ACVO Opportunities
Funding
Ethnic Minority Development Fund (EMDF)
About this fund
The Ethnic Minority Development Fund (EMDF) supports grassroots ethnic minority‑led organisations in Scotland to access funding, strengthen capacity and build long‑term sustainability. The fund was established in 2023 with The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF).
The fund was established to support ethnic minority-led groups that have not received or have found it difficult to secure funding from TNCLF.
In the 2026 round, the EMDF offers grants of £500–£15,000, with a total of £500,000 available.
The deadline for applications will be the 26 May 2026 at 5:00pm.
2. Who The Fund Is For
This fund is for ethnic minority‑led third sector organisations in Scotland. An organisation is EM‑led when 60% or more of the board and leadership are from ethnic minority backgrounds.
This fund is for ethnic minority led organisations that have had no or limited funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
To be eligible to apply, organisations must:
- Be ethnic minority led (60% or more of their committee and leadership are from ethnic minority backgrounds)
- Have an annual income under £100,000 per year
- Not currently have long-term funding from TNLCF (by this, we mean a grant longer than 2 years)
- Have not received long-term funding from TNLCF in the last 3 years
Therefore, groups that have only received Awards for All grants or currently hold an Awards for All grant can apply to the EMDF. However, since funding is limited, we may prioritise applications from organisations that have never received funding from TNCLF before.
3. Projects You Can Apply For
The EMDF offers funding for various projects that benefit ethnic minority people and communities in Scotland. If awarded, this funding is restricted and must be spent on the project that you applied for.
You should plan for your project to start on the 1st of September or later, as this is the earliest you can expect to receive the funding if successful.
In your application, you must explain how your project will meet at least one of the following outcomes:
- Bring ethnic minority people together and build strong relationships across communities
- Help more ethnic minority people to thrive by supporting them early
- Improve places and spaces that matter to ethnic minority communities
Projects must also involve the community in the design and delivery of activities.
If you currently have funding from TNLCF, you cannot apply for funding for the same project for which you already received funding from TNLCF. However, you can apply for a different project.
For example, if you are currently receiving funding from TNLCF for a youth project, you cannot obtain funding from the EMDF for the same project. However, you could apply for a project involving older people.
4. What Types Of Organisations Can Apply
These types of organisation can apply:
- Constituted voluntary or community organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs
- Not‑for‑profit companies
- Registered charities (unincorporated)
- SCIOs
- CICs operating for at least six months
- Faith‑based organisations
- Individuals, sole traders
- Profit‑distributing companies
- Organisations outside Scotland
- Organisations with under two unrelated board members
- Organisations awaiting another EMDF decision
- Applications via consultants
- statutory or public bodies
- schools
- colleges or universities
Looking for support with funding?
Identifying funding opportunities and writing grant applications can seem overwhelming, especially when the future sustainability of your group is dependent on gaining funding support.
Our supportive Funding Officer, Claire Shaw, can help your organisation with every step of the funding application process, from carrying out funding searches to proofreading your application.
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Ethnic Minority Development Fund (EMDF)
