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Barr Community Fund

Grant size Up to £25,000
Area
South Ayrshire
Key dates  
Application Deadline: 12/04/24
Decision Due: Early July 2024
Application Deadline: 12/07/24
Decision Due: Early October 2024
Application Deadline: 18/10/24
Decision Due: Mid January 2025

About this fund

The Barr Community Fund is funded by SSE community benefit funding from the Hadyard Hill wind farm and by Nadara from its Assel Valley wind farm, both in South Ayrshire. The fund supports projects located within or directly benefiting the community area of Barr.

Originally these funds were run separately. The joint Barr Community Fund was established in the spring of 2020 with the aim of making application processes simpler for local groups, and to create good outcomes specifically for Barr. The grants map below shows awards made since the fund was brought together.

As separate funds,  in the period up to 2020, nearly £240,000 was awarded to projects benefiting Barr. Between 2017 and 2020, the Nadara Assel Valley wind farm awarded £46,289 including grants to Barr Community Association, South Ayrshire Community Transport for the Barr Bus, Barr Stores, Girvan Community Sports Hub for activities in Barr, Barr Primary Parent Council, Barr Bowling Association and Barr Community SCIO. Between 2015 and 2020 the Hadyard Hill fund was available to four communities jointly. During that period, £193,427 was awarded to projects benefiting Barr, including many of the same groups along with Barr Community Council, the Stinchar Valley Magazine, Ayrshire Rivers Trust for projects including Barr primary, and the Girvan and South Carrick First Responders, amongst other groups. In 2021, an endowment fund for Barr was established, ensuring that funds will be available to benefit Barr in the future, past the operating lifespan of the wind farms. For more information please contact the Fund Adviser below.

The Barr Community Fund has two grant sizes available currently. These are:

Grant Sizes

  • Standard grants between £500 and £10,000
  • Large grants over £10,000 and up to £25,000

Micro grants of up to £650 are also available directly from Barr Community Council when it is operating. You can find out how to contact Barr Community Council here

Purpose of this fund

The fund supports projects located within or directly benefiting Barr, South Ayrshire. Applications must benefit the community, which is geographically defined by the community council boundaries.

Awards can support a wide range of costs and activities including equipment costs, running costs for local groups, staff or sessional worker costs, consultations, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities etc.

Who can apply?

Your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. You don’t need to be registered charity to apply.

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here.

How are decisions made?

The Barr Community Fund Advisory Panel makes recommendations on awards from the fund. The Panel is governed by a Terms of Reference developed and agreed between community representatives and Foundation Scotland and is reviewed from time to time.

The Panel comprises people who live in the area and are appointed through a process of public advertising and recruitment, and also two members appointed by Barr Community Council when it is operating.

You do not need any special skills or experience, just a commitment to securing the best future for your community.  Applicants should live or work within the Barr Community Council area.   The Panel meets four times per year to make decisions on applications to the fund.

The current Panel is:

  • Isabel Kay
  • Dave Sherry
  • Isobel Ringrose
  • Bob Muir
  • Liz McKechnie
  • Liz Copeland

Minutes from recent meetings can be found in the Useful links section below. Minutes from previous meetings are available on request from the Community Funds Adviser (please see details below). 

Frequently asked questions

  • How many grants can I apply for?

    Eligible groups may apply for more than one grant per year from the Fund. Grants can be multi-year in nature, usually for no more than three years.

How to apply

You can apply to this fund online here. Two levels of award are normally available for activities that benefit the local community. The amount and type of information required from applicants differ depending on the size of the application being made. Standard grants £500 - £10,000.

For large grants over £10,000 this is a two-stage application process. An initial grant enquiry form must be completed. The Panel will review the enquiry and agree on whether to invite a full application to future rounds. 

If you would like to review the questions you will be asked to answer before starting the form, you can see them here.

If you have any problems accessing the form, please email grants@foundationscotland.org.uk or call 01557 814927 and we can help.

Contact information

For application process and technical enquiries

Central Systems Support

For criteria and fund priority enquiries

Linda West

Useful links

Related case studies