Sustainable Communities Fund

What the fund is, what it can be used for, who can apply for it, how much you can apply for, how to apply, if you get funding.

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What the Sustainable Communities Fund is

The Sustainable Communities Fund can provide investment for community organisations to identify, develop or sustain local projects that have a range of social, environmental, or economic benefits.

The fund can also support and enable local organisations to take on land or buildings through a Community Asset Transfer.

The aim of the fund is to support infrastructure and place-based projects across Renfrewshire that will:

improve the lives of local people
build resilient communities through sustainable activities.
advance equality of opportunity and improve accessibility and inclusivity.

Types of projects we will fund

Community capacity and wealth building projects that empower local groups to explore asset transfer and develop place-based infrastructure initiatives.

This can include:

conducting feasibility studies into asset transfers
encouraging volunteering
reshaping local relationships and enhancing local infrastructure to promote well-being
supporting skills development
establishing community enterprises that deliver local benefits and opportunities.

Local natural spaces that support health and wellbeing and focus on benefiting communities in need of green spaces by:

increasing access to nature including creating or improving green and blue infrastructure
incorporating nature into wider public spaces
providing or increasing positive and healthy activities for local communities.

Place-based investments that focus on improving community spaces and enhancing community assets by:

boosting facility usage and accessibility or making physical alterations to community buildings or spaces
new infrastructure projects
building resilience against climate change through local projects and engagement that increase biodiversity, enhance active travel, promote local food growing or build knowledge of the climate emergency.

What the funding can be used for

Funding can be used for revenue costs, capital costs or both.

Revenue funding can be used for:

certain types of one-off costs, such as professional fees, marketing, feasibility studies or business plans
recurring costs such as salaries and overheads - however, this does not cover reoccurring costs after the first year.

Capital funding is for specific one-off costs, like building works, refurbishment or setting up a project with tools, equipment, furniture, technology or energy saving devices.

The fund is designed to support the progression and development of projects. So, you could apply to fund a feasibility study into procuring an asset, which could then progress to applying for capital funding for works to that asset.

However, you cannot apply for funding of different projects in the same organisation.

Who can apply for it

Community and voluntary organisations

The Sustainable Communities Fund is open to any community or voluntary organisation who:

are based in Renfrewshire
has a constitution
has an organisational bank account
its members control the direction of the organisation.

Membership organisations

Membership organisations, such as sports clubs, can apply to the fund. However, your proposal must benefit to the wider community and not just the members of the organisation. The scale of benefit expected may mean that it will be challenging for member organisations to be successful in their application.

Organisations interested in or applying for Community Asset Transfers

If you're looking at the feasibility of a Community Asset Transfer, your organisation doesn't need to be a Community Transfer Body.

However, if you're applying for funding towards a Community Asset Transfer, or developing a transferred community asset, your organisation must be eligible as a Community Transfer Body.

It's not a requirement for applying for this fund, but your organisation should be working towards this status.

However, funding towards exploring or developing a transferred asset is not an indicator that your request for the asset transfer will be successful. Each request for a community asset transfer is considered individually and on its own merits.

Find out more about Community Asset Transfers.

How much you can apply for

There are 3 tiers of funding you can apply for, depending on the size and scope of your project proposal.

If you're applying for intermediate or large funding amounts, we'll need evidence and information for the higher level of funding you're applying for.

Small awards up to £10,000

Small awards could be used for:

purchase of small items of equipment
looking into projects to restore or regenerate property
community engagement initiatives like surveys, information sessions or events
volunteer development programmes
small climate change interventions.

We'll also consider applications for small capital investments. You'll need to provide either a:

minimum of one external quote
detailed list of items you want to purchase, unit costs for each item and the names of the suppliers or retailers.

Intermediate awards between £10,000 and £25,000

Intermediate awards could be used for capital or revenue costs towards:

feasibility studies or business plans for property development or community asset transfers
project management costs.

You will need to provide either a minimum of 3 external quotes with your application for all costs, for example, commissioning consultants, building works or the process you will use to select providers.

Large awards up to £100,000

Large awards could be used for capital costs towards plans to take ownership or redevelop land or buildings in your local community.

In your application, you'll need to provide us with a

detailed brief
minimum of 4 external quotes for all costs, as well as the process you will use to select providers.

If you apply for more than £25,000 or more

You will need to meet with a funding officer to discuss your application and its proposed outcomes to make sure it:

aligns to the council's plans and priorities
is achievable and sustainable.

If you apply for £50,000 or more

You will need to demonstrate:

there is a robust business case for the project
your organisation has been successful in levering in external funding for the project
you have developed an overall financial strategy for the project
you can commit to using any allocated funding within a period acceptable to the Council and to UK government funding requirements .

Your organisation needs to either:

have undertaken extensive community engagement regarding the project, including establishing strong relationships and partnerships in the local area
be recognised as a key strategic partner with Renfrewshire Council or has a formal Strategic Partnership Agreement with us.

Funding subsidies

Some funding may qualify as a subsidy under the UK Government Subsidy Control Regime.

A subsidy is where a public authority provides support to a business in a way that gives them advantage over a competitor.

If it does, you need to confirm if all the public grants your organisation has received in the last three years, including this fund, is less than £350,000.

Before you apply

You need to discuss your proposal with us before you make a formal application. This will help you know if your proposal is eligible and feasible. We will give you initial feedback on your proposal and ask you for more information if we need it.

Email us at communityplanning@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone 0141 487 1508.

Funding criteria

Your proposal should demonstrate how it aims to meet the following funding criteria.

Community engagement and participation with:

evidence of how you have involved the community in the development of your project, and they support your plans
evidence of how the community will have a voice in the delivery and oversight of your project
your commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, making sure that different types of people are supported and empowered to engage with your project.

Positive impact for local communities by identifying:

the community need for your project
the changes your project will bring, setting out clear outputs and outcomesfor your project
who will benefit from these changes and what wider community benefits the project will have
what actions you will take to measure, monitor, and evaluate positive change from your project.

Viability and sustainability by demonstrating:

how your project will continue after the grant has been used, including how you will fund activity going forward or implement proposals following a feasibility or business plan.
how this grant will increase the financial sustainability of your organisation by reducing dependency on funding or generating revenue
your organisation has the appropriate skills, experience, and qualifications to deliver the project, or has a plan for engaging people who do
your project will work with existing facilities and provisions in the local area
evidence of any necessary building and planning permissions or consents for your project
you will be able to deliver the project within an appropriate period.

Strategic alignment with the fund objectives and criteria by demonstrating:

how your project aligns with one or more of the fund objectives
how your project meets the 7 best value themes of clear vision and leadership, governance and accountability, effective use of resources, partnership and collaborative working, sustainability, working with communities, and fairness and equality.

Your proposal should closely align with the themes and aims of the:

Information you need to include in your application

You'll need to give us:

a detailed description of your project including timelines
basic information about your organisation and its governance arrangements.
details all of the costs associated with your project including those that you are applying for
which tier of funding you're applying for
the outputs and outcomes you want achieve and how you will measure these.

Outputs and outcomes

You must specify the outputs and outcomes your project aims to achieve and how you will measure them.

Outputs are the result of activity. For example, if the project is to create a community garden, the output will be the garden itself, an improvement to public space, or a new amenity or space for public use.

Outcomes are the product or impact of activity or the added value of carrying out the activity. For example, the outcomes of a community garden may be an improvement in biodiversity or an increase in public health and social wellbeing.

Financial and organisational information

Your application needs to include:

a bank statement less than 3 months old
a copy of your most recent annual accounts or an income and expenditure statement - these should be less than 15 months old, dated and signed as approved - you can include a link to the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) or to a Companies House submitted file
a signed, dated copy of the organisation's Constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association - you can include a link to the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) or to a Companies House submitted file.

If it's a new organisation, you should submit estimates of income and expenditure for the first 12 months.

Quotes, consents and plans

Where relevant, you may need to give us a minimum number of quotes with your application, proportionate to the level and type of funding you're applying for:

Revenue less than £10K - you do not need external quotes, but you must be able to justify costs and explain your rationale.
Capital less than £10K - a minimum of one external quote or a detailed list of items to be purchased with unit costs, the name of supplier or retailer and your rationale.
Capital or revenue between £10,000 and £25,000 - a minimum of 3 external quotes and selection process
Capital or revenue over £25,000 - a detailed brief and minimum of 4 external quotes along with the selection process.

Statutory consents

If you're applying for a capital grant involving building works, you'll need to provide evidence of applications for planning or building warrants or consents, including their reference numbers.

Plans and strategies

You'll need to give us a business plan or funding strategy if you're applying for more than £25,000.

Other relevant information

You can also include any other relevant reports or information to support your application like media coverage, press cuttings, images, past publicity materials, reviews or letters of support.

Please provide them as a PDF file where possible.

How to apply

Apply online

Apply online for the Sustainable Communities Fund.

Other ways to apply

If you need help with your application, or you need an application form in another format, email us at communityplanning@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone us on 0141 487 1508.

After you've applied

The Funding Panel, who are officers from across the council, evaluate all applications against the funding criteria.

They will:

consider how your application meets the criteria
make a recommendation [or not] to the Communities and Housing Policy Board.

The board will make the final decision on your application.

All applications are seen by the Communities and Housing Policy Board, whether they are recommended for approval or not.

The Board decision dates are:

11 March 2025
13 May 2025
19 August 2025
28 October 2025.

How long it will take

We'll let you know shortly after your application has been reviewed by the Board.

If you're successful, you'll receive an award agreement by email:

stating the purpose of the award
containing our terms and conditions
outlining what our monitoring and feedback requirements are.

It will also contain forms you'll need to fill in to accept and claim your award.

Read your award letter carefully and keep it safe for future reference.

Fair Work First

If we award you a grant, you must follow the Fair Work First criteria to:

pay at least the real Living Wage, currently £12.60 per hour, if it applies to your project
provide appropriate channels for effective workers' voice, such as trade union recognition.

You should also provide a statement indicating how you will support and implement Fair Work First principles where appropriate or give reasons why this may not apply to your project.

You can read the Fair Work First guidance on the Scottish Government website.

After you receive the funding

Your grant should be specifically used for what you've applied for, and you must discuss any proposed changes with us in advance.

You should also keep all receipts and evidence of expenditure. Payments for goods and services must be made directly from the organisation's bank account, not by cash, as we may request bank statements to verify what you spend on your project. You should make sure payments from the account are clearly noted.

We'll work with you to monitor the outcomes delivered by your project. These will also be reported back to the Communities and Housing Policy Board.

If part of your award comes from UK Shared Prosperity Funding, we'll also give feedback to the UK Government about your project's outcomes.

Renfrewshire Council