Help for applicants - making an application

Here you will find some useful guidance on preparing your application.

Preparing your grant application

Gathering the required documents or pieces of information before you start an application makes it much quicker to complete. You can save your application and come back to it if you need to go and look for something.

If you have applied for funding through Foundation Scotland’s portal before, we will have saved your governing document, contact details and bank details. You will have the opportunity to review and update these when you start a new application.

Making an application - what to have ready

General

Every group applying will need

Your governing document
Your latest approved accounts (not needed if your organisation is less than 18 months old)
Your bank account details

Every individual applying (for a bursary, household or pregnancy grant) will need:

Proof of home address (this can be a Council Tax Notice or a utility bill)
Your bank details

If your group’s project involves children or adults who may be more vulnerable to harm

You will need a copy of your safeguarding policy and procedure — more guidance is below

If you’re buying goods or services

You will need to demonstrate value for money using quotes, catalogue references or website listings, depending on the costs involved.

If your project involves land or buildings

These projects can be complex and involve large sums — so we may ask for more evidence, in proportion to the size of the project or grant. For example, we may ask you:

For proof of ownership or a copy of your lease (see Eligiblity Criteria above).
To demonstrate that the landowner or landlord gives consent to any funded work being proposed.
For more information about the process you used to appoint contractors
For evidence of statutory consents (things like planning permission or building warrants)
If you are installing renewable technologies (such as heat pumps or solar panels) or energy efficiency improvements, we might ask you for a copy of the relevant report or survey.

Some applicants forget about VAT. Make sure you’ve remembered to include VAT where necessary. Some capital projects may be able to reclaim VAT on some costs and some funds will not support VAT elements where these can be reclaimed. Read the fund page and make sure you take appropriate advice before you apply.

If your project involves paid roles

Freelance, sessional and staff salary costs are all eligible to be funded unless the fund page states otherwise. We may ask you to send us a role description including a list of essential skills and the minimum experience required. Please note – we can’t fund rates of pay under the Living Wage.

Demonstrating value for money

When we review your application, we check that the costs you’ve asked for represent value for money.

We also expect you to manage any conflicts of interest when buying services or goods.
We know procurement can be harder in some rural settings, where there are fewer suppliers for some things, and we take that into account.
When submitting quotes, please make sure they are for the same thing, so they can be compared.

What you will be asked for:

Item value	No. of quotes needed when you apply	What we will look for
Under £5,000	None	We may ask for evidence of costs while your application is being considered. A member of the team will discuss this with you if it’s needed.
£5,001 – £15,000	One quote, catalogue reference or website listing	The quote must identify the supplier: trading title, address, contact details, company registration number and VAT number if applicable. It should be valid for at least three months from the fund deadline, and say so on the quote. If we need any additional evidence of costs while your application is being considered, a member of the team will discuss this with you.
£15,001 – £50,000	Three, from independently trading providers	As above, for each of the three quotes.
Over £50,000	Three, from independent providers	Quotes must be less than six months old. In some circumstances open tendering may also be required if an award is made — we’ll discuss this with you.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding means the steps you take to prevent physical, emotional, sexual or financial harm to the people and communities your organisation works with. We will ask about this if you’re working with children (anyone under 18) and adults who may be more vulnerable to harm. Not sure if this will apply to your project? This is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive – so please read our full safeguarding guidance here, and if you’re not sure, contact us.

We will expect your safeguarding policy as a minimum to cover:

A date and a stated review schedule
References and links to relevant laws and guidance
An equality statement
Recruitment and selection of employees and volunteers
Induction and training in safeguarding for employees and volunteers
Safe arrangements for all work involving children, young people and vulnerable adults, including how to respond to and report abuse or suspected abuse
Contact details, including at least one nominated safeguarding representative

If you receive a grant, and there is a serious safeguarding incident, you must notify us.

How to apply

Now you have read everything, are you ready to apply? The first step is to create an account on our online portal. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll be able to complete your application. Don’t worry if you can’t finish it in one go, you can save your work and return to it later. If you have applied before you can use your existing log in.

Make sure you complete all the required fields, attach all the necessary supporting documents, and meet the deadline shown on the fund page. If the deadline is close and you’re worried about not being ready – contact us. If we can help, we will.

Get in touch if you have questions about the fund you’re applying to, or if you’re having difficulty with the form.

Did you know? You can also preview the application questions before you start:

What happens next

You’ll receive an automated confirmation email within a few minutes of submitting your application, including a copy of your completed application for your records. Please check your spam or junk folder for this.

A Foundation Scotland team member will review your application. For organisations, someone will contact you to discuss your project, before a decision is made. For individuals, we will contact you only if more information is needed.

How decisions are made and the timescales are set out on the fund page.

Once a decision has been made, you’ll receive an email confirming your grant, or feedback if your application hasn’t been successful. If your plans change, or you no longer need a grant, please get in touch as soon as possible.