Grant

We have a number of grants available for community and voluntary organisations to apply for, including:

• Education - Leisure Grants
• Education - Out of School Care Grants
• Pre-five Voluntary Sector
• Local Partnership Grants
• Social Work Section 10 Grants
• Tenant Association Grants.

These grants are available for community and voluntary organisations in Renfrewshire.

We'll give you details and deadlines for applying for these grants.

The Social Enterprise Small Grant grant is available to social enterprises and social economy organisations looking to grow or strengthen their enterprise activities and develop their organisations.

Successful applicants can receive up to £5,000.

You can apply for the grant if:

• you represent a social enterprise or social economy organisation
• your organisation is based in Renfrewshire
• your organisation's turnover is less than £500,000.

The grant can fund:

• capacity building work to acquire enterprise skills (developing skills, processes, and resources that your organisation needs to adapt and thrive)
• new equipment or resources related to delivering new products and services or extending your customer base - this could include staffing costs, IT office equipment, or improvements to your premises
• projects to create an economic impact, such as increasing revenue, reducing costs, or providing training opportunities
• part of the cost for a larger project or activity.

The grant cannot fund:

• work that has already happened
• individuals - you must represent an organisation
• projects intended to promote religious or political beliefs
• study visits (visiting other enterprising organisations and learning from them)
• the purchase of vehicles.

Before applying for the grant, you should make sure:

• your organisation has a written constitution and an appropriate governance structure, such as a management committee and board of trustees
• your organisation complies with the Equality Act 2010
• your organisation follows any relevant Disclosure Scotland and Protecting Vulnerable Group schemes
• you can show how you would manage the funds and use them constructively
• you can show how your proposed activity would support the types of projects described above.

See what other business grants and loans are available.

Contact our social enterprise officer about applying for the grant:

They will 

• talk to you about the application process
• give you any advice or support you need
• send you an application form.

We'll accept applications until the fund's budget is fully awarded, so apply as soon as you can so you do not miss out.

We'll review your application and aim to let you know our decision within 4 to 6 weeks.

With energy bills and operating costs on the rise, it's becoming more expensive than ever to produce carbon emissions.

Assess your energy usage, review where you source your energy from, and install energy efficiency measures - and the average small-to-medium-sized enterprise could reduce energy bills by 18-25% and reduce their overall carbon footprint.

The Net Zero Business Grant is open to small and medium-sized businesses, including social enterprises, which meet all of the following criteria:

• the applicant is a full-time business and has a business bank account
• the business operates from commercial premises within the Renfrewshire Council area, for which there is a signed lease, rental, or licence agreement in place
• at the time of submitting the grant application, the business is neither in bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar.

This grant is not available to community groups or not-for-profit, voluntary, or charitable organisations.

Applications to this fund are limited to 1 application per business. We will not consider subsequent applications at this time.

You'll need to provide:

• an up to date business plan
• your most recent annual accounts (if applicable) or up to date management accounts
• quotes
• baseline emissions.

If a full business plan is not available, a mini business plan consisting of a 1-page summary of the company setting out its plans for the future is sufficient.

Submit an online application explaining why external financial assistance from Renfrewshire Council is necessary to enable the project to proceed.

Apply for a Net Zero Business Grant

Once we receive your application, we'll review the application against assessment criteria and will be in touch to discuss your application. We'll make our decision shortly after this meeting and, if you're successful, we'll formally offer you the grant.

Net Zero Accelerator

Scottish Enterprise's Net Zero Accelerator is a simple online tool. Businesses can use it to assess their efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions and help build their net zero action plan.

Register with Scottish Enterprise to use Net Zero Accelerator.

The Town Centre Regeneration Fund is a grant to help bring vacant, underused or derelict properties in Renfrewshire’s town centres back into use.

Specifically, it’s for where redevelopment of a significant local building or site has stalled because:

• there is a funding gap
• the cost of construction work or supplies has gone up
• restoring older buildings is complex and can require specialist skills
• economic downturns or shifts in demand can impact a project’s viability.

To qualify for funding, you must have legal ownership of the property or site, or a long-term leasehold interest (a minimum 10 years).

Your property must be:

• located in a town centre in Renfrewshire
• currently vacant, underused, or derelict
• of strategic importance including, for example, has heritage value, is prominent, or has high visibility
• potential to stimulate wider regeneration and growth in the locality.

There must be no outstanding legal disputes or legal issues with the premises or site that would delay redevelopment.

The Town Centre Regeneration Fund is provided as Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022, and applicants may be required to confirm that total MFA received does not exceed £315,000 over the current and previous 2 financial years.

To be eligible for the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, applicants who are employers must be Fair Work First employers. Read more guidance on Fair Work First (gov.scot PDF). 

Your project proposal must aim to bring the property or site back into viable and productive use.

This could include commercial, cultural, community, residential, or mixed-use developments, providing they comply with the relevant planning policies.

The grant should be used for a substantive programme of works which might include:

• preparatory works
  • site clearance or demolition of non-heritage structures
  • temporary works to stabilise or secure a building
  • asbestos removal or treatment of contaminated land.
  • essential structural repairs to make the building safe or usable
• physical works
  • roof repairs or replacements
  • external fabric repairs, including windows, masonry, or facades
  • internal adaptations or refurbishments to change how the place will be used
• heritage and conservation works
  • restoration of historically significant architectural features
  • work to comply with conservation or listed building consents
  • sensitive adaptations to allow modern use while retaining heritage value
• accessibility and compliance  
  • improvements to meet building regulations like fire safety, accessibility, or energy efficiency
  • installation of ramps, lifts, or accessible toilets
• project management and oversight
  • reasonable project management or contract administration costs. 

What you cannot use it for

You cannot use the funding for:

• buying or renting land or property
• marketing and promotional costs
• general maintenance not linked to redevelopment
• VAT (unless it is non-recoverable)
• feasibility studies and option appraisals
• professional fees relating to design for example the costs for architects, engineers, surveyors, or planning consultants
• planning application and building consent fees.

Information you need to provide

Your proposal should show how it will:

• contribute to local economic growth – for example, job creation or increased footfall
• enhance the vitality and attractiveness of the town centre or local area
• encourage sustainable neighbourhoods, sustainable links, or enhancements to greenspace
• align with local regeneration strategies and community priorities.

You need to have:

• a deliverable project with detailed designs that are fully costed
• a robust and realistic delivery plan and timeline, which can begin within 12 months of you getting the grant
• the relevant planning or building warrant permissions or confirmation that you intend to apply for consents.

You need to provide evidence:

• of any market failure which has prevented redevelopment to date
• of actions taken so far to try to bring the building back into reuse
• that without public sector intervention, the project cannot go ahead due to a funding gap or issues affecting commercial viability, such as high remediation costs related to contamination, high land values, or construction costs.

You must explain how you will use the funding, including:

• a detailed breakdown of costs which will be covered by the grant
• how the amount you ask for is proportionate to the overall costs and impact
• how the project will demonstrate best value for money if it receives funding.

We'll review premises and sites in each town centre, produce a list of priority target buildings and engage with property owners and interested parties to make them aware of the fund.

Expression of Interest (EOI) form

You do not need to be designated as a priority building to make an application – we will accept EOIs from any town centre properties that meet the eligibility criteria.  

Once we have your EOI, officers will engage with you to discuss the regeneration plans and assess whether these align with the investment criteria of the fund. EOI applications will be formerly scored by officers.  

Funding will be offered on a first come first served basis to applicants who meet the minimum scoring requirement.  

If we think your project aligns with the aims of the fund, we’ll work with you to determine how much funding you need and if it represents best value for money for the fund.

If you’d like more information about grants from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, email us at regenerationandplace@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If your Expression of Interest application is successful

If you are invited to make a full Town Centre Regeneration Fund application, you will be asked to provide the following:

• detailed specification of works, including technical drawings
• description of how the project will be managed - and who the design team are - including an outline of the strategy for the appointment of contractor(s)
• detailed budget showing income and expenditure, including contingencies
• detailed timeline for implementation of works, including timeline for securing any necessary consents
• risk register, listing project risks and mitigation strategies
• a copy of your Business Plan or equivalent (if applicable), including an explanation of how the proposed project helps fulfil it
• an explanation of how the project meets the 4 TCF outcomes:
  • how will your project contribute to local economic growth – for example, job creation or increased footfall (250 words)
  • how will your project enhance the vitality and attractiveness of the town centre or local area (250 words)
  • how will your project encourage sustainable neighbourhoods, sustainable links, or enhancements to greenspace (250 words)
  • how will your project align with local regeneration strategies and community priorities (250 words).

How we make a decision

We’ll prioritise projects that preserve or sensitively adapt heritage or listed structures or have a prominent location within a town centre.

We’ll also prioritise projects that can:

• match fund or co-invest from the private sector or other public sources
• attract additional economic activity or investment due to the funding you’re awarded.

Provisional approval  

If we approve your application on principle, we'll make a provisional offer setting out the:

• conditions of the grant
• potential amount of money you could get. 

Conditions of the grant

We cannot award the grant until you've met all the conditions of the offer.

Before any grant funding is released, you must have:

• all the relevant planning permissions or building consent, in line with the approved grant scheme
• a project delivery team in place including a main contractor, project manager and other key people for the project
• enough money to be able to pay contractors in full before they start any work.

How we pay the grant

We’ll pay the grant as works have been completed to a satisfactory standard, following an inspection by us, and you have sent us:

• proof of payment to the contractor by bank or building society transfer (BACS)
• the receipted invoice from the contractor or contractors doing the work
• evidence of all necessary planning permissions or building consent, or written confirmation that these are not needed.

We'll make the payments to your nominated bank or building society account.  

We cannot award the grant for cash payments to suppliers or contractors.  

We can make interim / stage payments in arrears towards the project. This will not be more than 90% of your grant. If you need a building warrant for the work, we will pay the final 10% of the grant when we get a completion certificate from you.

If you’d like more information about grants from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, email us at regenerationandplace@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If you have an electric vehicle but do not have off-street parking, you could get a grant of up to £3,500 to safely charge your vehicle without trailing cables across the pavement.

The grant can fund solutions such as charging gullies (cable channels in the pavement) and pop-up chargers. These would connect to your home charge point, which you must already have or be in the process of getting.

This grant is a pilot funded by the Scottish Government. Because the grant is a pilot, it may or may not be available in the future.

This grant contributes to Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero by lowering transport carbon emissions.

You can apply for the grant if you:

• live in Renfrewshire
• have an electric vehicle
• have access to a home charge point (an electric vehicle charger) but do not have off-street parking.

The grant is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by the Energy Saving Trust.

You should read about the grant on the Energy Saving Trust website before you apply. This is where you can find all the details about the grant.

1. Once you’ve read about the grant on the Energy Saving Trust website, you should get a quote from an installer to use as evidence of how much the work will cost.

2. Before applying for the grant, you must apply for a road opening permit through the council. This permit gives you our permission to do the work.

   You can apply for the permit yourself, but many people ask the installer who will be doing the work to include the cost of the permit in their quote.

   If your grant application is successful, then part of the grant will go to you or the installer (whoever paid for the permit) to cover the cost of the permit. If your grant application is not successful, then you will not be able to get a refund for the permit cost.

   Apply for a road opening permit

3. Once you have a quote and a permit, then you can apply for the grant.

   Apply for the cross-pavement charging grant (Energy Saving Trust website)

Applications for this grant are now closed.

The grant is delivered by the Energy Saving Trust, not Renfrewshire Council.

The Energy Saving Trust will usually let you know the outcome of your application within 8 working days.

Email the Energy Saving Trust at crosspavementgrant@est.org.uk if you have any questions about the grant.

A Crisis Grant is for help with unexpected expenses due to an emergency or disaster.

Examples can be when you:

• do not have enough money for immediate living expenses or items because of an emergency or disaster
• are stranded because of an emergency and you need accommodation
• need travel costs due to an emergency
• do not have enough funds to meet your living costs, which puts your health and safety at risk
• you're a grandparent or relative who has taken over caring for a child, and you're waiting on a transfer of benefits.

Find out what help you can get if you are homeless right now.

You could get a Crisis Grant if you:

• are 16 or over
• are on a low income or getting certain benefits
• cannot get financial help from anywhere else.

You may be eligible for a Crisis Grant if you get these benefits:

• Income Support
• Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) - income based
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - income based
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit. 

Who cannot get a Crisis Grant

You cannot get the grant if you've: 

• are not eligible for most benefits, tax credits or housing assistance (no recourse to public funds)
• have applied for asylum to stay in the UK and are still waiting on a decision
• already received three crisis grants in the last 12 months - we can only offer another grant in some exceptional circumstances
• applied for the same grant in the last 28 days, unless your circumstances have changed
• applied for an excluded item.

You could use the grant for things you might need after an emergency or disaster like:

• food and essential heating
• nappies, toiletries, or clothing
• travel or accommodation
• furniture or household equipment
• removal expenses or storage charges
• connection charges for gas and electricity.
• You do not have to pay this grant back.

On the application form, you'll need to tell us:

• your National Insurance (NI) number
• your date of birth
• a Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction reference number, if you have one
• your address, postcode, and date you moved in to where you are currently staying
• if you own or rent the property, you're leaving somewhere or staying with someone you know
• if you have a partner, children, or other dependants
• what income or savings you have or what benefits you get
• any other money or help you've tried to get
• what you need to buy or replace and how much you think they will cost
• any health problems like illness, a medical condition, disability,
• infirmity due to age, mental health problems, drug or alcohol problems
• any other support, service, charity, or organisations that are helping you
• any other information about your current circumstances like family problems, poor living conditions or coping after a disaster, risks to your family's health and safety.

Apply online for a Crisis Grant

You'll get a unique reference code when you start the application form. Make sure you keep a note of this code.

If you do not complete the form within 20 minutes, your session will expire, and your data will not be saved.

However, you can save your application by adding an email address and a password. You can use your reference code, email address and password to log in again and complete your application.

If you need help to apply, phone us on 0300 300 0204.

• Mondays to Thursdays between 8.45am and 4.15pm
• Fridays between 8.45am and 3.25pm.

Once you have applied, we will contact you within 2 working days to let you know our decision.

How we make a decision

The amount of funding we have for this grant is limited. This means that we cannot help everyone who applies.  

To help us decide, your application is given a high, medium, or low priority depending on your needs and circumstances, or if you do not have any other way of paying for what you need.

We will look at how severe your situation is and how this affects you and your family.  

We may contact other departments or agencies who are helping you, such as health professionals or social workers, to verify your circumstances and any issues you may have.

We may also make a home visit, if required, before we give you the grant.

How we pay the grant 

If you are awarded a Crisis Grant, we can pay the grant directly into your bank account, if you have one, or give you cash by text, which you can redeem in any shop that has PayPoint.

Depending on what you need, we may give you the items you've asked for, instead of cash or bank transfer. We'll contact you to arrange delivery or collection of the items.

You can ask for an advance from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) if you've recently applied for:

• Universal Credit
• Carer's Allowance
• Pension Credit
• State Pension.

Crisis Grants are one-off payments and cannot support your income long term.

If you need help with recurring expenses and you're on a low income, see what other benefits or financial help you could get.

The Community Care Grant can help with expenses so you, or someone you care for, can set up a home and stay in your community.

It is delivered through the Scottish Welfare Fund which helps families and people in Scotland who are on low incomes

To apply, you must be: 

• 16 or over
• living or about to live in Renfrewshire
• on a low income or getting certain benefits to apply. 

You may be able to get a Community Care Grant if:

• you're leaving care or prison and need help to set up your own home
• you've been homeless, or living an unsettled life, and need help to set up your new home
• you need support to stay out of care
• you're caring for someone who's been released from prison or from a young offender's institution you're experiencing
• great pressure and need help to keep a settled home
• you're escaping domestic abuse
• a child's health is at risk. 

You're more likely to get the grant if you're on a low income or you get one of these benefits:

• Income Support
• Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) - income based
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - income based
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit.

If you or your partner's savings are more than £700, or more than £1200 if you get a pension, you are less likely to get a Community Care Grant. 

You can use the grant for: 

• furniture, like sofas, armchairs, carpets, curtains, or wardrobes
• household equipment, like a cooker, fridge, washing machine, beds, or bedding 
  clothing
• travel costs, excluding travel to school or holidays
• removal or storage costs
• installation charges for cookers and washing machines
• connection charges for gas and electricity
• repair of broken or faulty items or appliances.

You cannot use the grant for:

• school meals or school uniforms - find out about free school meals and school uniform grants
• medical costs - find out about help with health costs on the NHS Inform website
• housing costs - you might be eligible for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) if you need help to pay your housing costs
  expenses that could be covered by other Social Security Scotland benefits
• debts
• any expenses outside the UK.

On the application form, you'll need to tell us:

• your National Insurance (NI) number
• your date of birth
• a Housing Benefit or Council Tax reference number if you have one
• your address, postcode, and date you moved in to where you are currently staying
• if you own or rent the property, you're leaving somewhere or staying with someone you know
• if you have a partner, children, or other dependants
• what income or savings you have or what benefits you get
• any other money or help you've tried to get
• what you need to buy or replace and how much you think they will cost
• any health problems like illness, a medical condition, disability, infirmity due to age, mental health problems, drug or alcohol problems
• any other support, service, charity, or organisations that are helping you
• any other information about your current circumstances like family problems, poor living conditions or coping after a disaster, risks to your family's health and safety.

Apply online for a Community Care Grant

You'll get a unique reference code when you start the application form. Make sure you keep a note of this code.

If you do not complete the form within 20 minutes, your session will expire, and your data will not be saved.

However, you can save your application by adding an email address and a password. You can use your reference code, email address and password to log in again and complete your application.

How we make a decision

The amount of funding we have for this grant is limited. This means that we cannot help everyone who applies. 

To help us decide, your application is given a high, medium, or low priority depending on your needs and circumstances, or if you do not have any other way of paying for what you need.

We may contact other departments or agencies who are helping you, such as health professionals or social workers, to verify your circumstances and any issues you may have.

We may also make a home visit, if required, before we give you the grant.

How we pay the grant 

We can pay the grant directly into your bank account, if you have one, or give you cash by text, which you can redeem in any shop that has PayPoint.

Depending on what you need, we may give you the items you've asked for, instead of cash or bank transfer. We'll contact you to arrange delivery or collection of the items.

You don't have to pay this grant back.

Community Care Grants are one-off payments and cannot support your income long term.
If you need help with recurring expenses and you're on a low income, see what other financial help you could get.