£900,000 funding for Greener Kirkcaldy tops £9.6m support for Fife’s voluntary organisations

Fife Council’s community and housing services sub committee have agreed the funding package going to dozens of groups for 2022 through to 2025, with three-year funding deemed to be the best approach for many of them as it offers the voluntary sector more security and the chance to plan ahead for the future.

All organisations have to submit an application or forward plan outlining the services they aim to provide during the period 2022-2025 and, as ever, there are winners and losers across the board as part of the process.

Greener Kirkcaldy will receive £900,000 over the next three years towards its Cosy Kingdom initiative, which aims to provide Fife-wide assistance to those experiencing fuel poverty, while Fife Women’s Aid will receive just under £800,000 next year in grants to support the variety of services it provides.

Councillor Judy Hamilton, committee convener, said: In awarding nearly £10 million, we’re recognising our absolute reliance on the voluntary sector and the value we place upon the voluntary sector and the services they provide for us.

“This represents huge support for all our priorities - homelessness, fuel poverty and all of our community work through the voluntary sector.

“So, in awarding these grants, I think we’d like to record our thanks and our support for all of our voluntary sector partners.”

Despite the huge sum of money involved, a number of organisations have perhaps been left disappointed after receiving less than the grant funding they requested.

Kirkcaldy councillor Neil Crooks noted that Kirkcaldy YMCA was one of those, with £147,793 next year despite a request for £245,963.

However, Sharon Douglas, community investment manager, said the organisation had been awarded the same as in previous years.

“Their request has come in for substantially more but we don’t have the scope within the budget to award them extra,” she explained.

“We do work very closely with Kirkcaldy YMCA and there are a number of smaller area grants that are given to fund particular projects and they are also very successful in getting external funding.”

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