Frequently Asked Questions
We hope that you will find answers to all your questions on this website if you are considering applying to the Trust for funding. Please consult the following list of FAQs (and the Guidance Notes) before you contacting us with any questions.
No. Have all the information to hand when you fill in the Application Form as you will have to submit it immediately on completion.
No, we do not fund businesses that operate on a commercial basis even in a community.
This is a scam. Neither the Weirs nor the Trust makes unsolicited offers of money. Do not respond to any request for financial or personal details from the scammers.
No, that falls outwith the remit of the Trust.
Community groups and small charities, based in Scotland and providing services in Scotland, who are struggling to secure funds through mainstream funders or who have unsuccessfully explored all the statutory sources of funding. The maximum award that can be asked for is £50,000.
You may be new or established but must meet one of the criteria in Qualifying Category (see How to apply ). That doesn’t necessarily guarantee funding, but it means that Trustees will consider your application. Awards are made at their discretion and their decision is final. You must also be able to demonstrate is the benefit a grant from the Trust will bring to the people or community you serve.
Either complete the Application Form online, using the “Completing the form” guidance notes and email it back or download it, complete it and post it back to us at:
The Weir Charitable Trust
27 Maritime Street
Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6SE
It’s pretty straightforward:
- Complete and return a signed Application Form within deadline.
- You will receive an acknowledgement that it has been received and the date your application will be considered.
- Within 14 days of your application being considered (in line with the application cycle), you will receive notification either offering you a grant or rejecting your application.
- If it is the former, you will be asked to provide bank details. You may also be contacted to undertake PR in association with the Trust (when you sign the Application Form, you commit your organisation to allowing the Trust to do this without further reference to you – please read this carefully).
- If your application is rejected, the Trust will advise you if and when you can apply again in future.
Yes, you can as long as your work fits with a Qualifying Category (see How to apply) , isn’t a commercial venture and that you are based and deliver your services in Scotland.
Yes, you can as long as your work fits with a Qualifying Category (see How to apply) and that you are based in and deliver your services in Scotland.
In Scotland. There’s no geographic bias, all applications from around the country will be considered equally. However, applications from outside Scotland will not be considered, nor will requests for funds for services outwith Scotland.
The Trust accepts applications for grants from community groups and small charities twice a year – February and August – and makes grant decisions in April and October, with awards paid shortly thereafter. For current deadlines, please check How to apply How to apply. The Trust will not consider applications outwith those dates.
Don’t worry, we may ask to visit you or have a chat about your current financial position but don’t let the fact that you are a new group stop you from applying. There is also space on the Application Form to detail your finances.
Broadly speaking, services and projects related to Sport, Recreational Facilities, Animal Welfare, Health and Culture. To ensure you qualify, check How to apply which has detailed criteria in “Qualifying Category”. However, meeting one of the categories does not guarantee funding as awards are made at the discretion of Trustees and their decision is final.
Funding can be used for capital projects (such as equipment, fixtures, fittings and refurbishments), running costs, one-off projects, core costs and salaries. In summary, anything you need it for as long as it contributes to providing a benefit to your community. If you receive an award, the money must be used for the purposes laid out in your application.
- Applications that do not meet a Qualifying Category (How to apply)
- Applications from individuals or commercial ventures
- Applications for amounts over £50,000
- Requests for sponsorship if fundraising for a charity or good cause
- Debt reduction, redundancy payments, fees or payouts for legal actions raised against an individual, group or charity
- Applications for retrospective funding
- Applications from people based outwith Scotland or for activities carried out outwith Scotland.
Unfortunately not. The Trust wants to focus on giving all of its support to Scottish-based individuals, groups and charities who are providing services and activities in Scotland.
A maximum of up to £50,000 can be applied for or awarded. Cost out your project or activity then ask for what you need. But the Trust reserves the right to award grants in full, in part or not at all depending on its assessment of the merits of the application.
The Trust’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Yes, up to a maximum of £50,000 but there is no minimum. But no matter how little or how much you need, subject to meeting a Qualifying Category, the Trust will consider your application. It is for Trustees to make offers of monies at their discretion and the Trust reserves the right to award grants in full, in part or not at all depending on its assessment of the merits of the application.
Any decision is final and cannot be appealed.
All awards are for one year or less. If you are successful, you must wait a calendar year before reapplying for further funding. However, you can apply for further funding within that period if it is not to be used for the same purpose as the original application.
If you are unsuccessful, the Trust will advise you if you can reapply for funding in the next round of grants in three months’ time. If you have not met a Qualifying Category (How to apply), you will not be able to reapply.
The Trust’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
As awards are made at the discretion of Trustees, the Trust’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
If you are successful, you must wait a calendar year before reapplying for further funding. However, you can apply for further funding within that period if it is not to be used for the same purpose as the original application.
If you are initially unsuccessful, you can reapply for funding in the next round of grants in six months’ time. If you have not met a Qualifying Category, you will not be able to reapply.
Yes. At the end of the year or project, a short report summarising what has been achieved. This should not be overly time-consuming or onerous but it allows the Trust to ensure that the monies it is disbursing are making a difference. If further funding is sought, it may also help to assess whether that is given or not.
We expect you to be able to account for the money being used as laid out in the original application.
You must be prepared to undertake PR in association with the Trust. That is a condition of applying for a grant – see the Application Form for details.
Yes, you can. It is a condition of the grant that you must be prepared to undertake PR in association with the Trust. If you also choose to do your own PR, you must get Trust approval for what you release. The Trust’s PR company can advise you on how to refer to the Trust and/or grant in any materials. Their contact details are in the News section.
Yes, you can. However, you must get Trust approval for what you release publicly, whether through social media, contact with the press or to others associated with you. The Trust’s PR company can advise you on how to refer to the Trust and/or grant in any materials. Their contact details are in the News section.
