Third Sector Resilience Fund

The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) is a £20m emergency fund for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations working in Scotland. The fund supports organisations that already deliver services and products but find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The primary intention of the fund is to help third sector organisations to stabilise and manage cash flows over this difficult period.

The Fund is delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and Corra Foundation and provides grants up to £75,000. In addition, there is up to a further £5m available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000. The fund is complemented by specialist business advice from Just Enterprise to help grant recipients maximise the impact of the financial support.

As of 17th April 2020, 447 organisations have been supported through the TSRF, along with an estimated 6,000 jobs saved as a result. A list of organisations that have been awarded funding up to 15 April 2020 is available on Firstport’s website.

To find out if your organisation could be successful in gaining support from this fund please use the eligibility checker. This will filter you through to the correct route for your organisation to apply. 

To be eligible, interested organisations must be:

• a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation based in Scotland and/or primarily delivering services/activities in Scottish communities;
• already delivering those products or services prior to March 2020;
• and needing funding to stabilise cashflows directly as a result of the impact of COVID-19, as opposed to pre-existing financial difficulties

Phase 2 of the Third Sector Resilience Fund

Due to the overwhelming demand for the TSRF, the Scottish Government has announced a second phase to the fund and pledged additional funding. 

For Phase 2 of the Third Sector Resilience Fund, the guidance and criteria have been adapted to maximise the number of third sector organisations that benefit from it:

• Applicants must be at risk of or unable to cover essential costs within 12 weeks from the date of application
• The maximum grant amount awarded will be £75,000
• Funding requests must be for a three month period (previously four months)
• Eligible costs will be mostly limited to overheads and essential staff (administrative for example) who cannot be furloughed. Please visit the FAQs section for more detailed information
• All grant applications requesting £50,000 or more will be considered for a loan, a grant or a blended approach (part grant, part loan)

We strongly encourage potential applicants to read the fund’s guidance notes and FAQs prior to starting an application.  If organisations are unclear whether they meet the revised criteria or would benefit from support to understand their financial position and likely funding requirements, they are advised to contact Just Enterprise, who can work with them to better articulate their funding needs.

In order to apply to TSRF, organisations must complete a short eligibility checker to assess their suitability for the fund. Based on the answers provided, interested applicants will be directed to the correct application form depending on their needs or signposted to other sources of relevant funding/support.