BCA Funding
Warm Spaces Support Grant 2024/25
This fund is now open. The link to the online application process is provided below.
This fund, obtained through the Health and Social Care Partnership, aims to support the development of welcoming spaces over the winter months to support people in the community to gather socially and to raise awareness of support and benefits available, particularly older adults impacted by the winter fuel payment cap.
We are asking groups and organisations to support us in delivering spaces across the Scottish Borders that are open, accessible, safe and welcoming for all to come inside and warm up. We want to ensure that anyone in the community knows where they can go to get warm, receive a nutritious meal, interact with others socially, as well as receive information and advice about financial support they may be entitled to through drop in sessions with services such as CAB, Social Security Scotland and SBC's Financial Inclusion team.
The Warm Spaces Support Grant aims to give groups and organisations financial support to open their venues up as warm welcome spaces in addition to their normal activity. We will be prioritising towns and villages with an identified gap in existing provision or where there is a local need.
The intended outcomes of the Fund are for people to:
- experience a reduction in loneliness and isolation during the cold winter months,
- experience health and well-being improvement as a result of interaction with others in the community, and
- have access to income maximisation information such as benefits and other supports.
Grants of £250 minimum to £2500 maximum per warm, welcome space are available. This can be used to offset a range of costs, for example, energy costs, activity costs, materials needed, or running costs including staff or volunteer costs. We want to be able to fund as many provisions as possible so please, be mindful when considering your request. Any grant monies awarded should be spent by 31 March 2025.
The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday, 13 December 2024. Applications will be assessed on a first come first served basis, please refer to the fund guidance for information before completing your application.
Click here for the fund guidance document: Warm Spaces Support Fund Guidance
You can apply for the fund using this link:
https://form.jotform.com/243374126726357
If you have any questions regarding how to apply you can email us info@borderscommunityaction.org.uk.
With thanks to Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership
Village Halls Retrofit - Round 1
Borders Community Action launched the Retrofit Fund Programme in September 2024 to Enhance Energy Efficiency in Village Halls and round 1 is now closed. This funding is from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Aimed at supporting village halls across the Scottish Borders to adopt energy-efficient measures.
A total of £177,955 has been awarded. This enabled 15 halls projects covering all localities in the Borders, including the installation of solar panels, improved insulation, LED lighting and heating system upgrades.
A further 22 halls were awarded funding to provide energy-efficiency assessments, this will enable those halls to plan future projects in anticipation of further funding becoming available in the 2025/26 financial year.
Borders Community Action will continue to support halls to identify and plan energy efficiency improvements. This support will enable halls to reduce energy consumption and lower their carbon footprints, as a result village halls can become more sustainable and cost-effective community hubs.
“We are delighted to have been able to deliver this programme so efficiently as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund,” said Juliana Amaral, Borders Community Action Chief Executive Officer. “Village halls are at the heart of our communities, and by supporting them in becoming more energy-efficient, we are investing in a sustainable future for all.”
Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund
This fund, allocated by the Scottish Government is aimed at supporting initiatives which promote mental health and wellbeing at a small scale, grassroots and community level addressing priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and poverty and inequality.
With a total fund of £320,000 available, we were overwhelmed with 91 applications totalling over £1.3M in funding requests.
All applications were reviewed to ensure each met the fund criteria. Using a pre-determined marking criteria, an independent scoring panel (made of cross-sector representatives for adult mental health and wellbeing services) assessed and scored each application. Placing priority on the small to medium applications, as this was a requirement of the fund, we have now communicated decisions with all 35 successful and 51 unsuccessful applicants. Projects will start from April 2025.