By KDP
Welcome to the KDP Bulletin.
After the Bulletin’s summer break, we are back with a packed edition full of funding suggestions, training courses, events, surveys and more.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, please get in touch. We are here to help.
The Meikle Carewe Wind Farm Community Fund is open for applications until 30th September 2026.
The Fund is for any constituted community group, club, society, charity or other not-for-profit entity that operates and benefits residents living in the following Community Council areas (the Area of Benefit):
- Crathes, Drumoak and Durris
- Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore
- North Kincardine Rural
- Portlethen and District
- Stonehaven and District
This year, there is £45,129.92 available in the Fund.
Visit the KDP website for the Guidance Notes and Application Form.
For more information or assistance with completing an application, please contact margo@kdp.scot
The Lady Helen Wood Fund is a new £2 million annual commitment from The Wood Foundation, providing flexible funding to charities supporting young people and improving the lives of older adults across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.
The fund is flexible and can support:
- Project delivery
- Equipment
- Core costs and organisational overheads
- Capital investment
Applications are open until 31st August.
More information and the application form are available on the website.
NESCAN Climate Week North East 2026 returns this Autumn from Saturday, 19 September to Sunday, 4 October 2026, and it’s truly a community led festival.
Now in its 12th year, it’s being brought to life by people and organisations, all taking small steps that add up to something big.
Full details of how to get involved are on the website.
The National Lottery Community Fund – Small Eco Awards addresses the climate and nature emergency, which affects us all. Local action can make a real difference. The National Lottery want to fund projects that have environmental sustainability as their main aim.
They will fund projects that meet at least one of these priorities:
- help people connect with and care for nature in their area
- make a positive difference to the environment
- help people tackle pollution in their communities
You can use the funding to:
- start a new activity or continue an existing one (if it meets the priorities)
- help your organisation or community (or both) adapt to new challenges
- run one-off events that have a clear environmental benefit
Applications can be submitted at any time with decisions within 12 weeks.
Visit the National Lottery website.
Every year, the International Tree Foundation (ITF) supports community groups across the UK and Ireland to bring their tree-planting ambitions to life. Whether it’s a small community woodland or large scale rewilding, they want to hear your ideas.
The UK Community Tree Planting Programme aims to support community projects that will:
- Create and conserve indigenous trees and woodlands, forests, habitats and associated biodiversity
- Foster community engagement in tree planting to promote reforestation and to increase awareness of the importance of trees and forests to environmental and human wellbeing
- Encourage social cohesion and inclusion
Projects to range from 100 – 10,000 trees planted per year, with a maximum price equivalent to £2.15/tree (inclusive of tree protection and mulch). In addition, these projects also receive two maintenance grants equivalent to £0.10/tree, both in the first and second summers after planting.
Visit the website for more details.
SCVO has launched Trustees for Impact: Practical governance in action – a brand-new practical series of bite-sized online workshops designed to help current and aspiring trustees build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to govern effectively.
Confident and effective trustees play a vital role in helping charities thrive. From setting direction and managing risk, to overseeing finances and making informed decisions, trustees help ensure organisations can deliver meaningful impact for the people and communities they serve.
Learn from sector experts, explore real-world challenges and connect with trustees from across Scotland, as you develop your understanding of good governance in practice.
The five modules will cover:
- Getting ready to govern
- Practical financial management
- Risk management
- Board dynamics
- Effective decision making
Running fortnightly, between September and November, the programme will help you feel more confident in your role, understand your responsibilities, and be better equipped to support your organisation to thrive.
There is a cost to participate in this series of workshops, however SCVO members receive a discount.
To find out more and book visit the website.
Unpaid Work, previously referred to as Community Service, is an option available to the courts as part of a Community Payback Order. People who are given unpaid work as part of a Community Payback Order will carry out work across Aberdeenshire in either small groups or in individual placements.
The work is supervised either directly by the service or by another party in agreement with the service.
They are always very willing to discuss potential projects where they may be able to provide help.
The criteria for projects is that they must:
- benefit the local community
- not take paid work away from others or generate financial profit
- be meaningful, constructive and have the potential for people on unpaid work to learn new skills
If you would like more information, or to nominate a project, please email us: communitypayback@aberdeenshire.gov.uk More here.
UK charities can apply for funding of up to £2,500 to enhance their online digital presence through the Fat Beehive Foundation.
Funding is available to help build websites and apps, digitise services, and purchase digital products.
Trustees are particularly keen to support traditionally hard-to-fund organisations, such as those supporting prisoners, refugees, or disadvantaged youth.
Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed at trustee meetings in April and October. The closing date for the next round of applications is 30 September 2026.
Find out more and apply here.
The Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) website is designed to be a central source of information, support, resources, news, and opportunities for individuals, families, professionals, and communities affected by alcohol and drug-related issues.
ADP would be grateful if you could help maximise the reach and impact of this resource by:
- Sharing the website link across networks, newsletters, social media channels, and team communications.
- Encouraging colleagues, service users, volunteers, and community members to visit the site regularly.
- Using the website as a source of up-to-date information on local services, ADP priorities, events, funding opportunities, training, and lived and living experience activity.
By promoting the website, you can help ensure that people across Aberdeenshire can access the information and support they need, when they need it.
Their Facebook page is also used to share information about local support services, awareness campaigns, training opportunities, events and resources related to alcohol and drug use across Aberdeenshire.
The McCarthy Stone Foundation runs a number of grant programmes throughout the year for organisations supporting people over 65:
Core Costs Funding
Project Funding
Festive Connections Grants
Visit their website to learn more.
Aberdeenshire Council is looking for your views on a proposed new Festive Lights Policy that could give communities more flexibility to decide where festive displays are located. The aim is to give local groups more choice while continuing to keep people safe.
If festive lights are important to your town or village, they would love to hear what you think. Read the draft policy and complete the short survey here before the consultation closes on 31 August 2026.
The practical Budgeting for your Organisation workshop will teach you how to construct an income & expenditure budget.
You will also explore key budget issues, how to adapt your budget for use in a funding application and have the opportunity to ask budgeting questions relevant to your organisation.
This workshop is for you if:
- you are or will be involved in the budgeting process
- you need to learn budgeting skills
- you need to include budgets and financial planning in funding applications
This course is fully funded and there is no charge to participants.
Online August 20 2026 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Find out more and book here.
The Paristamen Charity offers unrestricted grants between £750 and £1,000 to support the work of charitable organisations in Scotland, through its Responsive Grant Programme. Small and medium-sized charities with annual incomes between £25,000 and £500,000 are welcome to apply, as are churches and other faith-based organisations as long as they meet the criteria.
Trustees’ meetings are typically held three times a year towards the end of June, October, and February. The next closing date for applications is 1st October 2026.
Visit the website for more information.
The Scottish Land Commission has published new advice setting out practical steps to expand community ownership across Scotland and help more communities benefit from owning local land and assets.
Next Steps for Community Ownership in Scotland draws on the significant progress already made — more than 500 community organisations now own over 850 assets across the country, generating jobs, delivering homes and supporting vital local services — and identifies what needs to happen next to build on that foundation.
The report recommends increasing the Scottish Land Fund and moving to multi-year funding cycles, giving communities greater certainty to plan ahead. It also calls for improved post-acquisition support, stronger collaboration across public bodies and easier access to legal, planning and technical expertise for communities navigating the ownership process.
Read the full report here.
Fundraising everywhere are offering fully-funded Digital Learning grants to improve your digital fundraising skills.
Previous participants increased skills and confidence in:
- small charity digital tactics
- digital fundraising strategy skills
- email marketing skills
- online accessibility knowledge
- online wellbeing
- social media skills
Apply before 5pm on September 12th. With feedback by November 17th.
More here.
Following on from the NHSG Project supporting low income families with the cost of attending appointments at RACH, the Tackling Poverty team have made limited funding available to the wider community. These funds will be managed and distributed by THInC (Transport to Health Care Information Centre), who will provide travel advice to anyone struggling to make their own way to appointments.
The aim of this funding is to support those who may be eligible to reclaim their travel expenses but struggle with the upfront cost; and those who do not meet the current NHS eligibility criteria.
THInC will gather some brief details regarding the patient’s travel needs and work alongside local public transport and Community Transport providers to identify and source the most suitable transport option, based on mobility, location and any other relevant factors.
Should you identify a patient who you feel would merit from assistance, please ask them to call THInC directly. They will be happy to discuss their needs and provide any advice or assistance available.
Monday – Friday from 9am to 4.30pm – 01467 536111
Email travel@thinc-hub.org
This project will run from 06/07/2026 until such times as funding has been exhausted.
