Applications open for the Community Investment Fund

Community groups in Perth and Kinross are being urged to apply for funding to help support vital work in their communities.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds will be available to a range of community groups this financial year.

The £400,000 Community Investment Fund is now open for applications.

This year applications can be made through an online portal.

Groups who wish to apply should visit www.pkc.gov.uk/cif

The application period will end on 18 August, with money awarded to successful applicants in October.

The Community Investment Fund supports investment in projects which tackle local inequalities and improve people's quality of life.

The CIF budget is divided and administered on a ward-by-ward basis. A Ward Panel made up of local community members and local elected members will assess applications from the community and agree funding in late August. Any community organisation, big or small, can apply for funding. In Kinross-shire, the Local Committee will make the final decision on awards.

So far, just over £2m of Council funds have been allocated to grassroots organisations through CIF, supporting almost 400 individual applications from community groups for local support services.

Councillor Tom McEwan, convener of Perth & Kinross Council’s Housing and Wellbeing Committee said: “We are committed to working with our communities to deliver the services they need. Nobody knows more about what a community needs than the people who live there.

“This is why we have invested in programmes like the Community Investment Fund, which supports those right at the heart of their communities.”

Later in the year, community groups will also be able to apply to the Warm Welcome Fund for money to support the provision of warm spaces across Perth and Kinross.

In addition, there will also be a round of participatory budgeting starting towards the end of 2023 and into early 2024.

Through this, Perth and Kinross's seven Local Action Partnerships will be expected to spend the majority of their £200,000 through participatory budgeting.

This process allows local organisations to pitch for funding for projects, with a particular focus on tackling climate change where it impacts on the cost of living.

People in communities then vote to decide which projects they would like to see taken forward.