Financial Security – Programme Award call

Overview

Financial security is about ensuring people and families have income adequacy, income security, manageable costs and the financial safety nets necessary for when things go wrong.  

The Robertson Trust is particularly interested in delivering big change that lasts in one or more of the following priority areas: 

1. Strengthening social security in Scotland – reform here and now and long-term change. 
2. Reducing the costs of essential goods and services – ensuring the fundamentals of a dignified quality of life in Scotland are affordable for all.  
3. From crisis to security – preventing and relieving financial crisis in Scotland now and in the future. 

Big change that lasts is sometimes described as systems change, strategic change, long-term change. What we mean by big change that lasts is work that has a clear, thought-through and demonstrable potential to lead to significant impact on poverty and trauma at scale, either in general or for particular population groups or geographical areas at greater risk of poverty and trauma in Scotland. 

Through its Programme Awards, The Robertson Trust is interested in providing funding and working alongside organisations to drive the ideas and work that can ultimately deliver the change we wish to see on tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland. This could be through one of more of the following types of awards (in line with our three priority areas above):  

1. Feasibility and development projects – work to design and develop good ideas with high potential for change at scale. This could include design-phase work to develop ideas and build-in partnerships and participation to proposed projects.
2. Test and demonstration projects – work to test and demonstrate new approaches to services and work that can reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland in line with the three priority areas outlined above. 
3. Research focused on change – we are not a research funder but we will fund research where it can clearly and demonstrably connect to action to deliver change.
4. Campaigning, mobilising, policy and influencing projects – new work to change policy, practice, attitudes and/or behaviours. 

The Robertson Trust is increasingly aiming to build participation with people with experience of poverty and trauma into what we do. This includes what we fund and who we work with. Meaningful and ethical co-design and co-production with people with experience of poverty and trauma will therefore be one of our key criteria for assessing applications through our Programme Awards.  

Application Process

Programme Awards will see a two-stage application process with an initial Stage 1 shorter application followed by a full application for those who reach Stage 2.

For those who successfully progress, Stage 2 will take place from mid-January with a decision made before the end of March 2023. 

Applications can be made via The Robertson Trust's website.

The Robertson Trust has other funding routes for some organisations with an income of less than £100K. Further information can be found on our Funding page.