Welcome to the KDP Bulletin.
The Tullo & Twinshiels Windfarm Community Benefit Fund is open for applications until 31st March, and is now administered by KDP.
The fund is open to community and voluntary groups in the Community Council areas of:
- Arbuthnott
- Benholm and Johnshaven
- Gourdon
- Mearns
- Royal Burgh of Inverbervie
- St Cyrus
This year there is approximately £140,000 available.
The application form and guidelines can be found on our website, and if you would like any support with your application, please contact Margo@kdp.scot.
We will be advertising drop-in sessions soon to learn more about the fund and the application process
Join SCVO online for a Meet the Funder session with Tesco Stronger Starts to learn more about the funding programme which supports thousands of children’s and young people’s projects across the UK.
The scheme is open to all schools, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations.
The session will explore how organisations can benefit from grants of up to £1,500 to support projects that help children, young people, and families thrive. Funding opportunities include:
- Food security projects – breakfast clubs, holiday hunger support, or food banks
- Healthy eating and cooking skills – teaching families to prepare nutritious meals on a budget
- Outdoor and play activities – improving playgrounds, sports, and healthy recreation
- School and community projects – growing food, after-school clubs, or equipment for learning and wellbeing
The session will take place on Tuesday 3rd February, 10 – 11am.
Book your spot here.
What do bird boxes, bee hotels, and nature experts all have in common? They’re all available for free as part of the Local School Nature Grants programme.
Open to schools and early years settings, this outdoor learning grant fund has four elements — an outdoor learning training course for staff, a school grounds climate survey, a Climate Curriculum Kit (valued at £150) and £500 of outdoor equipment chosen from a catalogue of over 100 items.
Find out more here.
The Vattenfall Unlock our Future Fund supports projects in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire that address at least three of the following criteria:
- contribute to a climate smarter world with sustainability at its core
- invest in community facilities and activities that are fit for the future and are environmentally sustainable, especially community spaces and transport
- support creative solutions
- ensure a legacy and lasting impact, which clearly brings benefit to the local community
Grants of up to £20,000 are available, and the next closing date is 8th March 2026.
Join an online webinar on 2nd February at 6.30pm to find out more about the fund and how to apply. Register here. Or sign up for a one-to-one advice session on 9th or 11th February. Book here.
Find out more on the website.
The theme for Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 is ‘This is My Place’, and the aim is to support the systems around children and young people to help them feel they belong.
This year it will take place from 9-15 February 2026.
Place2Be’s official resources are available to download. Whether you’re a primary school, secondary school, family, community group or workplace, they have got activities and resources for you.
Check out the website.
The Scottish Children’s Lottery Trust (SCLT) is pleased to announce the opening dates for its 2026 funding windows, continuing their mission to support charities across Scotland working to improve the lives of children and young people.
The funding windows are as follows:
First – Medium Fund (up to £10,000)
- Opens: Monday, 9th March, 12 noon
- Closes: Friday, 27th March, 12 noon
Second – Small Fund (up to £5,000) & Bright Futures Fund (up to £1,000)
- Opens: Monday, 14th September 2026, 12 noon
- Closes: Friday, 2nd October 2026, 12 noon
For more information, visit the website.
Youthlink Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council are running a free Youthwork Regional Training Event on Saturday 21st February, 9.30 am to 3.30 pm (bring your own lunch).
The venue is the Inverurie Community Campus, Victoria Street, Inverurie, AB51 3QZ.
The workshops included are:
- Digital Youth Work (With a focus on online safety, cyber resilience and the impact of AI)
- Positive Masculinity – Imagine a Man
- No Knifes Better Lives
- Youth Voice / Participation / Children’s Rights
- Hate Crime and Prejudice Based Behaviours
To book your space, please send your full name and your preference of workshop by ranking them 1 to 5 (with 1 being the most preferred workshop and 5 being the least preferred workshop) to amanda.robertson@aberdeenshire.gov.uk, and they will do their best to accommodate your preferences.
If you would like any more information please contact Dougie Findlay at douglas.findlay@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
UK charities, voluntary organisations, and schools can apply for grants to support children and adults with severe learning difficulties and autism. The funding is being made available through the Baily Thomas General Grants programme and can be used to purchase equipment, support capital works, and cover project and core costs.
Previous grants have been used to support capital works for residential, nursing and respite care, and schools; employment schemes including woodwork, crafts, printing and horticulture; play schemes and play therapy schemes; day and social activities centres; support for families, including respite schemes; independent living schemes; support in the community schemes; and Snoezelen rooms.
The next deadline for applications seeking funding over £9,000 is 31 March 2026. Applications for £9,000 and below can be submitted at any time.
Fint out more here.
NESCAN Hub have teamed up with Circular Communities Scotland to bring this free online networking event on Repair Cafes, and how you can get involved in your area.
There are many groups working on Circular Economy, and there are lots of highly-skilled individuals across the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. This is an opportunity to build and encourage repairing within our community.
Have a watch of this video to get a quick overview of repair cafes.
The online event will take place at 7pm on Thursday 19th February, and you can reserve a spot here.
The Rewilding Innovation Fund aims to remove barriers to rewilding across Britain. Whether your site or project is in the early planning stages or looking to try out a new approach, you can apply to this fund.
From business plans to feasibility studies, community engagement to trialling the latest technology, Rewilding Britain funds works that could potentially unlock further funding for you or move you up the rewilding scale.
They choose the projects they consider will have the highest impact on people and nature, on land and sea, with opportunities for shared learning with the Rewilding Network.
Read the criteria and apply here.
Scotland’s Population Health Framework was launched last year, with Improving Healthy Weight a key priority. To support this, the Scottish Government is developing a two-year Diet and Healthy Weight Implementation Plan and is now seeking stakeholder input to help shape it.
Nesta is running an online workshop to outline the government’s plan, and there will be an opportunity after the workshop to provide feedback.
5 February 2026, 2 pm – 3 pm
You can register for the workshop on the Nesta website, and you can view the Framework here.
The Youth Scotland Rural Action Fund is a micro-grant fund supported by The Gannochy Trust, and was created in response to the challenges which rural youth groups are facing in funding the delivery of community-based universal youth work.
It will make small awards to enable youth groups operating in rural communities to provide more and/or better youth work opportunities for young people, aged between 5 and 25 years old.
The Fund can help with things like: equipment and programme materials, long-term programmes of activities, IT equipment, travel costs, venue hire, one-off events, and much.
The closing date for applications Thursday 12th February
Full details here.
The Benefact Group Movement for Good is back. The programme of £1000 draws, awards funding to charities of all sizes, and it only takes a moment to put your charity forward and rally your supporters to do the same.
Every nomination increases your chances of receiving funding this year.
Nominate your group now and use their resources to get others to support you.
Planning Aid Scotland is running a series of free online training sessions designed to give communities and individuals the confidence and knowledge to play an active role in shaping their local area.
This free training is available to anyone in Scotland, with sessions designed to be practical, accessible and focused on practical challenges.
You’ll learn how to:
- Engage effectively with the planning system, with a focus on electricity and renewable energy applications, understanding the process, knowing where your voice fits in and how to make it count.
- Prepare strong community-led plans (including Local Place Plans and Community Action Plans), learning about relevant community engagement skills and taking a sustainability-first approach.
This will be a one-off programme of sessions, so book early to secure a spot.
Visit Planning Aid Scotland’s Eventbrite page to learn more about the series and register for sessions.
Small grants of up to £500 are available from the Scotmid Community Grant Scheme to assist and support community projects and initiative.
Funding is available for a wide range of projects benefiting local communities but must be focused on the areas of children; education; community groups; active lifestyles; environment; the elderly; homelessness; fairtrade; arts & culture; and charity.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be a group or individual acting for the wider benefit of the local Community; and live within the geographic boundaries of one of Scotmid Regional Committees. Schools are also eligible to apply for activities not part of their statutory responsibilities.
Applications can be submitted at any time, and more information can be found here.
The Kincardine and Mearns Coastal Communities Fund is now open for applications from coastal communities, where the community is within one mile of the coastline. Projects may be considered up to 2 miles from the coastline where the project can demonstrate strong and tangible links with the coast or sea.
Grants are available from £1,000 up to £49,999 with a minimum contribution of 10% match funding and all projects must have a tangible link to the coast and/or the sea.
Funding applications must be submitted by 9 am on Friday, 6 March 2026. If your project is not sufficiently advanced to be able to submit an application by 6 March, please get in touch to discuss your project as the funds may not be fully spent following this initial request and they may still be able to accept an application at a later date as long as the funding can be fully spent by the end of March 2027.
Applications will then be considered by the Kincardine & Mearns Area Committee at the next available Committee meeting.
Should you have any queries regarding the fund, or wish to discuss a project then please contact: diane.henderson@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
For full details visit the Aberdeenshire Council website.
