Fairer Scotland

Growing the Social Economy – Update October 2017

October 11, 2017 by michellekerr No Comments | Category Social Innovation, Update

There have been many changes within Growing the Social Economy since our last update. The team managing the programme is now located within the Social Justice & Regeneration Division alongside Aspiring Communities Fund colleagues. We would like to take this opportunity to thank David Cowan and his team for making us welcome. Yvonne Strachan is retiring soon and Fiona Malcolm has already moved to a new post in Public Sector Reform Team. We wish them both well in the future.

The second round of Social Innovation Fund projects were considered by the panel on 14 September. The panel had to make difficult decisions with the budget available as 87 applications were received worth over £7.3m. Projects approved for Stage 1 and 2 funding will develop and test new ideas to tackle social issues.

The Social Economy Growth Fund will be opening soon once we receive Managing Authority approval. The application and supporting documentation are refreshed for the next Round and will be published on the website. Notifications will be issued when the documents are available. Please follow @housingregen as we look to increase our social media activity and publicise more ESF assisted projects.

In this Round we will be piloting a new approach to include a short video to accompany applications. Using technology will enable a better understanding of the proposal and the challenges and solutions proposed. We hope applicants take this opportunity to express themselves and be creative too. This does not replace good quality eligible applications that are still required.