The EGL1 Community Benefit Fund Scotland from SP Energy Networks' is now accepting applications

Charities, which could include but are not limited to:

• Registered Charities
• Charitable Trusts

Non-profit companies, which could include but are not limited to:

• Companies limited by guarantee
• Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIO)
• Schedule 1 CICs
• Schedule 2 CICs

Constituted non-profit community organisations, which could include but are not limited to (noting that some of the below may be registered organisations or members of networked charities in their own right):

• Unincorporated associations
• Voluntary or Community groups
• Co-operatives, Community Benefit Societies, and other Mutuals - provided that they operate for clear wider public benefit
• Development trusts
• Community Transport organisations
• Community amateur sports clubs (CASCs)
• PTA and "Friends of" organisations linked to schools
• Churches and other religious organisations
• Village halls and community buildings
• Guiding/Scouting organisations and other youth clubs
• Further education colleges

• Organisations that do not meet the required documentation needs outlined above
• Schools (including those holding charitable status), academies, and universities
• Statutory bodies, including town and community councils
• Private Limited Companies and Companies Limited by Shares, whether they operate for profit or not - with the exception of Schedule 2 CICs
• Organisations operating for profit, that regularly pay dividends, or operate for the exclusive benefit of their members
• Organisations without a presence in Scotland (i.e. regional offices or local employees operating within the regions of the fund)

The fund offers grants up to and including £20,000 for projects which can be delivered across a 12-month window.

If your project total is more than £20,000, you should not apply for this fund but may be eligible to apply for SP Energy Networks Community Benefits – Local Grants instead.

The fund will accept applications from Monday 28th September until 5pm Friday 6th November. Complete applications are assessed and scored against evaluation criteria by Localgiving before review by an Independent decision making panel and sign off by the SP Energy Networks Community Funding Board.

Organisations submitting an application before Friday 6th November can expect to receive an outcome from the December funding panel in February 2027.

If your application is offered funding by SP Energy Networks, an authorised member of your organisation will be sent a terms agreement which must be signed and returned within two weeks. After processing your completed terms agreement, SP Energy Networks will arrange for the direct transfer of the grant award.

After you have received your funds, you will have 12 months to deliver your project. During this time, you may be contacted by Localgiving or SP Energy Networks about your project progress - we would love to hear from you if you have any updates to share or if you would like to publicise the work that you are doing.

At the end of the 12-month delivery window, you will be requested to return a monitoring and impact report documenting how you spent the funding and initial results from your project. The full monitoring form will be provided to all successful applicants within a post-funding guidance document

Applications must be submitted online via the relevant local fund page for your project and involve a short registration process (collecting the details we will use to contact you and your organisation regarding your application), followed by completion of the grant application form.

Once you have read this guidance document and have a clear idea of the project you want to deliver (including, where relevant, quotes from contractors/suppliers, and details of approved planning/landowner permissions), the application process should take an hour or less to complete.

At the same time, Localgiving's validation team will contact your organisation if you are required to submit any documents for our due diligence process. The later sections of this guide detail what information and documents you can prepare before starting your application (including the application questions).

• A governing document, constitution, or set of standing orders that confirms non-profit status and an asset lock/dissolution clause. For registered charities and companies this document will be automatically sourced by Localgiving from the relevant regulator
• Up to date accounts (or a 12-month financial projection for new organisations). For registered charities and companies this document will be automatically sourced by Localgiving from the relevant regulator (except for newly registered organisations)
• A UK-based bank account in the name of their organisation with at least two unrelated signatories; applicants can verify their details online using TrueLayer or submit a bank statement dated within the past 3 months.
• A management committee with at least 3 unrelated people/trustees (referred to as directors for registered companies)

Capital works/construction and significant facilities upgrades

If your project involves significant construction (including structural changes or major refurbishment), upgrades, or improvements to your organisation’s facilities/physical assets, you will need to upload the details of three quotes for these capital works from different contractors. If you are unable to provide more than one quote you will need to demonstrate a clear reason why this is the case.

If you rent your facilities, you will be asked to upload the lease agreement which guarantees your tenure for no less than 5 years after the date of your application submission. You will also need a letter of consent showing the landowner has given you permission to make the improvement.

Projects requiring planning permission

If planning permission is required, you will need to provide the reference number for an approved planning application. Funding requests with pending planning applications will not be considered.

Budget items totalling £300 or more

If your project involves the purchase of any single product or multiple sets of equipment or materials (e.g. white goods, IT equipment) of value over £300 which is not part of contractor quotes for capital works, you will need to provide a link to or evidence of a product listing and price.

Please note - Any suppliers, contractors, or vendors involved in your project must be chosen without conflict of interest – i.e. via a competitive, merit-based selection process, free from any basis on personal relationships or other incentives.

After reading the Guidance Document, if you have any remaining questions as you complete the application please contact SPENGrassrootsGrants@localgiving.org for all queries related to your funding application - our team members are on hand to help.

As part of the application, you will need to complete a due diligence process confirming your organisation's non-profit status, essential details and documents. Our team may contact you about these requirements via validation@localgiving.org and you should respond to them with any related queries.