The Big Lottery Fund Scotland Committee has given its backing to the largest ever single investment in the voluntary sector in Scotland at its first decision making meeting. It has approved a bid from SCVO of £10 million to improve the quality and capacity of voluntary action over the next five years.

The committee outlined the importance of improving and supporting voluntary action in Scotland. It also recognised the need to contribute to the growth of a CVS Network in Scotland that reflects 21st Century needs and ambitions and to create a recognised brand known across Scotland for the quality of its services.

BIG in Scotland asked SCVO to work with the CVS network and other national voluntary networks to put together proposals to bring about much needed long term substantial, strategic and measurable improvement in Scotland’s voluntary sector infrastructure.

The BIG Scotland Committee has agreed in principle a raft of measures designed to champion change and ultimately leave an imprint on the future capacity of the voluntary sector. More detailed consultation leading to development of firm delivery plans will now follow over the next six months.

Scotland’s Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) network is a primary source of support for communities and voluntary organisations. Individual CVSs have had varying levels of support in the past.  Today’s announcement contains proposals to enable the CVS network to offer better, more consistent and wider-reaching services. Over the next five years SCVO will work with each of Scotland’s CVSs to improve their individual effectiveness and capacity as well as improving the infrastructure of the CVS network as a whole.

The £10 million investment will also stimulate more and improved joint working between the component parts of the CVS Network and with other voluntary and equalities sector networks in Scotland. This will create a voluntary sector infrastructure that is much more stable, robust and connected, and that creates the conditions for voluntary activity to flourish.

Communities Minister Rhona Brankin said: “I am delighted that the BIG Lottery Fund Scotland Committee has made such a strong investment in the future of the third sector in Scotland.  This funding of £10 million over five years, will enable the Councils of Voluntary Service, Volunteer Centres and Citizen’s Advice Scotland, to offer stronger and wider-reaching services.

“I hope this new funding will help the third sector, working in partnership with local authorities and community partners, to support and encourage even more people to make a real contribution to their communities.”

Alison Magee, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “This £10 million investment is a symbol of our commitment to and confidence in Scotland’s voluntary sector. We believe that the time is right for the CVS Network to take its rightful place as a champion for community change.  However, we will not stop here.  We intend to invest a further £10 million in specific activities in response to individual proposals presented to us by the sector.  We want to look ahead to the challenges and the opportunities that the voluntary sector faces over the next twenty years. But in the next five years we want to support the building of an infrastructure that supports voluntary action and creates the right conditions for it to develop. Indeed, this investment will create a more joined up voluntary sector that centres around the volunteer – the person who supports and runs organisations and who is vital for the delivery of public services.”

Martin Sime, Chief Executive, SCVO, said: "The role of CVSs is to help people and communities achieve their ambitions and to address their problems through voluntary action. This hugely significant investment will help CVSs to meet those needs effectively through their own efforts by working in closer partnership with other local and national networks. The grant will enable a step change in the quality of support available.

“Of course some of our proposals are at a very early stage of development and we thank the committee for showing confidence in our direction of travel. We now need to move from ideas to firm plans, working closely with our partners at a national and local level. The BIG Committee can have confidence that this investment will make a big difference."

Further information

Contact Landa Rolland at the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Press Office on 0141 242 1458 or 07789 033457
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• Today’s £10 million grant to SCVO has been made through the Big Lottery Fund’s Dynamic and Inclusive Communities (DinC) area of investment. DinC aims to fund improvements to the capacity and infrastructure of national, intermediary or second tier organisations, to allow communities to engage in civic society and influence civic processes so that they can build strong and more inclusive local communities.  
• The Big Lottery Fund solicited an application from SCVO and requested that the bid be returned by 1 November 2006. It made £10 million available for this application. The solicitation will enable BIG to achieve strategic outcomes in relation to the infrastructure and capacity of Scotland’s voluntary and community sector as a whole.
• A solicitation means inviting an organisation to apply rather than waiting for them to submit an application as a matter of course.
• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project. The largest of the Lottery good cause distributors, BIG has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
• On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best value for money.
• UK-wide, the Big Lottery Fund will distribute through its new programmes and allocations funding worth over £2.6bn between now and April 2009.  Updated information on the Big lottery Fund’s new programmes is available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/publications.htm
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £19.5 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

SCOTLAND

The Big Lottery Fund has £275 million to invest in Scotland’s communities before 2009 as follows:

• £231 million for the Fund’s Unified Investment Plan (Investing in Communities)*
• £20 million for the Young People’s Fund
• £24 million for Awards for All (until 2006)

The Fund’s future funding plans are detailed in the manifesto ‘Investing in Communities available online at http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/assets/pub_manifesto_scot.pdf

• Investing in Communities is the Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s new funding portfolio, which consists of four investment areas: Growing Community Assets, to help communities obtain, improve, develop, manage, sustain and protect assets that will help them become stronger and more sustainable; Life Transitions to support people at times of change in their lives – at different life stages and in different circumstances; Supporting 21st Century Life to provide support to people and communities to deal with the pace of change, enjoy positive relationships, improve quality of life, and establish connections across 21st century society and Dynamic and Inclusive Communities (DINC).