Caithness Futures Fund

About this fund

Caithness Futures will launch in 2026 with its first annual donation from RWE’s Camster II Wind Farm of £160,000 which will be index-linked for the Wind Farm lifetime, expected to be 25 years.  

In 2027, the fund will likely have received its first annual contribution from RWE’s Golticlay Wind Farm.  RWE also operates a number of other funding sources in Caithness, which you can find in the useful links section below, along with a community newsletter which explains why the Caithness Futures fund was set up.  

Following community consultation, Foundation Scotland is keen to work with other funders to grow this pooled fund with contributions to this Caithness-wide fund from other sources. 

Purpose of this fund

Caithness Futures’ aim is to support and strengthen community groups that are delivering towards the Caithness Area Place Plan. The place plan was developed through consultation to ensure that service provision, funding and developments would reflect collective community wants, needs and priorities for Caithness. 

Priorities:

People	Place	Prosperity
Health & Wellbeing	Childcare	Employability
Whole Family Support	Transport	Community Wealth Building
Access to Services	Housing	Community Resilience

In 2026, the main priority will be Health and Wellbeing, a secondary priority will be Employability through the Caithness Futures Education and Training Fund.  

The issues noted in the plan under the Health and Wellbeing heading are listed below:

1.    Need to travel to Inverness for maternity and other health services  

2.    Limited access to GP appointments and dentists

3.    Need for more local care delivery and potential to bring consultancy services to Caithness

4.    Need for access to mental health services, including support for young people’s mental health

5.    Targeted interventions for identified groups including people affected by drug and alcohol issues; neurodiverse young people (e.g., autism, dyslexia, ADHD); young carers; vulnerable residents; and those experiencing poverty

6.    Need for improved care-at-home services  

7.    Importance of access to coast and countryside for wellbeing

8.    Impact of poverty and inequality (“haves” and “have‑nots”) on wellbeing

9.    Need for more accessible, affordable, or better‑used community spaces (sports facilities, libraries, community halls), including longer weekend opening hours 

Additional criteria

Award amounts: It is likely that large grants or multi-year awards will be supported rather smaller, short term projects.

Legacy: Potential awards should demonstrate long-term impact.  

Community support: Applicants should provide evidence of community support for their proposed activity or project.

Care for our environment: Consideration has been given to minimising the environmental impact of projects and reducing the applicant organisation’s ‘carbon footprint.

Who can apply?

Groups and organisations working to benefit people in Caithness can apply. Your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply. You can apply more than once. However, it would be useful to mention which application is the higher priority. 

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here. 

How are decisions made?

A Panel of local volunteers will be established. If you are interested in joining the panel, you can read the Panel Member role description here.

The Panel will also be seeking a Panel Meeting Chair. Read the role description here. To apply to be a Panel Member or Panel Meeting Chair, please complete this form.