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We are Celebrating!

The Essentia Foundation is in a celebratory mood as we make our 100th grant across Scotland.

Following another competitive funding round, 27 grants were awarded to youth organisations and community groups across 15 local authorities.  

This small grants round marked an important milestone for the Essentia Foundation and our trustees. In 2021, the Foundation was granted Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) status, replacing the trust established in 2005. Following a period of dormancy, our new board of trustees have revitalised grant-making within the organisation and committed over £350,000.00 in grant monies.  

Launching in October, this recent grants round saw applications from all corners of Scotland. The applications focused on various topics from sport and fitness, the arts, sustainability and mental health. 

In the central belt, Strathclyde Rowing Club is celebrating an award of £2,977.00 which will go towards supporting a health and well-being project. The project will aim to develop a community outreach rowing course for secondary students from North Lanarkshire, allowing them to develop rowing skills in a welcoming, safe and fun environment at Strathclyde Park.

“Many thanks to The Essentia Foundation. This award will give us the ability to sustain our outreach sessions for the local community and provide new opportunities for young people”.

Iain Thayne, Funding Co-ordinator.

On the east coast, North Berwick Youth Project was awarded a grant of £3,000.00 to a life skills project that will target young people with additional support needs as well as those who are not in education or employment (NEETS). The ‘Learning for Life’ project will be user-led. Activities will be decided by participants but could involve employability skills, cookery and courses on self-travel to help young people with additional needs get around independently. NBYC hope that the project will help young people to move into adulthood with confidence, develop resilience and an ability to manage themselves in many areas.

“North Berwick Youth Project are delighted to announce the launch of a Learning for Life skills project, funded by The Essentia Foundation and administered by Foundation Scotland. This funding will allow young people the opportunity to engage in informal learning, which will give them skills for life, increased mental health and well-being and the knowledge and skills to move into adulthood and positive destinations with confidence. Thank you, The Essentia Foundation, for funding this much-needed project.”

Lauren Cowie, NBYC

In the far north, young people in Ullapool are looking forward to developing a new sustainability project thanks to a grant of £3,000.00. Ullapool Sea Savers is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) that was established in April 2019. The organisation’s primary objectives are to conserve the oceans by getting together to educate about and raise awareness of and confront issues that threaten the marine environment. Grant monies were awarded to support accessible boat trips, beach cleans, and youth-led mentoring sessions.

“We are absolutely delighted to have secured this support from the Essentia Foundation, which means we can look forward to delivering an incredible year of activities: cleaning the remote beaches of our local Marine Protected Area, delivering accessible boat trips, so everyone in our remote highland community has access to the benefits of blue mental health and rolling out our numerous youth-led campaigns for raising awareness of everything there is to love about the marine environment. People protect what they love, and we show people what there is to love about the sea! Thank you, The Essentia Foundation, for helping USS to do that!” 

Janis Paterson, USS

The Essentia Foundation, alongside our funding partner, Foundation Scotland, look forward to tracking the progress of all projects as they begin their journey in 2023.

To find out more about the projects we have funded, why not check out our case studies?