Funding allocated to support welfare and wellbeing during Covid-19: FOI release

Information requested

The following information relating to the £350 million fund to support welfare and wellbeing:-

1. How many applications have been received as of 31/10/21

2. A table summarising the successful applicant organisation names, date grant awarded and monetary value of grant awarded

3. A table summarising the unsuccessful applicant organisation names

4. Finally, the number of applications still under review including the combined applied for monetary value. 

Response

The £350 million Communities Funding package was, as announced on 18 March 2020, to be invested in a range of ways – including through both direct allocation of funds, including to local authorities, and through open application funds – including the Wellbeing Fund, Third Sector Resilience Fund and Supporting Communities Fund.

The Scottish Government confirmed, in a news release of 17 March 2021, that over £550 million had been invested through the Communities Funding package as of that date. High level detail of how this funding has been invested, broken down by fund and local authority, is available on the Community Funding Mapping (arcgis.com).

1. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 12 (upper cost limit) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained in Annex A.

2. Some of the information you have requested is available from the following web links:

• https://scvo.scot/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/supporting-communities-fund/recipients
• https://scvo.scot/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/wellbeing-fund/recipients
• https://scvo.scot/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/third-sector-resilience-fund/recipients
• https://www.gov.scot/publications/immediate-priorities-fund-organisations-funded/
• https://www.corra.scot/grants/enabling-neighbourhoods/
• https://www.corra.scot/wp-content/uploads/Enabling-Neighbourhoods-and-Communities-Fund.xlsx

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

Other organisations supported through application based funds are set out within Annex B.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 12 (upper cost limit) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained within Annex A.

3. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 12 (upper cost limit) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained within Annex A.

4. As of 17 March 2021 the Scottish Government had invested over £550 million through the Communities Funding package. No applications are outstanding for the original package of funding announced.

ANNEX A
REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION

An exemption applies:
An exemption under section 12 (upper cost limits) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested – inclusive of number of applications received as of 31/10/21, the date of grants issued and details of the unsuccessful organisations.

That is because the £350 million Communities Funding package supported a range of activity across numerous funds delivered across the Scottish Government, some of which – inclusive of the Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments – had their own application processes for further awarding resources to individuals / households, and others which were managed by stakeholder organisations in partnership with the Scottish Government.

The cost of compiling the information requested would exceed the thresholds set under FOISA.

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI202100251807 - Annex B

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24 page PDF

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508.4 kB