consulted with the intended beneficiaries of the project and other local groups and/or businesses as appropriate, and that these are supportive of the proposal.
- Partnership working: Where appropriate, applicants should consider whether delivering their project in partnership with other organisations/groups could add value (financial, capability, or other). This could involve working with voluntary, private or public sector bodies that operate at local, regional or national level.
- Sustainable development: Applicants should consider whether projects will contribute towards sustainable development, including minimising the environmental impact of projects and reducing the ‘carbon footprint’ of the applicant organisation and/or Tannach and District community.
- Local procurement: Local suppliers of goods and services should be used where appropriate (e.g., in terms of quality of products/services available) and feasible (in terms of availability and cost). The definition of ‘local’ will vary depending on the goods/services in question. In some cases, it could be taken to mean within Tannach and District but in others, Caithness, or indeed the North of Scotland might be most appropriate.
Where an item/contract will cost over £30,000 an open and fair tendering process will need to be carried out, and evidence of this and your justification for selecting your preferred supplier must be submitted along with your application. Please read our Value for Money policy for more details on what we expect in this situation.
Who can apply?
Groups and organisations working to benefit people in any of the four communities can apply. Your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. It does not need to be a registered charity.
Applications from groups/ organisations located out with the Tannach and District area will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate a clear benefit for residents within the area.
What can’t be funded?
Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here.
The fund will not support any form of campaigning.
How are decisions made?
Recommendations on awards are made by a local Panel of up to 12 residents of Tannach and District, including two Community Councillors. The Panel also advises on fund strategy and oversees the Tannach and District Education & Training Fund.
Opportunities to become a (non-Community Council) Panel member are openly advertised when these arise, both locally and on this website. Presently, there are vacancies for up to four further members, and new volunteers are welcome.
Panel members serve for between two and four years, retiring on a phased basis to ensure knowledge and expertise are retained. Current Panel members are:
- Ian Giles
- Rhona Gill
- Sarah Rootes
- Catherine MacLeod
- Alice Miller
- Elizabeth Henderson
- Holly Forbes
The Panel normally makes decisions on awards twice per year, in February/March and September.
Minutes of the latest Panel meetings are available on request from the Community Funds Adviser. Contact details can be found below.
More information on the award making process is available here.
If you are interested in joining the Panel please submit your details here and we will contact you.
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 0131 524 0324 and we can help.
If you have already started an application and not completed it, please login here to resume.
Frequently asked questions
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Can I apply for the cost of feasibility studies and other project development work?
Some projects, particularly large and transformative projects such as those involving the purchase or development of property, can require significant research/ consultation, planning and other feasibility work. The fund can support such activity; however, applications must demonstrate realistic ambitions, that appropriately skilled and qualified personnel are involved in conducting the work and must not duplicate any similar recent feasibility work.
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What if my project needs more or less than the minimum grant amount?
The RWE Camster Wind Farm Community Fund provides for a micro-grant scheme that smaller offers grants to individuals or groups for charitable activities that will benefit the community. The scheme is operated by Thrumster Development Association, please contact them to apply for a micro-grant (see ‘Useful Links’ below).
Requests for more than £25,000 may be considered on a case-by-case basis where you can provide evidence that your proposal will bring about significant benefit for the community. Please contact us before applying.
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Can the fund support the cost of salaries?
Applications towards salaries or wages must show how the position will contribute to the achievement of fund outcomes in a measurable way, listing the main outputs to be delivered over the grant funding period. Where funding for more than one year has been agreed in principle, grant payments in each year will be dependent on evidence that these outputs have been achieved in the previous year.
Applications towards salaries or wages must also:- demonstrate how the salary/wage rate has been arrived at, including how it has been benchmarked with comparable posts
- provide a job description and person specification for the post, and
- outline the recruitment process, ensuring this is being run in a fair and open way.
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Can the fund support 100% of project costs?
Applicants are not required to source any specific proportion of matched funds for their project. However, you should explore other possible funding sources for their project. Awards from the Trust should not displace funding that could be obtained from other sources but should help leverage additional funds if possible. Additionally, the availability of the fund should not reduce community groups’ commitment to organising local activities that contribute to a vibrant community calendar and promote community spirit.
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Can I apply for a grant towards costs over several years?
Where considering a request for funding over several years (a multi-year grant), the Panel also need to consider the implications this may have in terms of reducing the amount available to distribute to other causes in future years.
Where multi-year funding has been agreed, the release of funding for each year will depend on evidence that your group has achieved the agreed activities and outcomes for the previous year.
Multi-year awards are usually offered over a maximum of three years. Please contact us before applying as additional information will be required for multi-year awards.
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Can the fund support my group’s core running costs?
Yes, you can apply for core (‘business as usual’) costs, however, the Panel is concerned that grants should not replace typical fundraising efforts (such as local events), which often foster community activity in themselves. Therefore, if you are applying for funding towards operational costs please ensure the rationale is fully explained.
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How many applications can I submit?
You can apply for funding for more than one project in each round. You can also apply for and hold more than one grant in any year however you may be required to provide monitoring reports for previous grants before any further awards are made.
Contact information
Central Systems Support
Eilidh Coll, Community Funds Adviser
Useful links
- Help for applicants
- To apply for a micro grant, contact Tannach and District Community Council
- For advice on setting up or running your group or project contact Caithness Voluntary Group
- The funds are provided by RWE and Gresham House Asset Management
- The Tannach & District Education & Training Fund provides bursaries to individuals in the area for the purpose of increasing their employment potential.
- Tannach and District Wind Farm Funding Newsletter 2020/21