In 2020 we launched the Sustainable Communities Fund, aimed at supporting local regeneration and sustainable development. To date, we have provided a total of £1.7m to successful applicants.
The fund is split into two separate grant streams: Community Capacity Grants and Environment Grants.
One of the early projects which we supported through an Environment Grant was an effort to manage watercourses and create hedgerows on the Applegirth Estate - one of four rural estates managed by Crown Estate Scotland. The £20,000 grant enabled our farming tenant, Andrew Jardine, (pictured) to support greater biodiversity on the land he farms.
In 2023 'The Ridge' received a grant of £50,000 from Crown Estate Scotland's Community Capacity Grants fund. This money has helped the Dunbar-based training charity to support more young people to learn new skills and gain employment, and will help pay for a new training centre.
Other successful projects supported by the fund include:
Community Capacity Grants
- £47,000 to assist with design costs for eight affordable homes in Torridon, an area with several coastal and aquaculture tenancies.
- £47,000 to help transform a derelict local barn into a viable community hub in Nether Lochaber, near Fort William.
- £29,000 to develop a derelict waterfront site in Tobermory, Mull, to create a hub for community wellbeing and outdoor activities.
Environment Grants
- £12,846 to assist the Three Hares Community Woodland on our Whitehill Estate in Midlothian to remove invasive Japanese knotweed, install a secure bike rack, and encourage sustainable travel options to attract new visitors.
- £20,000 to support a project to improve wild salmon migration along one of our tenanted areas and help address flooding issues around Blairgowrie.
- £19,281 to map and restore 1000m2 of seagrass meadow in Loch Craignish, enhancing marine biodiversity.