Our funding priorities
To be considered for funding, your project must meet at least one of the priorities listed on this page.
You can aim to achieve more than one of the priorities. But doing so will not increase your chances of getting funding.
You must meet at least one of our priorities
Your project must reduce health inequalities by working towards systems change. It should aim to:
- support carers during changes in their role
- make it easier to identify and support carers
- improve support for carers who face extra barriers
- change how care is understood and valued
What we mean by ‘reduce health inequalities’
We want to support work that reduces health inequalities. Health inequalities are the unfair and avoidable differences in health for unpaid carers.
More about health inequalities on the Public Health Scotland website.
What we mean by ‘working towards systems change’
We want to fund work that leads to transformational change. The kind that lasts, not just short-term support.
Ways to do this include:
- addressing the root cause of long-term problems, not just the symptoms
- helping prevent problems before they happen
- changing rules, habits or ways of working
- giving communities more control over decisions and resources
- helping people and organisations work together differently
- challenging what’s seen as important or possible
- developing a project that is scalable or could work elsewhere
Systems change can happen at a national or local level.
Find out more about systems change on our blog.
More about our priorities
Support carers during changes in their role
This means making sure carers get the right support when something changes. This includes:
- before and during diagnosis - when caring often starts or increases
- after a diagnosis that means someone will need ongoing care
- when care needs increase or decrease
- when care moves between home and hospital, care homes or other settings
- during major life changes like progressing through education, moving to independent living, changing jobs, retiring or dealing with bereavement
Make it easier to identify and support carers
This means helping organisations recognise carers earlier and offer support more consistently across:
- public services such as health, social care and education
- community organisations and charities
- employers and private services
This could mean:
- making support easier to access
- offering more flexible help that works with carer’s schedules and other responsibilities
- reducing the need for carers to identify themselves before getting support
- avoiding having to tell their story multiple times
We know that many people do not see themselves as unpaid carers. We're particularly interested in projects that reach these people.
Improve support for carers facing extra barriers
This means making systems work better for carers who face additional challenges.
This includes carers who are:
- LGBT+
- living in rural or remote areas
- disabled
- caring for someone with addiction
- older
- from ethnic minority backgrounds
Change how care is understood and valued
This means supporting change in how care is talked about and treated in policy and practice and wider society. It includes:
- whose voices are heard when decisions are made
- how caring roles are described and understood – including who is and is not seen as a carer
- making sure responsibility for care is shared across services and systems, rather than falling mainly on individual carers
Examples of things we would like to fund
A strong application could include:
- Carers shaping the design, delivery, or governance of the work
- Insight into root causes of problems, not just surface symptoms
- Learning approaches that allow adaptation over time
- Partnerships that bridge sectors or connect grassroots organisations with formal systems
- Attention to equity, inclusion, and culture change
Other things you need to consider
Your project must involve people with experience of unpaid care
By people with experience of unpaid care, we mean adults or children who:
- currently care for someone or have cared for someone before
- receive care or have received care in the past
You should involve them in developing, delivering and leading the project. We want to see how they’ll be able to influence the project. And how they’ll continue to influence changes after the project ends.
We particularly want to see how you’ll help unpaid carers get more control over decisions that affect their health.
We want to see how you will compensate carers fairly for their time and experience. And make it easier for them to take part.
You must work with other organisations in a partnership
You must work in a formal partnership made up of organisations with different areas of expertise.
You will share roles, responsibilities and funding to deliver the project.
What we expect partnerships to do
We want to fund partnerships that:
- involve carers in the design and delivery of the project
- ensure equitable access to project funding and resources
- consider capacity building and good governance
- share what you learn across the sector and with other projects we fund
- work across different sectors
You must use learning and evidence to inform your project
We want to know what evidence you have that your project is needed. You'll need to tell us how you'll test new ideas and ways of working to improve and develop your project.
We’ll ask you how you plan to share what you learn. And who you’ll share it with. While you're funded, we also expect you to share what you're learning from the project with us and our partners.
You should think about how your project will reduce health inequalities. And what evidence you will use to show this.
If you’ll be working with children, young people or vulnerable adults
You need to have a policy in place that explains how they’ll be safe. If you get funding you’ll need to follow our expectations on safeguarding children and adults at risk.
The SCVO website has child safeguarding advice and information services.