Investing in Communities Fund: 10 July decision reversal
Member update on vital fund.
This week, members who receive funding through the Investing in Communities Fund (ICF) received an email update from Scottish Government announcing a change from annual funding to month-to-month funding after October this year due to a budget review process. This represented a significant departure from the annual commitments previously given and would have severely impacted ability to business plan, retain staff/volunteers, meaningfully engage tenants in services, and ultimately deliver on the ICF’s objectives of empowered communities and places.
Having urgently raised this alongside members and other bodies, we are pleased to be able to inform you Scottish Government’s regeneration team confirmed yesterday that 95% of the ICF budget will be available for the remainder of the ‘24/’25 period.
While this will provide some certainty for this year, we recognise that it still means recipients will need to either absorb/make up costs or adjust programming to account for the 5% reduction to all ICF projects. Therefore, we will work to keep advocating for a fully funded ICF in the ‘25/’26 budget.
Members are encouraged to speak with their ICF Funding Officer for support or to answer questions about budget re-profiling. Please get in contact with us at SFHA if you would like to discuss the effects of the budget announcement or related advocacy.