Drone Hill & NnG East Berwickshire Fund

About this fund

The Drone Hill & NnG East Berwickshire Fund supports community projects benefiting those living in the seven Community Councils areas of Reston & Auchencrow, Grantshouse, Coldingham, Cockburnspath & Cove, St Abbs, Eyemouth and Burnmouth.

This Fund integrates community benefit funding provided by Greencoat UK Wind (the owners of the Drone Hill Wind Farm in East Berwickshire), and Neart Na Gaoithe (NnG, a joint venture between EDF Power Solutions and ESB, which owns the NnG Wind Farm located in the Firth of Forth estuary).

The Drone Hill Fund opened in 2012, and an annual amount of £40,000, index-linked, will be paid into the fund each year for the operating life of the wind farm.  By 2025 this equated to income of £66,000.  

The NnG Fund opened in 2025, and an annual amount of £32,400, index-linked will be paid into the Fund for the next three years.  The overall NnG Community Fund arrangements (which also benefit East Lammermuir and five Fife communities in years 1-3 of its operation) will be reviewed in 2028.  This will include a review of the area of benefit and percentage allocations between regions and communities.

The amount you can apply for depends on the communities it will benefit:

• For projects only benefiting one or more of St Abbs, Eyemouth, and/or Burnmouth – up to £3k (this is to ensure a breadth of groups and projects can be supported initially, commensurate with the NnG funding available).
• For projects benefiting one or more of Reston & Auchencrow, Grantshouse, Co’Path & Cove, Coldingham or cross-area projects including at least one of these five areas – up to £10k

Purpose of this fund

The Fund provides grants to support charitable activities that:

• Enhance the quality of life for local residents.
• Contribute to vibrant, healthy, successful and sustainable communities.
• Promote community spirit and encourage community activity.

Grants may support a wide range of costs, for example, the costs of equipment, consultations, running costs for local groups, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities, staff or sessional workers* and so on.

* Please refer to additional criteria for further information on recurring salaries. 

Additional criteria

The Panel (described below) will welcome applications for projects that propose to work across one or more of the seven Community Council areas and which would benefit the communities within those areas.  

The Panel remains keen to encourage applications across the broad range of projects and activities which tackle community priorities and contribute to the Fund Purpose (above).  The Panel is also keen to encourage environmentally responsible and sustainable practice amongst applicant groups and within communities, and would welcome (in application forms) information about any measures groups have been able to take or plan to take to achieve this.  Projects which aim to tackle the climate challenge at a local level would also be welcome.  

Salaries - Salaries, wages and or the cost of freelance staff will be considered for initial start-up costs for an organisation, group or project.   However, repeat applications for salaries, wages, and freelance costs will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.  Applications seeking funding towards salaries, wages or the cost of freelance staff will be given more detailed Panel scrutiny.  Please see the relevant “Frequently Asked Question” below for further detail.  

Applications which can demonstrate why a grant amount is needed that is higher than the maximums stated above for the respective geographic areas stated above, and can demonstrate that there is significant community support for the project proposed, may be considered on an exceptional basis.  If you think this applies to your project, please contact Foundation Scotland for an initial discussion (contact details below).  We will be able to give you tailored advice before you complete an application form.  Please do not complete an application without speaking with Foundation Scotland first.  

Projects should be well planned, taking a strategic approach where possible. Applicants are encouraged to liaise with the Community Council or relevant local stakeholders when planning projects and activities.

Who can apply?

Groups and organisations working to benefit people in any of the seven communities can apply.  You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply, but your group/organisation must meet our standard eligibility criteria. 

Applications from groups/organisations headquartered or located outside the Fund area will be considered case-by-case.  Projects must demonstrate a clear benefit for residents within the Fund area.

Applicants are limited to one active application for the same project at a time and must choose between the two application types – again, this is to ensure breadth of opportunity initially.  However, an applicant is welcome to submit two applications if it is for two distinct projects. 

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the Fund cannot support is provided here. 

Additionally, the Fund cannot support:

• Anti-wind farm or anti-renewable energy activities, including activities contrary to the interests of Greencoat UK Wind and or NnG or any of their holding companies, subsidiaries or sister companies (as defined under the Companies Act 2006);
• Activities that bring Greencoat UK Wind or NnG, or any of their holding companies, subsidiaries or sister companies (as defined under the Companies Act 2006) or Foundation Scotland into disrepute.

How are decisions made?

A Community Panel made up of people who live, work or volunteer in the seven communities collectively makes recommendations on grant awards.  The Panel advises on the overall Fund's strategy and is governed by Terms of Reference. The Panel of up to 28 members includes a mixture of Community Councillors and other members of the community:

• Up to two Community Council representatives can be appointed directly by each of the seven Community Councils.  
• Up to two ‘wider community’ representatives were selected through an open and transparent process from each of the seven areas.
• Up to two representatives from each of the seven communities are entitled to vote at Panel meetings.

Each Panel member typically serves a minimum of one and a maximum of four years, with members retiring on a phased basis to ensure knowledge and expertise are retained. Opportunities to become a Panel member are openly advertised, both locally and on this website.

Minutes of the latest Panel meetings are available on request from Foundation Scotland. Contact details can be found below.

More information on the decision process can be found here.