Bank of Scotland Foundation Announces 2025 Grant Programmes

The Bank of Scotland Foundation launched its 2024-2028 strategy ‘Building a Brighter Future for Scotland’ in January 2024. The funding programmes associated with the strategy are focused on charities working with vulnerable groups in Scotland. This targeted focus comes as the current economic situation continues to impact charities and at-risk groups throughout Scotland.

The Foundation has now announced its grants programme for 2025:

• Energise is a multi-year grants programme supporting charities with an annual income of under £150,000 that are alive to the real issues on the ground. Available to new (and more established) charities, this programme offers unrestricted funding enabling charities to use their grants in the way that helps them best.
• Empower offers real security and certainty for charities with an annual income of between £150,000 and £500,000 with unrestricted funding of up to £150,000 over three years (£50,000 per year). Collaborating with Lloyds Banking Group, the aim is to identify opportunities to add strategic value for funded charities and help them grow stronger and thrive beyond the lifetime of their grant.
• A new programme supporting charities that promote financial wellbeing is expected to be launched in June 2025.

There will be two rounds of Energise, running in December 2024 and June 2025 and one round of Empower, opening on 3 February 2025.

New for 2025, the Foundation has introduced income tiers for the Energise programme. The new criteria mean that:

• Charities with an income below £50,000 can apply for a grant of up to £20,000 (£10,000 per year over two years).
• Charities with an income between £50,000 and £150,000 are eligible for a grant of up to £40,000 (£20,000 per year over two years).

Energise will open on 2 December 2024 and close on 11 December 2024.