Applicants are advised to contact the Aberdeenshire Council’s Planning Team directly to inquire about the requirements for Planning consent and/or Building Warrant for proposed works.

More information, as well as the contact for your area can be found on the Aberdeenshire Council website at:

aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/planning-applications/contact/

Potential applicants are asked to complete an expression of interest form which can be accessed via the link above on this page. You must fill in this expression of interest form to gain access to the application form. We advise you fill in the expression of interest form well before the application deadline date.  

If you are eligible to apply to the Fund, and AVA currently holds information about your organisation, you will receive a pre-populated application form with the information that is currently held. The aim of this is to make the application process easier for you. You should however check that the information held within the form is correct before submitting it. If AVA does not currently hold organisation data for you, you will be sent a link to a blank application form for you to complete. 

There is an option to save the application form as you are completing it so that you don’t need to complete the whole form in one sitting. There is a ‘save’ button at the bottom of each page. 

The form is split into several sections which are detailed below for you: 

1. Data Protection & Privacy Notice 

2. About You and Your Organisation 

3. Bank Account & Income Information 

4. About Your Application 

5. Project Information 

6. Project Detail 

7. Project Outcomes 

8. Financial Detail 

9. Participatory Budgeting Vote Information 

10. General Information 

11. Declarations 

12. Signature & Submission 

Applications can be accepted from a range of community, voluntary, and third sector ‘not for profit’ organisations, associations, groups and clubs or consortiums/partnerships who have a strong community focus for their activities. The range of organisations that can apply are: 

• Community Amateur Sports Club

• Community Benefit Society

• Community Council

• Community Interest Company Ltd by Guarantee

• Community Interest Company Ltd by Shares

• Company Ltd by Guarantee

• Co-operative

• Friendly Society

• Industrial & Provident Society

• Parent Council/Association

• Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)

• Trust

• Voluntary Group or Unincorporated Association

• Unconstituted Groups

If your group/organisation is unconstituted or managed through a legal structure that is not listed here, please seek support from AVA by clicking on the following link: https://www.avashire.org.uk/development.html. 

Social Enterprises can apply to this fund if they operate in line with the following principles:

1. They operate in an asset locked manner (surplus funds will not be used to pay a dividend of any sort to directors or shareholders).

2. They agree that any assets purchased and/or owned by the social enterprise will belong to the social enterprise and not to any individuals associated with the social enterprise.

Organisations with an annual income of up to £1m can apply to this fund. Previous applicants to the fund can apply for funding providing they meet the criteria of what can and can’t be funded.

Applications can be received for grants of up to £50,000. 

Unconstituted groups can apply for the funds, but they must be working in partnership with a constituted group/organisation and use that group/organisation’s bank account for managing the grant. Any item(s) purchased using the grant will remain the property of the constituted group and they must be willing to provide access to the item(s) as required for the unconstituted group. A letter of partnership will be required with the application form, signed by all parties, to be considered for the grant. This is to enable smaller, ‘heart of the community’ type groups to benefit from The Fund and deliver their services/projects within their communities. 

Due to the ambition of the Fund being to support local community activity, it is anticipated that many applications being considered will be for smaller grants. However, we understand that larger organisations, and partnerships of similarly minded organisations may wish to apply for grants, so we do welcome a smaller proportion of bids up to the maximum value of £50,000. 

Your project needs to deliver benefit within Aberdeen City; it must strengthen and benefit your local community and demonstrate to those within your community and region, how they can best take action to deliver outcomes that support the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Priorities:

Environmental

• on reducing carbon emissions

and/or

• adapting to the changes brought by climate change and building resilience to these changes

and/ or

• protecting or restoring nature and biodiversity

together with

Social

• Increasing ‘green’ skills and knowledge to take forward sustainable projects and/ or gain work in a net zero economy

and/or

• Deepening inclusiveness and reducing inequalities during the journey towards net zero

Applications must be able to demonstrate that they deliver at least one environmental outcome and at least one social outcome.

• Equipment and/or items. For any items being bought relating to energy efficiency of buildings (for example, but not limited to, low carbon heating, new windows, building insulation), an energy assessment must be undertaken prior to submitting your application. Further information and support for this should be requested from Business Energy Scotland. Further information can be found here: https://businessenergyscotland.org/get-support/.

• Any contractor costs directly associated with installation of equipment purchased through the fund.

• Purchase of buildings and/or land

• Adaptation of buildings or land. For any proposed adaptation to either a building (internal or external) or land, evidence must be presented that Aberdeenshire Council’s planning department has been consulted and their reply uploaded with the application (either yes, it is needed or no, it is not). Further details can be found here: https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/planning-applications/check-if-you-need-planning-permission/. If planning permission is required, this must be fully approved by Aberdeenshire Council and the land/building owner before the funding application is submitted. The outcome of the planning decision must be submitted with the application. You will be required to submit written permission from the land/building owner that they also grant permission for the changes to be implemented. Applications for work of this nature will not be considered without this evidence.  

• Revenue costs (e.g., staff, utilities, rent, mortgage, or other normal running costs)

• Retrospective costs (e.g. costs associated with planning applications)

• Professional support costs (e.g. legal costs)

• Fossil fuel-based heating systems

• Fossil fuel-powered equipment or items

• Fossil fuel-powered vehicles

• Contingency costs, loans, endowments, or interest

• Political or religious campaigning or activity

• Profit-making/fundraising activities

• VAT you can reclaim

• Statutory activities

• Overseas travel

• Alcohol or any other drugs

• If an organisation has previously gained funding from the JTPB Fund for a vehicle, they cannot apply for funding for another vehicle

Applications received for consideration within Aberdeenshire must be led by a group/organisation whose address is within Aberdeenshire. 

Support is available from the AVA team for completing the application form (e.g. how to answer the questions in a succinct manner that will enable your application to pass through the quality assurance process as easily as possible, or what documents are required to be submitted with the application). Support is also available from the NESCAN Hub team for scoping out and developing your project and funding ‘ask’ in a way that fits the just transition and sustainability aspects of the Fund. Both types of support can be accessed by following this link and answering the questions fully will ensure you reach the correct support team: https://www.jtpbfund.scot/contact. 

A detailed breakdown of all fund application guidance and criteria can be accessed by downloading the documentation linked above on this page