Proposals have been approved for the administration of the Build Back a Better Borders Recovery Fund which was agreed within our Financial Plan on 19 March 2021
The £500k fund has been established as part of our response and recovery efforts relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The intention is to provide support for initiatives, projects or events that will ‘re-boot’ or ‘kick start’ activities relating to:
- sport
- culture
- volunteering
- tackling environment and climate change issues
It will also be open to events and projects that recognise the significant contribution made by individuals and groups throughout the pandemic by way of increased volunteer activity and service to their communities.
The overall aim will be to strengthen community capacity, resilience and engagement.
Funding to be divided between local Area Partnerships
The fund will be available for one-off projects and will be divided between the five localities of Berwickshire, Cheviot, Eildon, Teviot and Liddesdale and Tweeddale on the basis of an 80%/20% split of population and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
This is in acknowledgement of recent research findings that show that:
- areas with a higher percentage of residents in need are known to have been disproportionally impacted by COVID-19
- the risk of falling into poverty and extreme poverty is considerably higher for those who are already vulnerable
Co-ordination of the fund and assessment of applications will be done by our Communities and Partnership Team. Applications will then be passed to the relevant Area Partnership for decision making.
Fund to be open from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022
The fund will be open from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022 and be available to both constituted groups (maximum £15k) and non-constituted groups (maximum £5k, with payment through an umbrella body). A fast track process will also be available for applications of up to £1.5k. Funding will be allocated on a one-off basis only.
Applications must be for new initiatives that aim to support the region’s recovery from the pandemic. They should be accessible to all within the community and be provided free of charge. They will also need to demonstrate how they will meet at least one of the following outcomes:
- improved access to sport
- improved access to arts and culture
- increased volunteering capacity
- improved or enhanced community capacity, resilience and engagement
- support for local environment enhanced in a sustainable way
- greater intergenerational work
Councillor Robin Tatler, Executive Member for Community Development and Localities
“The impact of Covid-19 on communities and local community groups within the Borders cannot be underestimated, but the Build Back a Better Borders Recovery fund is strong evidence of our commitment to doing all we can to work together and support the recovery effort.
“I would encourage local community groups to start thinking about how they could potentially benefit from the fund so they can get their applications in once it opens. There is considerable scope for a range of ideas and initiatives to be put forward and we will be keen to support as many as we can that meet the required criteria.”
More information
- more information about the application process and eligibility criteria will be available from our website and social media channels once the fund opens on 1 June
- more information about the fund and how the budget has been allocated between each locality is available in the report presented to Council on 13 May