2023 Change Grants Programme

Bank of Scotland Foundation recognises the significant impact that the cost of living crisis is having on people across Scotland. To ensure our funding can reach those in real need, the Change grants programme for 2022 will have a strong focus on helping charities address the crisis.

For the second year running, charities can apply for unrestricted funding through our Change programme. We hope that unrestricted core cost funding will give charities greater flexibility over how they use their resources, allowing them to respond quickly to a changing environment and adapt accordingly.

Offering up to £200k over two years, our Change programme extends a lifeline to charities allowing them to apply for whatever is their greatest priority and area of need - whether that be capital costs, project work, specific operating costs or unrestricted funding.

To be eligible for this programme charities must have a minimum of 3 years accounts lodged and checked at OSCR. (Please note these 3 years accounts must be for the charity number on the Change grant application.) In addition the annual income inserted in your application form, must be taken from the most recent accounts which have been lodged and checked at OSCR and must be between £500k and £5million.

Charities can apply for funding between £50,000 and £100,000 per year for between 1 and 2 years. The same amount must be requested in each year and must be for the same purpose.

To apply you must submit an online application.

Charities can apply for whatever is their greatest priority and area of need and request
funding for either:

  • Capital costs e.g., a building project, repairs, equipment etc.
  • Project work e.g., a programme of work which is limited in scope and seeks to achieve particular outcomes including funding for project costs, staff costs, materials
  • Specific running costs such as salaries or utilities
  • Unrestricted core costs e.g., a contribution to general running costs such as management, staff, utilities and rent

For capital costs, project work and specific running cost applications, charities are required to provide a budget breakdown and are asked to attribute Bank of Scotland Foundation funding to particular elements of the capital costs, project work and/or running costs.

For unrestricted core costs applications, charities are asked to provide a breakdown of their general core costs for the last year, as per their most recent accounts submitted at OSCR.

Charities should also provide the total amount of the contribution they would like the Foundation to make to their core costs, over one or two years. Charities are also expected to convey in their supporting documentation:

- why unrestricted funding of core costs is needed and important to the charity

- why the charity is helping their group of service users, what they aim to achieve and how

Please note we will NOT fund certain unrestricted core costs such as:

  • project costs or overheads incurred before the grant application is received,
  • any costs not related to delivering outcomes such as a contribution to reserves,
  • notional costs and costs that will never be incurred e.g., rent free premises

If you have received grant funding from Bank of Scotland Foundation within the last twelve months, or have any outstanding evaluations you are NOT eligible to apply to this programme.

To enable the application to be fully assessed please provide the information requested below:

  • One A4 (PDF format) page detailing your project/charity.
  • Your most recent signed accounts (including Independent Examiner’s Report) which have been lodged and checked at OSCR.
  • Your charity’s constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association.

All applications must be submitted online by 12 noon on the closing date of Wednesday 31st August 2022. The online application system will close at 12 noon and the Foundation team will be unable to accept applications after this deadline.

Before applying, check out our Hints & Tips PDF guide to help you complete your application.

Our PDF covers off what documents you need to send in and what information could help with your application.

Grants programmes Hints & tips eligibility

If you are submitting an application for Change

 You MUST  You cannot apply if

Your charity must have an income of between £500k and £5M

You cannot apply if you are a newly registered charity operational for less than one year with no accounts lodged at OSCR

You must be a charity registered in Scotland, operational for more than one year.

If you are currently in receipt of a grant from any of our programmes or have not yet returned your Evaluation form for your most recent grant. If you would like to apply again please ensure we have received a satisfactory evaluation prior to the closing date of the new programme.

Make sure you put the correct charity number on your application.

You cannot apply if you are a charity whose SOLE purpose is:

  • Political organisation

  • Animal welfare

  • The advancement of religion

  • Medical research

  • To make grants, donations, loans, gifts or pensions to individuals. This includes distributing vouchers

Make sure your annual accounts are signed by both an independent examiner and a member of the Board. The balance sheet must also be signed. Signatures that are blacked out will not be accepted.

You are a charity that redistributes funding for subsequent grant-making to other organisations and /or individuals.

You must include an A4 (PDF format) page that describes how you plan to spend any funding award and explains how your community will benefit from it.

You are applying for donations to

  • individuals

  • advertising

  • sponsorship

  • foreign trips

  • overseas projects

Make sure your additional A4 (PDF format) information is no more than one page long.

You cannot apply if you do not have all your regulatory returns up to date at OSCR and Companies House.

Your charities record on OSCR must state ‘It carries out activities itself’.

You cannot apply for multiple grants at the same time, you must choose one programme and await the outcome of that application before applying again.

You must only submit one application for a programme.

 

Change Programmes 2023

Reopening 2023