The KVF CCLD Fund is now open for applications.

The KVF CCLD Fund will close 12 noon on Friday 4th October. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered for any reason.

All applications must be submitted through CVS Falkirk & District’s Grant Funding Portal. Please note that all applicants will be required to register on the Grant Funding Portal before they will be able to submit their application.

Projects must have spent their grant and completed their activity by 28th February 2025. Projects must have all spend and final claim into the Accountable Body by 14th March 2025.

• Background

  Through the Scottish Government’s CLLD funding programme, investment is available for the financial year 2024/25 via a grant fund open to eligible applicants based in the defined Kelvin Valley and Falkirk area. The Kelvin Valley and Falkirk CLLD fund is for eligible rural communities located across the Falkirk Council, East Dunbartonshire Council and North Lanarkshire Council areas.

  The Fund will be delivered by CVS Falkirk & District (the Accountable Body) in partnership with the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk Local Action Group (LAG), to distribute the local allocation of revenue funding for the current financial year. Please note that no capital funding is available to Kelvin Valley and Falkirk applicants on this occasion.

• Fund Priorities and Outcomes

  The Fund has a range of aims and policy alignments that applicants should consider when developing their application. All applicants should demonstrate how their proposed activities will contribute to the four priorities in this round:

  • Supporting community facilities and eligible organisations to contribute to the achievement of net zero
  • Sustaining, improving, and adding initiatives in rural communities that are most isolated, most disconnected, most in need of investment or most likely to experience inequalities
  • Helping communities to address the cost-of-living crisis and eradicate poverty for individuals and families
  • Enabling communities to carry out research, engagement, feasibility studies or other activities supporting the development of rural communities
• Eligible Areas

  The Kelvin Valley and Falkirk Rural Communities include:

  • Banton
  • Queenzieburn
  • Croy
  • Twechar
  • Torrance
  • Lennoxtown
  • Milton of Campsie
  • Kirkintilloch (north of the Canal only)
  • Banknock
  • Dennyloanhead
  • Bonnybridge
  • Denny
  • Fankerton
  • Dunipace
  • Airth
  • Slamannan
  • Shieldhill
  • Avonbridge
  • Whitecross
• Applying

  Eligibility:

  Applications can be accepted from:

  • third sector groups and organisations for example constituted community groups, charities, SCIOs, parent councils and social enterprises
  • public sector bodies for example Local Authorities, schools and early learning settings and NHS Boards
  • Partnership applications where respective partners meet the eligibility criteria are welcomed, but not essential.

  Scottish Government’s Fair Work First guidance directs that groups in receipt of an award from the CLLD Fund MUST pay all employees the Real Living Wage, including apprentices. Where this is a barrier for any applicant, please contact CVS Falkirk & District to discuss your situation, by email: info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk

  What can and can’t be funded:

  Please find guidance in the table below on the types of costs that can and can’t be funded. These lists are not exhaustive, if you are unsure if a cost from your application would be able to be funded, please contact CVS Falkirk & District by email: info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk

  Can be funded:	Can’t be funded:
  Equipment	Capital projects
  Volunteer expenses	Loans, endowments or interest
  Employee costs	Political or religious campaigning
  Transport	Profit-making activities
  Event costs such as community hall hire	Statutory activities
  Training costs	Overseas travel
  Items supporting safety and safeguarding	Alcohol

  Grants:

  Applicants may request a grant of up to £10,000.

  Any level of match funding is welcomed but not essential, applicants may also detail any ‘in kind’ matching for example through proposed provision of volunteer hours to support the project if they wish.

  The KVF CCLD Fund will open for applications on Wednesday 28th August 2024.

  The KVF CCLD Fund will close 12 noon on Friday 4th October 2024. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered for any reason.

  All applications must be submitted through CVS Falkirk & District’s Grant Funding Portal. Please note that all applicants will be required to register on the Grant Funding Portal before they will be able to submit their application.

  Projects must have spent their grant and completed their activity by 28 February 2025. Projects must have all spend and final claim into the Accountable Body by 14th March 2025.

• Data Protection and Your Rights

  Data Protection and Your Rights:

  CVS Falkirk & District will process any personal information contained in the application confidentially and in accordance with data protection legislation and our privacy statement.

  The application form contains information that is personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) and in respect of which the funding partner is obliged to supply the following information:

  • The data controller is CVS Falkirk & District
  • The legal basis for collecting the information is Contract
  • The information you provide will be used for the following purposes:

  1. Processing your application: your application will be made available to the funding panel group
  2. Data may be used for statistical purposes by CVS Falkirk & District, Falkirk’s Community Planning Partners, and Scottish Government, for performance monitoring and reporting

  • Your application form will be stored securely and retained to ensure CVS Falkirk & District’s compliance with grant conditions which are relevant to successful applications. Apart from a) to b) above, the information you provide will not be disclosed to any other organisation for any purpose other than detecting or preventing fraud

  You have the right to request information about how your personal data is processed and to request a copy of that personal data. You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay and you can edit your contact details at any time. This should be done in the first instance by contacting CVS Falkirk & District directly to make such a request.

  In applying, you confirm that:

  • You have read the fund guidance and understand the criteria relating to both applicant organisations and projects
  • You are applying on behalf of an eligible organisation and are authorised to submit this application
  • The project requires funding in the current financial year to proceed
  • You understand that CVS Falkirk & District is required to store and process the data you submit in order to consider your application and manage any potential grant
  • CVS Falkirk & District can hold the data you have provided and share it with partners as necessary to manage the grants process
  • You have permission from any other person whose data you are including in your application
• What Happens Next

  When you submit your application through the CVS Falkirk & District Support Portal you will receive confirmation of receipt of your application, which will then be assessed and reviewed by an independent funding panel with a range of appropriate skills and expertise before decisions are made, and applicants are notified of the outcome.

  We anticipate receiving a high volume of applications and that we will be able to respond to most applicants with a decision by 31st October 2024. We will be unable to respond to individual requests for updates prior to this date.

  Please respond swiftly to any requests for additional information or evidence to help us process your application as soon as is possible.

  If you require any support in completing the application form or using the Grant Funding Portal, please contact CVS Falkirk & District by phone:  01324 692000, or email: info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk

  Monitoring and Evaluation:

  Successful applicants should collect relevant information throughout the project lifetime both for their own records and learning, and to enable completion of all monitoring and evaluation requirements of the Fund. These monitoring and evaluation activities are an essential element of the Fund and provide an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the success of funded community projects and the difference they can make to the lives of people living in rural areas. More information about the monitoring and evaluation requirements of the Fund will be shared with successful applicants when they receive their award.

  Contact

  Contact our team:

  • By phone: 01324 692000
  • By email: info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk
  • If you know which staff member you’re looking to speak with, please contact them via their direct mobile number listed on our Staff page (linked for your convenience).
• Frequently Asked Questions

  Q: How is this Fund connected to the LEADER funding that used to be available?

  A: The KVF Local Action Group (LAG) overseeing this Fund used to oversee LEADER funding. Due to changes including Brexit, Scottish Government have reviewed and refreshed this funding stream for rural communities, and it is now called the Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund or the Rural Community Led Fund however the overarching funding outcomes remain aligned to previous LEADER priorities and outcomes.

  Q: Who is CVS Falkirk & District & District and why are they involved with this Fund?

  A: CVS Falkirk & District are the Third Sector Interface for the Falkirk District area and an experienced local funder. In order to distribute this CLLD funding to local areas, Scottish Government requires an organisation to agree to be what is called an ‘Accountable Body’. Falkirk Council used to be the Accountable Body but decided to withdraw from this role in 2023. To support the LAG and to ensure this investment was still available in the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk area, CVS Falkirk & District agreed to become the Accountable Body for the funds available in the financial year 2024/25.

  Q: Can the CLLD Fund support capital projects?

  A: Due to local changes with how the Fund is managed and administered, Scottish Government have decided that only revenue funding will be available for the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk area for the financial year 2024/25 so no capital projects can be funded. At this stage, no decision has been made about the types of funding that will be available in the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk area through the CLLD Fund in future.

  Q: Can my organisation have more time to spend this funding as our project would benefit from extending over Summer 2025 or beyond?

  A: Whilst we recognise it can be challenging to deliver projects within a relatively short timescale, unfortunately no extensions can be granted. All funds MUST be spent by 28 February 2025 in order for awardees to comply with the terms and conditions of their grant.

  Q: My organisation/project is not based in Falkirk, should we still apply to the CLLD Fund via CVS Falkirk & District?

  A: Yes, all CLLD Fund applications from eligible communities in the Kelvin Valley and Falkirk area should be submitted via CVS Falkirk & District’s online Grant Funding Portal.