On 2 April 2012, Orkney Islands Council re-opened its Community Development Fund (CDF) to new applications, with a further £1M available to local community projects.
The original Community Development Fund for the New Millennium was established in 1999 with a £2M budget which supported a wide range of local projects, such as:
This first round of community funding was followed in 2005 by the establishment of the CDF with a £1M budget, with a further £1M being approved in 2009. Projects assisted by the CDF to date include:
Over the past 13 years of the CDF, the Council has committed almost £3.7M to a wide range of local community projects.
Grant assistance of up to 50%, up to a maximum CDF grant of £100,000, will normally be available towards projects with capital costs of at least £5,000.
A key feature of the CDF is the flexible eligibility criteria, which gives local community groups considerable scope to develop a wide range of project proposals.
Any formally-constituted community group can apply: in the past community councils, development trusts, community associations, heritage societies and many other local community groups have successfully bid for funding.
Applicants seeking funding for social enterprise-type projects should seek to exhaust all other funding possibilities (e.g. LEADER, HIE) before applying to the CDF.
You can visit Customer Services and ask for an information pack or download the relevant documents in PDF from the Related Downloads section of this webpage.
You can also request these documents by e-mail, by telephoning the Council’s Business Gateway service on 01856886666 or by calling into the Business Gateway at 14 Queen Street, Kirkwall.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to discuss their project proposals with a member of the CDF Project Team prior to submitting a completed application.
By email to Customer Services.
In writing or in person to Customer Services, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NY.
By telephone on 01856873535.