**The Fund is now closed for applications**
Humanitarian Fund - Participatory Budgeting
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is about local people having a direct say in how public money is spent. The process of PB can vary greatly, but the core of it looks like this:
- Groups or organisations have ideas on what they could do with the money
- The people of the community vote for which idea(s) they like the most
- The projects with the most votes are funded
If you are interested in learning more about Participatory Budgeting then check out the following link: www.pbscotland.scot
Overview of this fund
Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire in collaboration with Community Learning and Development and Strategic Services has established a community steering group in order to deliver this fund. This Humanitarian Fund has a total of £150,000 to distribute over 2 rounds and fund projects that will reduce the impact of COVID-19 on residents, community groups and businesses within the local authority.
Priorities for the project have been identified through consultation undertaken by Engage Scotland into the impact of COVID-19 in East Renfrewshire.
The priority groups are:
- Children and young people – especially those with ASN
- Older people – including those in more affluent areas
- Those with disabilities and long-term conditions
- Carers, especially carers of people with dementia
- Single households especially older people, single parents
- Young families especially those in social housing
- Those with language barriers
- Women experiencing domestic violence
- Low level support and community response
- Increased Cost of Living Overhead(s)
- Wellbeing and mental health
- Financial and practical support
- (Re)Building resilience
- Focus on existing inequalities
Constituted groups: Any group/organisation with a constitution can apply for amounts up to £5,000.
Unconstituted Groups: Unconstituted groups can also apply for the same amount but will require a sponsor organisation to hold the funds on their behalf. A sponsor is another third-sector organisation, that has a bank account that can hold the money awarded from this fund. Please note, that this will need to be formally in place before any funding can be approved.
Your sponsor organisation will be contacted to ensure that the formal arrangement is in place.
Application Process
If you have an idea for a project and are thinking of applying, please give us a call on 0141 876 9555 first to check whether your idea is something that our funding will support.
Applications will be made through the application form found under Application Form Tab. Once complete, the applications should be sent to [email protected]. You can also print off the application and drop it off in person at either of our Market place venues in Barrhead or Newton Mearns. It will then be assessed by a panel to ensure that the application meets the funding criteria.
The closing date to submit your application will be the 15th of February.
If your application successfully meets the criteria, you will be notified that your application is through to the next stage. This next stage will involve creating an A3 Poster using the template provided. This poster will be used to showcase your group/organisation’s project to the general public. We will be offering support for making this poster if needed.
Applications will be sifted as and when they come in. once agreed to move forward, applicants are given a week from the sift decision to submit their poster.
Poster can be submitted by emailing to [email protected]
You can also print off your A3 poster and drop it off in person at either of our Market place venues in Barrhead or Newton Mearns.
Whichever method you choose to submit your A3 Poster, it needs to be submitted by the 21st of February at 5pm.
The posters will then be showcased at The Marketplace venues at Barrhead and Newton Mearns on the 24th, 27th and 28th of February. The general public will then vote at these venues for what projects they would like to see in the community.
An Online voting system will be available from the 24th of February until 4pm on the 28th of February.
Participatory Budgeting (PB) allows those in the community to have a say in the projects that they want to see happen. So that means that every resident of East Renfrewshire over the age of 16 gets to vote.
Further details about how this voting process will operate, will be released closer to the time of the voting event.
26th of January | Applications go live |
The panel will sift applications on Thursday 16th of February. Applicants should be notified the same day if they are successful in making it through to the poster stage. | |
15th of February | Application deadline |
21st of February at 5pm | Poster submission deadline |
24th to 28th of February | Online voting is live |
Friday 24th, Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th of February | In person vote is live at both Market Place venues |
The fund is now closed for applications.
Advice and Support
If you have an idea for a project and are thinking of applying, please contact us first to check whether your idea is something that our funding will support.
Email: [email protected]
Call: 0141 876 9555