Apply for a grant

• Our Minds Matter Short-Term Community Grants

  This short-term funding opportunity is available as a one-off for 2023, from the Scottish Government's Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for young people aged 5-24 (up to 26 if care experienced) and their parents or carers. In Fife, this forms part of the overall Our Minds Matter framework.
  
  This page contains all of the latest information about the local funding position, how organisations can apply and how to access support. Further down you will see a list of questions and answers to help organisations understand the Fund and how to apply. Support is available from FVA to help organisations to apply to the Fund and to manage any grant award. This page sets out the key criteria for eligible organisations and projects.
  
  The application process went live on Monday 09 January 2023, closing on 31 January 2023.
  
  Please remember, we are available to provide support with your project idea and application.
  
  Applications can be started from: 09/01/2023
  Application deadline: 31/01/2023
  
  Minimum amount you can apply for: £500, maximum: £9,999
  This funding has made been available thanks to Fife Council, through the Scottish Government's Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
  
  

  Guidance Document

  We have produced a guidance document to help organisations to consider an application to this Fund. It also includes guidance on how to answer the questions in the application form. We strongly recommend that you read this guidance document before submitting an application.
  
  To download the guidance document (a PDF file) click on the link on the right-hand side where it says Read More...
  

  Start an Application

  You should read the information about this grant before starting an application on behalf of your organisation - there are further details on this page, see below. Please pay particular attention to information about eligibility and what can and cannot be funded to avoid spending time on a grant application that cannot be considered.
  
  Please only start a new application once you are satisfied that you and your proposal are eligible.
  Start a new application
  
  

  Resume or Review an Application

  If you have already started a grant application, or submitted one, you can open it by clicking on the link you received by e-mail when you started the application. If you cannot find the link, please supply your e-mail address and - if it is the e-mail address associated with a grant application - you will receive a new e-mail with the link. If you have any other problems, please contact us.
  
  To be reminded of the link to your grant application, please provide your e-mail address and click Submit:
  

   

  Grant Details

  a) It must have a focus on delivering outcomes for children and young people aged between 5-24 (up to 26 if care experienced and/or to their parents or carers.
  b) Supports should be easily available at the heart of community settings and be available at a broad range of times (e.g. not just within the hours of 9-3 pm, Monday to Friday).
  c) Projects must be viable within timeframe of spend by the end of June 2023
  d) The organisation must have a child protection/safeguarding policy and their staff and volunteers should be members of the PVG scheme.
  e) The organisation must be a constituted third sector organisation or Community Council (unconstituted groups can contact FVA for free support to consider how best to become constituted and apply for the grant).
  f) The bank account must be in the organisation's name.
  g) Maximum grant is £9,999. We welcome all applications and have not set a minimum fund.
  h) Partnership bids are welcome, but they must be led by, and most of the activity undertaken by, a third sector organisation.
  i) The grant is for grassroots projects - things that benefit at-risk/priority groups in local communities in Fife.
  j) We cannot fund budget gaps - this must fund additional activity or enhance existing activity.
  k) Grant awards are mostly for revenue activity, but we can consider applications that include up to £5k for capital costs.

  Beneficiaries/Targeted Groups

  We are looking to develop a balance of initiatives across the Fife area, therefore we will consider the needs of the particular community being served by the project and the current gaps in provision for that community.

  The fund aims to support those groups who are more vulnerable to poorer mental health and wellbeing. For this reason, we are particularly interested in projects supporting children and young people who are:

    • Living in poverty
    • Are affected by homelessness
    • Affected by substance use
    • Affected by homelessness
    • From LGBT+ communities
    • Care experienced young people
    • Young Carers
    • Disengaged with education due to their mental health being a barrier
    • At risk of a negative destination
    • Have a long term health condition or disability
    • Who have been on the highest risk (previously shielding) list
    • From a minority ethnic background
    • Refugees or asylum seekers
    • Facing socio-economic disadvantage
    • Experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage
    • Diagnosed with a mental illness
    • Affected by psychological trauma (including adverse childhood experience
    • Have experienced bereavement or loss
    • Disadvantaged by geographical location (particularly remote and rural areas).
  
  
  Please note that the above list is not in any order of priority or importance.
   

  Fund Outcomes

  The intended outcome of this fund is to develop a culture of early intervention and prevention using the 5 ways to wellbeing to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people and their families to:

    1. Increase awareness and application of the 5 ways to wellbeing
    2. Improve awareness of how to maintain positive emotional wellbeing
    3. Improve resilience for parents and carers, to resolve difficulties and problems
    4. Increase support for mental and emotional distress and wellbeing
    5. Improve conversations about mental health, reducing stigma and increasing confidence in talking about it
    6. Improved communication with young people and their families where verbal communication is a challenge.
  
  

  Items that CAN and CANNOT be funded

  What CAN be funded:
  • Equipment
  • One-off events
  • Small capital spend up to £5,000 for land or building projects
  • Additional staff costs to deliver the project
  • Overheads/management fee – capped at 10% of grant request
  • Training costs
  • Transport
  • Utilities/running costs
  • Volunteer expenses
  • Helping people to stay safe (PPE for small gatherings/group activities)
  • Hall hire for community spaces
  • Food related activities
  • Costs related directly to the current cost of living crisis.
  
  What CANNOT be funded:
  • Projects that are solely aimed at children under 5 or adults over 24 (26 if care experienced). Projects that would benefit parent/carers of those aged between 5-24 (26 if care experienced) would be eligible.
  • Any goods or services that you buy or order before we confirm our grant
  • Items that only benefit an individual – for example, scholarships and personal clothing for individuals and equipment that is not shared
  • Routine repair and maintenance costs
  • Contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest
  • Electricity generation and feed-in tariff payment
  • Political or religious campaigning
  • Profit-making/fundraising activities
  • VAT you can reclaim
  • Statutory activities
  • Overseas travel
  • Alcohol
  • Fireworks.
  
   

  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  When can organisations start applying to the Fund?
  The online application system will go live on Monday 09 January 2023. We will send out an e-mail bulletin to alert everybody, so please make sure you are signed up to receive them. This page will always contain the latest information, so check back here every now and again.
  
  Who can apply to the Fund?
  It is for third sector organisations who can evidence a contribution to mental health and wellbeing. If your group does not yet have a constitution then please get in touch with us to discuss where you are in your formation journey, and we can advise on your readiness to apply as well as the support we can provide.
  
  Is this funding only for mental health organisations?
  Absolutely not - it is designed to be accessed by organisations that don't specialise in mental health but make a clear contribution to mental health and wellbeing in young people.
  
  Can we get help to apply?
  Yes - we can help organisations with their project idea and to apply. Support is also available to manage the grant and submit the required monitoring information. Support staff cannot give definitive feedback on how successful an application might be and they are not involved in the assessment process, but they have extensive experience of supporting grant applications and know more about this Fund than anybody else.
  
  Where can I get the form to complete?
  There isn't a form - grant applications will be done on this website. You do not have to complete it in one sitting or on the same device, you can get other people to fill out parts of it for you, if you want to.
  
  Can I get a copy of the application that I submit?
  Yes - every time you submit something on our grant application system you will receive a receipt and full copy of what you submitted by e-mail, automatically.
  
  How much can we apply for?
  The minimum is £500, the maximum is £9,999.
  
  Can new organisations without a bank account apply?
  No. They can partner with another third sector organisation who will be the grant recipient and held accountable for the grant. Contact us if this is a concern for you.
  
  Can we apply for capital costs?
  Yes, but only up to £5k.
  
  Our SCIO status isn't confirmed yet, can we still apply?
  Please contact us - we want to allocate all of this money and fund good activity in Fife, so we will do what we can to support you to apply. By working with us, we can assess risk and still support applications from organisations who are working towards registration but haven't yet achieved it.
  
  Are partnership bids allowed/preferred?
  We always like to see organisations collaborating and working together, but it is not required for most applications. We will consider partnership bids submitted by the lead partner, as long as all other criteria are met (for example, the lead partner is a third sector organisations and so on).
  
  Can colleagues work on the application form with me?
  Yes, the online application system allows you to save your answers as you go, close out and resume where you left off. You don't need to complete it in order either. You can share your unique website link with anybody you choose.
  
  Can an organisation submit more than one application?
  Yes.