SafeDeposits Scotland, the country’s leading tenancy deposit protection scheme, has introduced a Community Fund designed to provide small grants to projects enhancing communities across Scotland.

The SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund will award grants to organisations who commit to deliver a project that meets at least one of five criteria, namely:

• Sustainability and the environment
• Employability and career skills
• Social inclusion
• Technology and digital inclusion
• Improving the local community

They can support a wide range of projects from enhancing play areas to planting trees, and from providing isolated individuals with social opportunities and helping young people prepare for work.

Who can apply

Organisations which commit to deliver a project that meets at least one of its criteria:

• Sustainability and the environment
• Employability and career skills
• Social inclusion
• Technology and digital inclusion
• Improving the local community

When to apply

Interested parties are invited to submit an application by the following dates, to be considered for the subsequent funding round:

• Friday 29th May 2026
• Friday 28th August 2026
• Friday 27th November 2026
• Friday 26th February 2027

Next deadline: 29 May 2026

How to apply

On applying for funding from the SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund, an organisation will be required to provide a summary from its most recent accounts and, where applicable, its latest annual report and financial statement.

Exclusions

SafeDeposits Scotland will not be able issue grants from the Community Fund for:

• Funding an individual
• Covering staff salaries (unless these are specific and exclusive to the project that the funding is for)
• Day to day overheads/running costs (unless these are specific and exclusive to the project that the funding is for)
• Capital projects or contributions towards capital projects
• General national appeals
• Holidays or provision of respite care
• Project costs that have already been incurred (retrospective funding)
• Funding for the same project over multiple years
• Funding for a project where our contribution is not a meaningful one (less than 30% of a project cost)
• Any activities by a profit making concern that could be construed as paying their normal business expenses or obligations
• Projects outside Scotland
• Any projects that could be perceived as exclusionary, partisan, political or religious