Skip to main content

Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Community Fund

Grant size Up to £10,000
Area
Fife
Key dates  
Application Deadlines: Applications are considered on a rolling basis, you can apply at any time

About this fund

The Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Fund supports community projects benefitting those living in the Thornton Community Council area.

The fund began in 2017, and is provided by Netro Energy, the current owner of Middle Balbeggie Wind Limited which operates the wind farm.  An annual amount of £19,200, inflation-adjusted, will be paid into the fund each year for the operating life of the wind farm, which is expected to be 25 years.

Grant size: up to £10,000

A proportion of funds is also distributed via an Education and Training Fund providing bursaries to Thornton residents.  

Purpose of this fund

The fund provides grants to support charitable activities that:

  • Enhance 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, staff or sessional workers, consultations, running costs for local groups, maintenance or refurbishment of community facilities and more. 

Additional criteria

Grants in excess of £10,000 can be considered in exceptional circumstances, where applications can demonstrate strong local support for the project and its potential to have a significant impact. If you wish to apply for more than the maximum stated above and/or for a multi-year grant (up to 3 years), please contact the Community Funds Adviser (see below) to discuss your proposed project before completing the application form.  

Requests for 100% of the relevant costs can be considered but applicants are encouraged to seek other match funding to contribute to total costs.

Multiple applications for different projects may be submitted by the same organisation, subject to funding availability. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate clear community benefit for residents within the fund area.

Who can apply?

Groups and organisations working to benefit people resident in the Thornton Community Council area 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 located out with the fund area will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate clear benefits for residents within the fund area.

What can’t be funded?

Information on what the Fund cannot support is provided here.

How are decisions made?

A Community Panel, made up of people who live, work or volunteer in the area, makes recommendations on grant awards from the fund.  The Panel advises on overall fund strategy and is governed by Terms of Reference.

The Panel of up to nine members includes a mixture of community councillors and other members of the community. If you would like to find out more about joining the Panel, please contact the Community Funds Adviser.

Minutes of the latest Panel meetings are available on request from the Community Funds Adviser. Contact details can be found below.

More information on the award making process is available here.

How to apply

Please complete an online application form.  Completed applications and supporting documents must be received before an application can be assessed. 

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 0131 524 0300 and we can help.

Contact information

For application process and technical enquiries

Central Systems Support

For criteria and fund priority enquiries

Malcolm Jack, Community Funds Manager

Useful links

Fund News

Featured case studies