Cost of living crisis commitments from Scottish Funders

This statement has been coordinated by The Scotland Funders’ Forum. This is a gathering of funders in Scotland, including statutory bodies and independent grant-making trusts, who are committed to best practices in funding the voluntary and community sector and to maximising the impact of funding for the benefit of Scotland.

Funders know from listening to communities and organisations that the cost-of-living crisis is already having a significant impact. This is coming on top of the pandemic and for many their resilience is low. This Challenge Poverty Week Scottish Funders have come together to share commitments in response to the challenges facing the sector. These also align with IVAR’s eight open and trusting grantmaking commitments.

• Trust communities and offer flexibility – the pandemic saw a shift to far greater
trust and flexibility so that communities could shape their responses, based on their
expertise. Funders will seek to build on this so that money is used when, how and
where it is needed.

• Listen to and advocate with the sector – funders will listen to and learn from
communities and third sector groups and help to amplify their voices. Listening will
also help funders to improve their approaches and their contribution to bringing
about positive change.

• Take a supportive approach – funders will encourage grant holders to reach out if they need support, information or advice, including discussing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on their work and budgets.

• Act with urgency – where possible funders will act with urgency, particularly for
small grants and work to ensure funding is distributed to groups quickly. Funders will
also ensure application and reporting requirements are proportionate.