Crown Estate Scotland invests in property, natural resources and people to generate lasting value for Scotland.  The Sustainable Communities Fund has been created to support local regeneration and sustainable development, particularly in coastal areas of 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 are administering the Community Capacity Grants Programme (see below), more information on the Environment Grants Programme can be found on the Crown Estates Scotland website

Community Capacity Grants Programme

Foundation Scotland is administering the Community Capacity Grants Programme on behalf of Crown Estate Scotland. This programme aims to provide early stage financial support for community enterprise projects that contribute to local regeneration and sustainable development and, ultimately, help create great places to live, work and visit. 

Crown Estate Scotland’s Community Capacity Grants Programme is looking for local projects with demonstrable community support that will help achieve the following objectives:

1. Contribute to the regeneration of places through improvements to buildings or community spaces, making these places more attractive, accessible, and beneficial to the community

2. Create self-sustaining community enterprises that will promote sustainable development through the provision of local economic, social, and/or environmental benefits

Awards of between £10,000 to £50,000 for a one year period will be made through this Programme

Please note this programme is NOT for the capital development phase of a project or for the purchase of capital items.

Eligible Areas 

Rural Estates

Up to 5 miles from the Scottish Crown Estate’s four rural estates (Glenlivet, Fochabers, Whitehills and Applegirth). To view the boundry lines for the estates and applicable radius please click here

Coastal Communities

Up to 5 miles from coastal and estuarine foreshore in Scotland. This can be measured on a map and is not necessarily by the miles it takes to travel by road.  For example, if on a map the distance to the coasts is 3 miles in a straight line but to drive it is 6 miles by road your community is still eligible to apply. 

Please consider the additional eligibility requirements before making an application:

• Only constituted groups, with a governing document, can apply
• A bank account must be set up in the name of the group
• There must be at least 3 unrelated members on your management committee. Committee meetings must have a quorum of at least 3 unrelated members present. There must be no related cheque signatories and a minimum of 2 required to authorise payments.
• Majority of your committee cannot be family/related

What cannot be supported?

• Capital cost or equipment. This fund is designed to provide revenue to support first step investment for local projects.   Applications for adaptation to buildings or for large scale capital projects are not eligible nor is the purchasing of equipment.
• Applications where the area of benefit is more than 5 miles from the coastline or Crown Estate Scotland’s rural estates
• 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

How to Apply