Crown Estate Scotland Community Capacity Grants Programme

About this fund

Crown Estate Scotland invests in property, natural resources and people to generate lasting value for Scotland.  

The fund comprises two grant programmes, an Environment Grants Programme for tenants on the Scottish Crown Estate and the Community Capacity Grants Programme. Foundation Scotland is administering the Community Capacity Grants Programme (see below). More information on the Environment Grants Programme can be found on the Crown Estate Scotland website.

In addition to the notes below, we have also produced a short video about the fund, which includes tips on applying and examples of successful projects funded from the 2020 programme. You can watch the video here (via YouTube).

Purpose of this fund

The purpose of the Community Capacity Grants Programme is to provide early-stage financial support for local projects that will help achieve the following objectives:

1. Create self-sustaining community enterprises that will promote sustainable development through the provision of local economic, social, and/or environmental benefits.
2. Contribute to the regeneration of places through improvements to buildings or community spaces that will support self-sustaining community enterprises delivering sustainable development. 

The fund is open to all communities that are:

• Situated up to 5 miles from coastal and estuarine foreshore in Scotland; or
• Situated up to 5 miles from the Scottish Crown Estate’s four rural estates (Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills and Applegirth). 

To view the boundary lines for the estates and applicable radius, please click to view Crown Estate maps with applicable radius.

Awards of between £20,000 to £50,000 for a one-year period will be made through this fund. Crown Estate Scotland currently has £300,000 available for grant distribution. This Fund is therefore highly competitive and around 10-15% of organisation recieve an award.

 

Additional criteria

The Community Capacity Grants Programme has a keen interest in community wealth building and is committed to funding the following community priorities:

• Contribute towards sustainable development on and around the Scottish Crown Estate
• Strengthen, and provide essential infrastructure for, communities who live and work on the Estate
• Support innovation and enterprise opportunities that will boost Scottish Crown Estate supply chains, build skilled workforces and maintain the vitality of the Estate
• Improve visitor experience opportunities across the Scottish Crown Estate

In broad terms these themes for eligible applications would be: 

 

Theme	Alignment to Scottish Crown Estate assets	Example
Sustainable Rural/Coastal Housing	Projects addressing depopulation and affordability in SCE-linked rural/island communities. Must demonstrate community relevance to Scottish Crown Estate linked sectors or assets (e.g. aquaculture).	Arran Development Trust (funded in 2022 £48,060.00) – Housing project in Blackwaterfoot which aimed to tackle depopulation in the islands through the provision of housing for key workers and young professionals, thereby supporting the viability of tenancies in aquaculture, marinas and moorings.
Climate-Resilient Communities	Projects helping communities adapt to climate risks impacting Scottish Crown Estate (e.g. sea-level rise, flooding near coastal sites or tenanted rural land).  Marine and coastal projects such as blue carbon and marine nature enhancement or piloting marine low-carbon innovation such as renewable energy, electric vessels, marine plastic recycling. Projects promoting sustainable food practices (aquaculture and agriculture*) such as community growing, education around food production and improving access to local produce    *Agriculture projects must take place in communities within 5 miles of our rural estates	An island development trust applies for £35,000 to support design and development of a community-owned tidal array.  A rural community trust based on a Scottish Crown Estate rural estate applies for £24,000 to employ a Sustainable Food Officer responsible for promoting consumption of local produce, organising local food markets, and collaborating with schools and local charities to deliver education on sustainable food supply chains.
Community Infrastructure for SCE-linked assets	Projects resulting in infrastructure improvements on or around Scottish Crown Estate assets – such as renewable energy generation – or enhancing amenities like marinas, ports, and harbours (not capital projects).	A community marina association applies for £27,000 to progress feasibility and design of new shoreside facilities, including an amenities hub, EV charging stations and active travel facilities.
Skills, Enterprise & Circular Economy	Projects that support skilled workforce development, enhance supply chains or progress innovation for Scottish Crown Estate-linked sectors, such as provision of training opportunities for young people.	Scourie Community Development Company – (Funded 2021 for £32,820) to support a project to ascertain the feasibility of a Seaweed Farm (or multiple farms) in the NW2045 area. A series of workshops and interviews were conducted to explore the scale of the industry, concerns held by the community, and the priorities that would shape the development of a new seaweed industry in the region. Case study here -  A resilient and thriving future for the Scourie District | Foundation Scotland
Sustainable Tourism, Recreation & Heritage	Projects resulting in improvements on or around Scottish Crown Estate assets that support sustainable tourism and recreation, such as watersports facilities or active travel hubs.	Tobermory Harbour Association (funded 2022 £28,000.00) – redevelopment of the Aros Waterfront site to improve leisure amenities.

 

For the purposes of these themes, Scottish Crown Estate linked sectors would include: 

 

• Aquaculture

• Coastal

• Moorings,marinas and marine leisure

• Ports and Harbours

• Marine habitats, seabed management and marine enhancement

• Offshore Renewables

• Forestry

• Rural

• Agriculture

• Salmon Fishing Rights

• Minerals

Crown Estate Scotland is looking to fund projects that provide benefits to the wider community and support economic regeneration. Applications will be assessed on their potential to contribute to these goals. For first-stage investment, this will involve a degree of forward-looking judgement, with emphasis on the project's intent and the strength of its proposed approach. The assessment will consider:

• Whether the project clearly fits with one or both of the fund objectives

• How well the organisation has articulated this alignment

• The outcomes the project intends to achieve, and how these reflect the purpose of the fund

• The strength of the evidence for local need, including any local needs analysis undertaken

 

Who can apply?

All applicants must meet Foundation Scotland's Common eligibility criteria, please check this list before starting your application. 

In addition groups and organisations must be based and working to support communities within 5 miles of the coast or estuarine foreshore, or within 5 miles of one of Crown Estate Scotland’s 4 estates; Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills and Applegirth. 

What can be funded

Examples of what the fund is looking to support: 

• Salary costs of new posts (ensuring that salaries meet the national living wage requirement)
• Feasibility studies
• Business plan development
• Legal/consultancy costs
• Training/coaching costs
• Community consultation
• Community plans
• Planning permission/building warrants
• Community engagement activities
• First-stage developmental grants that support sustainability, develop new ideas, or explore innovative solutions for local regeneration
• Activities that help build internal capacity and contribute to creating more sustainable organisations
• Projects that demonstrate a community enterprising approach – where income will be generated as part of the project. Projects with a long-term or heavy reliance on securing future grant funding are unlikely to be a strong fit.

What can’t be funded?

The Crown Estate Scotland's Community Capacity Grants Programme cannot support adaptations to buildings or large-scale capital projects

 or the purchase of equipment. This fund is designed to provide revenue to support the first step investment for local projects.

Ineligible projects would also include:

• Applications from individuals or private businesses

• Applications to advance a campaign or a religious or political cause

• The promotion of religious beliefs

• Activities that are understood to be a statutory responsibility and/or seek to replace statutory sources of funding

• Pre-existing costs that your organisation already incurred as a result of its day-to-day activities

Please read through the What we can't fund page; for additional exclusions which apply to all Foundation Scotland funds.

How are decisions made?

An Awards Panel made up of a Foundation Scotland Trustee, representatives from the community and voluntary sector and from agencies with skills and expertise in sustainable development and regeneration will meet once a year to consider grant awards.

For more details on our assessment processes please visit How funding decisions are made.