BIG awards extra £2m to grant holders

Fundraising, News.. — By TFNadmin on 26/01/2012 11:45 pm

EXISTING Big Lottery Fund Scotland grant holders that have lost funding from other sources as a result of the current financial climate are now able to bid for part of an extra £2 million.

Scotland’s biggest funder is offering projects that it is currently funding but which are experiencing difficulty some extra financial support in the first half of 2012.

BIG Scotland director Jackie Killeen, explained: “We have made £2m available for additional grants which we believe will help address the immediacy of current financial difficulties many of our existing grant-holders find themselves in.

“For us, this kind of approach shows our intent as an intelligent funder and means that we are providing an option for our grantholders to continue to deliver their projects in spite of experiencing financial difficulty.”

This specific assistance will be available to all existing Investing in Communities grant-holders as long as they are meeting their agreed terms and conditions.

The funding is aimed at helping organisations address difficulties caused by loss of match funding, which is impacting on their ability to deliver their original project.

Killeen added: “We are seeking to address both the immediate impact of the current financial climate and the need to support grant-holders to be better able to sustain themselves by reviewing their current practices and making changes to how they operate in light of the shifting landscape for the third sector in Scotland.”

BIG wrote to its grantholders last week with information regarding this scheme.

Organisations have until the end of February to apply for up to £50,000 through completion of a simple bespoke form.

Funding decisions will be made in April after an assessment.

Tags: BIG, climate, Scotland, support, TFN 669 - 27 January 2012