Deadline: 10-Aug-2026
The Scottish Government’s Global Solidarity Fund supports small Scottish civil society organisations, charities, social enterprises, and community groups working on global citizenship, international partnerships, and locally led development. The fund offers three grant types, with awards ranging from £2,000 to £50,000 depending on the activity and applicant type. Eligible organisations must generally be legally constituted in Scotland and have an annual income below £200,000.
Overview
The Scottish Government’s Global Solidarity Fund is designed to strengthen an informed, engaged, and active global citizenship community in Scotland.
The fund supports small civil society organisations that are working internationally, engaging people in Scotland on global issues, or building partnerships with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda.
It aims to help small organisations become more resilient, improve their capacity, expand international collaboration, and promote locally led development.
Purpose of the Fund
The purpose of the Global Solidarity Fund is to support Scottish organisations that contribute to global solidarity, international development, and public engagement.
The fund helps small organisations strengthen their internal capacity, build meaningful partnerships, and encourage people in Scotland to understand and act on global challenges.
It also supports approaches that shift power toward local partners and communities in countries where development work takes place.
Key Focus Areas
The fund focuses on small civil society organisation strengthening, organisational resilience, capacity development, international partnerships, global citizenship engagement, public understanding of global issues, locally led development, Scottish civil society, international collaboration, and partnerships with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, and Rwanda.
What the Global Solidarity Fund Supports
The fund supports different types of activities depending on the grant stream.
Supported activities may include:
- Strengthening small Scottish civil society organisations
- Improving organisational resilience and effectiveness
- Building capacity for international development work
- Supporting international partnerships
- Promoting global citizenship in Scotland
- Increasing public engagement with global issues
- Supporting locally led development approaches
- Strengthening collaboration with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda
- Helping small organisations grow their impact and sustainability
The fund is especially relevant for small organisations that are connected to communities, global justice, development, education, advocacy, or international partnership work.
Grant Types Available
The Global Solidarity Fund provides three types of grants.
Each grant type supports a different purpose and has its own funding limit.
1. Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant
The Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant provides funding of up to £10,000.
This grant supports small Scottish civil society organisations working internationally in countries with medium or low development status.
The grant is intended to improve organisational resilience, capacity, and effectiveness.
It may support activities that help organisations strengthen systems, improve planning, build skills, develop partnerships, or become more sustainable in their international work.
2. Global Citizenship Engagement Grant
The Global Citizenship Engagement Grant supports public engagement and understanding of global citizenship in Scotland.
Funding available includes:
- Up to £5,000 for small charities and social enterprises
- Up to £2,000 for unaffiliated groups
This grant helps organisations and groups deliver activities that engage people in Scotland with global issues, international development, solidarity, justice, and shared responsibility.
3. Shifting the Power Grant
The Shifting the Power Grant provides funding of up to £50,000.
This grant supports partnerships between Scottish civil society organisations and organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda.
It is designed to promote locally led development approaches and strengthen fairer, more balanced international partnerships.
The grant supports work that enables local partners to have stronger leadership, decision-making power, and ownership in development initiatives.
Funding Amount
The funding amount depends on the grant type.
Available funding includes:
- Up to £10,000 for Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grants
- Up to £5,000 for Global Citizenship Engagement Grants for small charities and social enterprises
- Up to £2,000 for Global Citizenship Engagement Grants for unaffiliated groups
- Up to £50,000 for Shifting the Power Grants
Applicants should select the grant type that best matches their organisation, activity, and partnership model.
Who Is Eligible?
Eligible applicants may include legally constituted Scottish organisations with annual income below £200,000.
Eligible organisation types include:
- Scottish charities
- Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations
- Social enterprises
- Not-for-profit associations
- Small civil society organisations
- Unaffiliated groups, where eligible under the Global Citizenship Engagement Grant
Eligibility depends on the grant stream being applied for.
Grant-Specific Eligibility
Applicants must meet the requirements of the specific grant type.
For the Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant, applicants should be small Scottish civil society organisations working internationally in medium- or low-development countries.
For the Global Citizenship Engagement Grant, applicants should focus on engaging the public in Scotland on global citizenship and global issues.
For the Shifting the Power Grant, applicants must apply in partnership with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda.
What Is Global Citizenship?
Global citizenship means understanding how people, communities, and countries are connected across the world.
It includes awareness of global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, conflict, health, education, and human rights.
In this fund, global citizenship also means encouraging people in Scotland to take informed action, build solidarity, and support fairer relationships with communities around the world.
What Is Locally Led Development?
Locally led development means that communities and organisations in the countries where development work takes place have real power in decision-making, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
It shifts leadership away from external organisations and toward local partners who understand the context, priorities, and needs of their communities.
The Shifting the Power Grant is designed to support this approach through partnerships with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda.
Why It Matters
Small civil society organisations often play an important role in global solidarity, public education, community engagement, and international development.
However, many small organisations need support to strengthen their systems, build partnerships, and increase their impact.
The Global Solidarity Fund matters because it helps Scottish organisations become more resilient while also promoting fairer international collaboration and deeper public engagement with global issues.
It supports a more informed and active global citizenship community in Scotland.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a clear application that matches the correct grant stream and explains the purpose, activities, beneficiaries, and expected outcomes.
Step 1: Choose the Right Grant Type
Applicants should first decide which grant stream fits their work.
Choose the Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant if the main aim is to improve organisational capacity for international work.
Choose the Global Citizenship Engagement Grant if the main aim is to engage people in Scotland on global citizenship or global issues.
Choose the Shifting the Power Grant if the main aim is to support a partnership between a Scottish organisation and an organisation in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda.
Step 2: Confirm Organisational Eligibility
Applicants should confirm that they are legally constituted in Scotland and have annual income below £200,000.
They should also confirm that their organisation type is eligible under the selected grant stream.
Step 3: Define the Need
The application should explain why the funding is needed.
This may include:
- Organisational capacity gaps
- Need for stronger international partnerships
- Public engagement gaps in Scotland
- Need to support locally led development
- Challenges faced by small civil society organisations
- Opportunities to improve global citizenship engagement
Step 4: Describe the Proposed Activities
Applicants should clearly describe what the grant will support.
The activity plan should include:
- Main activities
- Target participants or beneficiaries
- Delivery approach
- Timeline
- Partners involved
- Expected outputs
- Expected outcomes
- How the work supports the fund’s objectives
Step 5: Explain Partnership Working
For partnership-based applications, applicants should describe the role of each partner.
This should include:
- Scottish organisation’s role
- International partner’s role
- Decision-making arrangements
- How the partnership supports locally led development
- How power and resources will be shared
- How communication and accountability will be managed
Step 6: Prepare the Budget
Applicants should prepare a clear and realistic budget within the relevant funding limit.
The budget should show how the requested grant will be used and how each cost supports the proposed activities.
Step 7: Show Expected Impact
The application should explain what change the project or activity will create.
Expected impact may include:
- Stronger organisational resilience
- Improved skills and systems
- Increased public understanding of global issues
- Stronger international partnerships
- More locally led development practice
- Greater engagement with global citizenship in Scotland
Step 8: Submit the Application
Applicants should submit the completed application with all required information and supporting documents according to the fund’s guidelines.
A strong application should be clear, focused, realistic, and aligned with the selected grant stream.
Selection Considerations
Applications are likely to be assessed based on fit with the fund’s goals, applicant eligibility, quality of the proposal, and potential impact.
Important assessment areas may include:
- Alignment with the selected grant type
- Strength of the organisation’s purpose and activities
- Benefit to small civil society organisations
- Contribution to global citizenship in Scotland
- Quality of international partnerships
- Commitment to locally led development
- Feasibility of the budget and timeline
- Potential for long-term impact
- Capacity to deliver the proposed work
- Relevance to medium- or low-development countries, where applicable
Tips for a Strong Application
A strong application should clearly explain how the proposed work contributes to global solidarity.
Applicants should:
- Select the most relevant grant stream
- Explain the need clearly
- Show how the organisation meets eligibility rules
- Keep the proposal focused and practical
- Demonstrate clear public engagement or partnership value
- Show how the work strengthens civil society capacity
- Explain how local partners will lead or influence decisions
- Provide a realistic budget
- Use clear outcomes and simple monitoring indicators
- Demonstrate long-term value beyond the grant period
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid submitting proposals that are unclear or not aligned with the selected grant type.
Common mistakes include:
- Applying under the wrong grant stream
- Not showing that the organisation is legally constituted in Scotland
- Having annual income above the £200,000 limit
- Providing an unclear budget
- Not explaining how the work supports global citizenship
- Weak evidence of international partnership
- Not showing how locally led development will be supported
- Submitting a proposal with vague outcomes
- Not identifying the target audience or beneficiaries
- Failing to explain how the activity will strengthen the organisation or community
FAQ
1. What is the Scottish Government’s Global Solidarity Fund?
The Global Solidarity Fund supports small Scottish civil society organisations, charities, social enterprises, and groups working on global citizenship, international partnerships, and locally led development.
2. Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include legally constituted Scottish charities, SCIOs, social enterprises, not-for-profit associations, and eligible groups with annual income below £200,000.
3. What grant types are available?
The fund offers three grant types: the Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant, the Global Citizenship Engagement Grant, and the Shifting the Power Grant.
4. How much funding is available?
Funding ranges from £2,000 to £50,000 depending on the grant type. The highest grant amount is £50,000 under the Shifting the Power Grant.
5. What does the Scottish Civil Society Organisation Strengthening Grant support?
It provides up to £10,000 to help small Scottish civil society organisations working internationally in medium- or low-development countries strengthen their resilience and effectiveness.
6. What does the Global Citizenship Engagement Grant support?
It provides up to £5,000 for small charities and social enterprises, and up to £2,000 for unaffiliated groups, to increase public engagement and understanding of global citizenship in Scotland.
7. What does the Shifting the Power Grant support?
It provides up to £50,000 for partnerships between Scottish civil society organisations and organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda to promote locally led development approaches.
Conclusion
The Scottish Government’s Global Solidarity Fund supports small Scottish organisations working to strengthen global citizenship, civil society capacity, international partnerships, and locally led development. Through three grant streams, the fund offers targeted support for organisational strengthening, public engagement in Scotland, and partnerships with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, or Rwanda. Applicants should select the most relevant grant type, demonstrate eligibility, present a clear plan, and show how their work will build a more informed, engaged, and active global citizenship community in Scotland.
For more information, visit Flexigrant.