Deadline: 11-Sep-2026
The Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund provides grants of £3,000 to £15,000 to community-based, not-for-profit organisations in Scotland supporting people living with dementia and their unpaid carers. Funding supports activities delivered between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2028, with priority for organisations reaching underserved and disadvantaged communities.
About the Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund
The Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund is designed to strengthen community-based dementia support across Scotland.
The fund recognises the important role that local organisations play in helping people living with dementia and their unpaid carers remain connected, active, and supported within their communities.
Funding can help organisations deliver activities and programmes that improve health and wellbeing, community connection, resilience, and local dementia support.
Objectives of the Fund
The programme aims to strengthen grassroots organisations and improve support for people affected by dementia.
Key objectives include:
- Supporting people living with dementia to remain connected to their communities.
- Improving health and wellbeing.
- Supporting unpaid carers.
- Strengthening the resilience of local dementia support organisations.
- Improving the sustainability of community-based services.
- Helping local organisations respond to changing community needs.
- Expanding access to dementia support in underserved communities.
Funding Available
Eligible organisations can request grants within the following range:
- Minimum grant: £3,000
- Maximum grant: £15,000
- Funding period: 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028
Projects and activities supported through the fund must take place during the specified 2027/28 funding period.
Who Is Eligible?
The fund is intended for community-based, not-for-profit organisations in Scotland.
Eligible organisation types include:
- Constituted community groups.
- Voluntary and community organisations.
- Registered charities.
- Community Interest Companies (CICs).
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs).
Applicants should demonstrate a clear connection to the communities they serve and show how their work benefits people living with dementia and/or their unpaid carers.
Who Is Not Eligible?
National organisations are not eligible to apply.
The fund is specifically focused on grassroots and community-based organisations rather than organisations operating primarily at a national level.
Priority Communities
Although the fund is open to eligible community-based organisations, priority is given to applications reaching communities that may experience greater barriers to dementia support.
Priority includes organisations working with:
- Rural and remote communities.
- Communities experiencing multiple deprivation.
- Ethnic minority communities.
- LGBTQ+ communities.
- Communities involving people with protected characteristics.
- Other underserved communities experiencing barriers to support.
Organisations serving these communities should clearly explain the local need and barriers faced by the people they support.
What Types of Activities Can Be Supported?
The fund supports community-based activities that contribute to the wellbeing, connection, and resilience of people affected by dementia.
Potential activities could include programmes that:
- Reduce social isolation.
- Encourage community participation.
- Improve wellbeing.
- Support unpaid carers.
- Strengthen peer and community connections.
- Respond to locally identified dementia-related needs.
- Help community organisations develop sustainable support activities.
Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed activities will benefit people living with dementia and/or unpaid carers.
Why This Fund Matters
Dementia can affect not only individuals but also families, unpaid carers, and wider communities.
Grassroots organisations are often well positioned to understand local needs and provide accessible, community-based support.
The fund can help these organisations strengthen their services and create opportunities for people living with dementia to maintain social connections and participate in community life.
Its focus on rural, deprived, minority, LGBTQ+, and other underserved communities also recognises that access to support can vary significantly between different communities.
How Applications Are Assessed
A distinctive feature of the fund is that applications are reviewed by a lived experience panel.
The panel is made up of:
- People living with dementia.
- Unpaid carers.
This means funding decisions are informed directly by people who have personal experience of dementia and caring responsibilities.
Applicants should therefore explain their project in clear, practical terms and demonstrate how it responds to the real needs of the people who will benefit.
How to Apply
Applicants should develop their proposal around a clearly identified community need.
Step 1: Confirm Your Organisation’s Eligibility
Check that your organisation:
- Is community-based.
- Operates on a not-for-profit basis.
- Is based in Scotland.
- Falls within an eligible organisational structure.
- Is not a national organisation.
Step 2: Identify the Community Need
Explain the dementia-related challenges faced by the people your organisation supports.
Where relevant, describe barriers associated with:
- Rural or remote locations.
- Poverty or deprivation.
- Social isolation.
- Ethnicity.
- LGBTQ+ identity.
- Disability or other protected characteristics.
- Limited access to existing services.
Step 3: Develop Your Activity Plan
Clearly describe:
- What you will do.
- Who will participate.
- Where activities will take place.
- When activities will be delivered.
- How the activities will support people living with dementia or unpaid carers.
Step 4: Demonstrate Community Impact
Explain the expected benefits of the project.
These could include improved:
- Social connection.
- Emotional wellbeing.
- Community participation.
- Access to support.
- Carer wellbeing.
- Organisational resilience.
Step 5: Prepare the Funding Request
Request an amount between £3,000 and £15,000 and ensure the proposed budget is directly connected to the activities and outcomes.
Step 6: Submit the Application
Complete the application according to the fund’s requirements and provide all requested organisational, project, and financial information.
Tips for a Strong Application
Because applications are reviewed by people with direct lived experience, proposals should focus on practical community impact rather than overly technical language.
Applicants should:
- Clearly explain the local need.
- Identify the people who will benefit.
- Show how activities will improve wellbeing or connection.
- Explain why the proposed approach is appropriate for the community.
- Demonstrate value for money.
- Include realistic and achievable outcomes.
- Explain how the project can strengthen local dementia support.
- Highlight barriers faced by priority communities where relevant.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Applying as a national organisation.
- Failing to demonstrate community-level impact.
- Not explaining how people living with dementia or unpaid carers will benefit.
- Providing vague project objectives.
- Requesting funding without a clear connection to proposed activities.
- Ignoring the needs of underserved communities where these are relevant.
- Using unclear or overly complicated descriptions of the project.
- Failing to demonstrate how activities will contribute to wellbeing, connection, or local resilience.
Key Details at a Glance
- Fund: Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund
- Location: Scotland
- Funding: £3,000–£15,000
- Funding period: 1 April 2027–31 March 2028
- Eligible applicants: Community-based, not-for-profit organisations
- Examples of eligible organisations: Community groups, voluntary organisations, charities, CICs and CIOs
- Target beneficiaries: People living with dementia and unpaid carers
- Priority communities: Rural and remote, deprived, ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, and communities with protected characteristics
- National organisations: Not eligible
- Assessment: Lived experience panel involving people living with dementia and unpaid carers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund?
It is a Scottish funding programme supporting community-based, not-for-profit organisations that provide activities and programmes for people living with dementia and their unpaid carers.
How much funding is available?
Eligible organisations can apply for grants ranging from £3,000 to £15,000.
When must funded activities take place?
Supported activities must take place between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2028.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include constituted community groups, voluntary and community organisations, registered charities, Community Interest Companies, and Charitable Incorporated Organisations that are community-based and not-for-profit in Scotland.
Are national organisations eligible?
No. National organisations are not eligible because the fund is specifically designed to support community-based grassroots organisations.
Which communities receive priority?
Priority is given to organisations working in rural and remote communities, areas experiencing multiple deprivation, ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and communities involving people with protected characteristics.
Who decides which applications receive funding?
Applications are reviewed by a lived experience panel comprising people living with dementia and unpaid carers. This ensures that funding decisions take account of direct experience of dementia and caring.
Conclusion
The Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity Fund offers community-based organisations in Scotland an opportunity to secure £3,000 to £15,000 for activities that improve the lives of people living with dementia and their unpaid carers. By prioritising grassroots organisations and communities that face additional barriers to support, the fund aims to strengthen local dementia services, improve wellbeing and social connection, and build more resilient communities. Organisations preparing an application should clearly demonstrate local need, explain the benefits for people affected by dementia, and present a practical project with achievable outcomes for the 2027/28 funding period.
For more information, visit Age Scotland.
