Applicant Guidance
1. Introduction
The Argyll and the Islands Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund is provided by the Scottish Government. It is overseen by the Argyll and the Islands Local Action Group (LAG) and administered by Argyll and Bute Council.
This guidance explains how to apply for the fund.
Whilst some rules, criteria, and deadlines are set by the Scottish Government, where possible, we aspire to align the Argyll and the Islands CLLD with the Open and Trusting Grant-making principles issued by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR).
2. Our Priorities
Projects must demonstrate that activity will advance inclusion, equality, and diversity, and support one or more of the main fund priorities for 2026/27 which are:
- Eradicating child poverty
- Growing the economy
- Tackling the climate emergency
- Improving public services
3. Who can apply?
- Charities registered in Scotland.
- Formally constituted community, voluntary or third sector organisations such as community councils, development trusts, community associations, SCIO, CIC, companies limited by guarantee, heritage societies.
- Public bodies where the project does not form part of statutory duties. The applicant has wider community/third sector/public partnership, and the public body is merely providing a leading or co-ordinating role.
- Individuals, private businesses, and informal organisations are not eligible to apply
4. What can be funded
Your Project Must Be:
- Primarily a revenue project
- Taking place within Argyll and Bute Council’s geographical boundaries
- Be for new and additional activity, not day-to-day running costs or core costs
- Have a clear end point with clear outcomes
- Complete by 28 February 2027
Projects must be for additional activity which your organisation is not already doing. This cannot be to fund the core costs of our organisation to meet its day-to-day objectives. Routine work should not be repackaged and presented as a project.
We can fund projects which help your organisation expand its reach into new areas or new audiences. We want to see projects help make your organisation more financially stable, ready to meet future challenges, or build capacity. We particularly welcome projects which are innovative – new ways of working responding to changes and challenges.
Whilst funding cannot be used to cover core costs or activity, you can use full cost recovery (FCR) to apply for some funds to cover the overheads of your project such as costs for running your office, project management time etc. (See section below for further detail on this.)
Revenue vs Capital Costs
All costs, either capital or revenue, must be directly related to the project and costs which would not have been incurred without the project.
Revenue Costs
Revenue costs are short‑term expenses required to deliver project activities.
These typically include:
- Staff wages or project worker fees
- Professional fees (e.g., design work, evaluation, facilitation)
- Contractor costs for feasibility studies or project development
- Consumables or small‑scale materials directly related to the activity
Revenue costs do not create or improve a long‑term asset.
Capital Costs
Capital costs relate to acquiring, creating, or improving long‑term physical assets, such as:
- Construction or refurbishment of buildings
- Purchase of equipment, machinery, or large fixture
- Long‑term infrastructure improvements
Capital costs result in an asset with long-term value.
Full Cost Recovery
The CLLD encourages the use of a full cost recovery model, whereby costs can be claimed for part of your organisation’s overheads as well as the direct project costs.
If you are claiming for overheads, as part of your application you must show how you calculated overhead costs and the share which you are claiming related to the project you are asking for funding for. This can be complex, particularly for organisations with multiple projects and income streams.
5. How much can you apply for?
There is an anticipated total funding allocation of £433,00 revenue and £65,000 capital
- You can apply for between £6,000 and £35,000 in total
- Up to 100% funding of project costs - There is no match-funding requirement you can apply for 100% of eligible costs up to the maximum amount.
- Indicative costs are acceptable at the EOI stage
- Evidence of proper procurement will be required if approved
Projects must be revenue-based. You may request funding for capital costs, but no more than 20% of the total grant request can be allocated to capital spend.
Example: A project applies to deliver a one-year community arts project. The overall grant request is for £35,000. The direct revenue costs are the wages of a fixed-term project officer (£25,000). Using full recovery, the organisation works out the cost of overheads attached to this project are £3,000. The project requests the maximum of 20% of capital costs (£7000) to fit out a room as an art studio as part of the project.
Eligible and Ineligible Costs
A detailed list of examples is given in Appendix A.
6. Application process
You can use AI tools to help prepare your application. It will not affect your score. However, AI can make mistakes, so you should check all content carefully. Guidance on the use of AI in grant applications | Argyll and Bute Council.
The application process is two-stage. We use this model to reduce the amount of work organisations have to do to apply. Throughout the application process we will aim to ask for the minimum amount of information we need to take a funding decision.
The first stage is a formal Expression of Interest (EOI). Projects which pass the EOI stage will be invited to submit a full application. Specific advice will be given at EOI stage and full application stage on how to complete these.
Expression of Interest (EoI)
In order to apply you must submit an expression of interest online. You can also see a view-only copy of the EoI form.
After Expressions of Interest close, they will be assessed by Argyll and Bute Council staff for eligibility. In the event of a very high volume of applications, they may be sifted at this stage on how strongly they meet the criteria and priorities of the fund.
Following this, successful EOIs will be invited to full application. We will aim to fund around 75% of the projects who proceed to full application. We therefore expect to progress around 15-20 projects progress to the second stage.
All EOIs will be informed of the outcome as soon as possible and offered individual feedback.
Assessment
EOIs are checked for eligibility and fit with fund priorities. Eligible proposals go to the LAG for scoring.
Applications are assessed on:
- How well the project meets the chosen priority
- How well the need or demand for the project is demonstrated
- Overall strength and value of the project
Find out about the scoring matrix during the assessment stage.
Full Application
Projects who successfully pass the EOI stage will be invited to make a full application. At this stage we will arrange a one to one meeting with successful projects At this stage, financial checks will be undertaken on the organisation. Evidence will be required to justify any costs (such as quotes), and discussions will take place about any consents or permissions which may be required. You can find a draft of the likely questions and supporting documents required at full application stage here:
Organisations will be supported to prepare a full application with advice, templates etc. where needed.
A view-only copy of the full application form can be seen here along with a copy of the supplementary information required.
Final Decision
Decisions on the final projects to be awarded funding will be taken by the LAG, and will be based on the following criteria:
- Alignment with Fund Priorities
- Risk and Deliverability
- The extent to which the project will improve the sustainability and resilience of the organisation or community.
All applicants will be contacted individually with decisions by e-mail and will be offered detailed feedback.
We will aim to issue grant offers for signing to successful applicants within two weeks of final decisions. These grant offers set out the legal conditions on which your organisation accepts an offer of grant. Funding is not fully confirmed until grant offers are signed by both parties.
A list of successful projects will be published online once grant offers have been signed.
We expect to ask around 20 projects to progress to full application. We expect to make around 15 awards in total. We will award at least one project under each of the four identified priorities.
We expect the application process to be highly competitive.
All applicants can be provided feedback on request.
Find general useful advice on preparing projects and applying for funding.
7. Evaluation and Reporting
During project delivery, all organisations will be able to access support and advice from the CLLD team. An initial meeting will be offered to meet the team and explain the grant claim process. A schedule of payments can be agreed at this stage which meets the requirements of the CLLD and applicants. All payments will be in arrears unless otherwise agreed. Grants are usually paid in arrears with proof of spend. Advance payments may be possible in exceptional circumstances but must be requested in the application. Payments will be made according to the agreed schedule and subject to evidence of the activity having taking place and payment being made.
Wherever possible we will seek to be flexible and work with you to overcome any unexpected challenges your project may face.
A schedule of dates will be agreed at the start of the project for updates – likely quarterly. Where possible we will accept reports or updates you may already be producing internally or for other funders. Throughout your project you may be asked to undertake evaluation, and give regular reports.
All projects must measure social impact using the SVE. The CLLD team will help you select appropriate outputs and outcomes this at full application stage
8. Key dates
- 20 February 2026 – Fund opens for Expressions of Interest
- 2 April 2026 – Expressions of Interest Close
- 28 April 2026 – LAG will review expressions of interest and selected projects invited to continue to full application stage.
- End of May 2026 – Projects approved
- 28 February 2027 – All spend completed by project
- 12 Mar 2027 – Final project claim to be submitted to Argyll & Bute Council
9. Supporting Documents
Mandatory:
- Constitution/governing document
- Organisation Risk Register
- Fair Work First statement
- Latest accounts or management accounts
- Last 3 months bank statement
- Completed supplementary information spreadsheet (inc budget and timetable)
- Evidence of need or demand. This can be photograph, video, community plan, consultation etc
Project Dependant:
- Three quotes for costs over £500
- Relevant organisational policies
- Confirmation of match funding
- Job descriptions (if applicable)
- Partnership agreements (if relevant)
- Statutory consents
The CLLD team can advise if you need help with these.
10.Publicity
Acknowledging your grant from the Scottish Government is an important part of your project. You must acknowledge Scottish Government funding in project publicity. Logos and wording will be provided to help you do this.
11. Contact
CLLD Fund Team:
Lorna Hawthorn, Kevin Grant, Jordan Wilkinson
Tel: 01546 604 824
Email: CLLD@argyll-bute.gov.uk
