Pockets and Prospects Grant 2023
The Community Woodlands Association is offering small ‘Pockets and Prospects’ grants to our member groups to help them to engage with ‘disadvantaged’ groups in their community and to work with local people.
Activities must be targeted at areas of significant socio-economic disadvantage, usually quantified using the SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation). Areas experiencing disadvantage through rurality and distance from services may also qualify. Your woodland does not need to be in a highly deprived SIMD area, but you will need to demonstrate that your activities will benefit people who live in these areas.
We will provide community woodland groups with funds to promote access to woodland events to those who may not otherwise be able to participate and where people who are struggling financially, physically and/or mentally can meet and interact with other people out of doors. Grants can be up to £1k max per group - match funding is not required if your project costs less than £1k. The funding comes from the Scottish Community Alliance.
With this fund, we seek to encourage our members to reach beyond their normal constituency and to engage people within their communities to provide physical and moral support to those worried about and suffering through the cost of living crisis. Woodland based activities can be various, and may include, for example, woodland foraging event for autumn fruits or fungi, or an organised firewood collection for older members of the community. Community woodland groups might wish to provide access to the less able or those with transport challenges, through minibus hire, allowing them to access a woodland activity, such as an autumn barbeque. We currently have around £5850 to disperse.