Autistic Adult Support Fund

I wanted to share news about funding that has just opened and I thought might be of interest to organisations in your area.

The Autistic Adult Support Fund is available to third sector organisations providing services to autistic adults – promoting wellbeing and helping them to understand what neurodivergence means for them.

·                  The fund will run from October 2025 to March 2028 (30 months/2.5 years).

·                  A total of £2.5 million is available.

·                  Organisations can apply for grants of between £40,000 and £200,000 per year.

·                  The deadline for applications is 12pm (midday) on Wednesday 21 May 2025.

This phase of funding builds on the work of projects funded between 2023 and 2025 to provide support to autistic adults across Scotland. Over this period several organisations received Scottish Government funding to deliver various types of support to autistic adults. 

Successful proposals will meaningfully involve autistic people in the development, design, and delivery of the activity. They will be strengths-based, making the most of, and building on, the skills and experiences of autistic people and assets within communities. Additionally, they will complement existing provision by demonstrating a good understanding of what others are doing locally and how to direct people towards other resources. Finally, they will be evidence-based, delivering support that is autism-informed and has a credible evidence base.

Find out more at - https://inspiringscotland.org.uk/fund/apply-autistic-adult-support-fund/ 

Read the full news piece on the Inspiring Scotland website -
https://inspiringscotland.org.uk/news/more-funding-to-improve-lives-for-autistic-adults/ 

100,000 funding for Regional Food Fund

The Scottish Government is providing £100,000 funding for the sixth round of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s Regional Food Fund.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to Scottish food business for projects aimed at elevating Scotland’s food and drink industry, enhancing food tourism and showcasing the best local produce the country has to offer.

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has provided over £500,000 to the fund, which has supported 104 collaborative projects, varying from creative artwork to increase customer numbers, new equipment and regional marketing campaigns.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: 

“Scotland’s food and drink industry is worth £15 billion to the Scottish economy; it is one of the country's largest employers and is already well-recognised and established across the world.  However, we realise how vital engaging with regional markets is in achieving our industry strategy and growth ambitions for the next ten years. That’s why, through remarkable initiatives like the Regional Food Fund, we are providing small projects the opportunity to promote and showcase their regional goods.  This funding enables businesses to raise awareness of locally available produce to communities and showcase some of Scotland's most exciting food and drink ventures.”

Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, Fiona Richmond said: 

"As the Regional Food Fund enters its sixth round, we look forward to reviewing a diverse range of applications. Over the years, the fund has supported everything from food and drink festivals and campaigns to collaborative initiatives showcasing the journey from field to fork. This highlights the strength of the desire for local produce and the growing food tourism scene in Scotland. The fund encourages regional collaboration and celebrates unique food and drink stories that continue to nurture and elevate Scotland’s thriving food culture, making it a renowned destination for food experiences." 

Background 

Applications for the sixth round of the fund are now open on the Scotland Food & Drink website   The closing date for applications is 17:00 on 30 April 2025.

All application guidance and application forms now open on the Scotland Food & Drink website  , along with previous successful applicants and success stories.

Dear Chamber member, 

Fellow Chamber Member, the Robertson Trust offers grants to help registered charities and constituted community groups.  

Wee Grants

• For constituted community groups and charities in Scotland with an annual income of less than £30,000.

• Funding of up to £5,000 for one year only.

• Unrestricted; can cover revenue or capital costs.

Transport Grants

• For registered charities working in Scotland, with an annual income of £30,000 to £2 million, that support people who are experiencing (or are at high risk of experiencing) poverty and trauma.

• Funding of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year, for 1-3 years, to contribute towards the costs of transport to support your work.

• If you are already in receipt of a Small or Large Grant from us, you can still apply for a separate Transport Grant. However, we will take the fact that you already hold funding from us into account. In these cases, we are likely only to award a one-year Transport grant or, if we award you a 3-year grant, we are likely to cap this at a maximum of £20K in total.

Applications are now open.

Over the past year, our Work Pathways team has been exploring how changes to the world of work in Scotland can deliver big change that lasts on poverty and trauma in Scotland. Our Programmes and Practice Officer, Lyndsay Fraser Robertson, looks at how this work has helped inform our spending plans in this theme across 2024-25, with approximately £2 million available through our open call.

Please DOWNLOAD the January issue of the STP Funding Finder above.

There is currently 2 pilot projects running in Stirling in partnership with Stirling Council.  They are working across all the Local Authority Areas but normally with Employability Services so she was very pleased to meet and are keen for our input and support. 

They have funding over the next 3 years from Scottish Govt to recruit 1000 Child Minders across Scotland and this will be delivered in partnership with Local Authorities, their offer includes ensuring that individuals are fully supported, which includes a start-up grant of £750, learning and training, start up support and both group and one to one mentoring support.

The 2 pilots in Stirling are a Respite Pilot Child Minding Service and a Rural Pilot, They have 3 places remaining for this financial year if anyone is interested in working in this area. 

The Respite Child Minding Pilot is aimed at offering Child Minding to parents who have an emergency situation and have no support or who need a break.  This service is being managed by the Family Well Being Team and I have a meeting with their Team Leader next week, so I will find out how we access this support for our families if they need it.

The Rural Pilot is in partnership with Education and aimed at increasing Child Minders in the rural areas, going forward they will be focusing on the priority areas as well.

If anyone has any clients who may be interested, their website is the best place to get further information and there is a leaflet that can be downloaded.  They did mention that people do not need to own their own home to become a child minder but would need permission for the home owner / landlord, you also don’t need to have a large property or a garden as some of their Child Minders live in flats.

The hours can be flexible to suit and some Child Minders only offer Before and After School Care.