Current status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 June 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria were used to allocate the first tranche of funding from the Supporting Communities Fund, and what criteria it will use to allocate the second tranche.
I announced the Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) on 18 March 2020 as part of a package of £350 million investment to support local communities and households in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This overall investment has comprised of a range of funds to be delivered using a combination of approaches to ensure that resource is mobilised quickly to the places and people where it is needed.
Through our partners/intermediaries we identified community anchor organisations (CAOs) that could maximise the impact of SCF, ensuring funding is quickly and effectively allocated to grassroots and small community based groups. CAOs include charities, voluntary organisations, community controlled housing associations, and social enterprises based in Scotland and delivering services/activities in Scottish communities.
Approvals for SCF allocations have been based on proposals invited from CAOs. The fund has not been operated on an open bid basis. A degree of flexibility is maintained, rather than committing to a rigid distribution methodology. This is especially important given the degree of uncertainty around how coronavirus will continue to impact society.
A second phase of the funding has already commenced, and we are engaging with an extended group of partners including Third Sector Interfaces and Local Authorities to help address where there may be gaps in current provision and where there remains a need for support. Additional guidance to support these partners will be provided as needed to support this next phase of the fund, which will include information to support signposting community organisations to the support available locally and through the fund.