What is the Sustainable Action Fund?
The Sustainable Action Fund (SAF) was set up under the Environment Act 1990 with the objectives of funding research, demonstration projects and other relevant activities in support of sustainable development in Scotland. Money is given in the form of core funding or project funding.
Core funding is given, with the approval of Ministers, to organisations whose activities support Ministerial priorities. Organisations granted recent or current core funding:
Forward Scotland (following on from grant in earlier years) £333,338 in 2006-07 and £300,000 in 2007-08, towards Forward Scotland's aim of promoting sustainable development in Scotland through innovative practical projects and influencing policy, consistent with the approach to sustainable development set out by the Government in "Choosing our Future".
Scottish Environment LINK - grant totalling £40,000 in each year 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09, to assist LINK's co-ordination role for member organisations, to network and act as an information exchange, and as an intermediary organisation between the environmental voluntary sector and Government.
Sustainable Scotland Network - grants of £115,000, £115,000 and £118,000 for the financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively. (In 2007-08 the funding was provided from the Aggregates Levy.) The purpose of the grant is to allow SSN, the network of local authority sustainable development officers in Scotland, to support "Choosing our Future," Scotland's Sustainable Development Strategy, providing for a Strategy, Policy and Programme Development Manager post and a Development Officer post. The grant facilitates the operation of the network for members of SSN and between SSN and other organisations, including arranging an annual conference and other meetings, distribution of a newsletter, website development and other communication work.
From 2001 to 2006, grant funding was allocated through the Sustainable Action Grant (SAG) Scheme to a wide range of projects (mostly of three years' duration) that demonstrate sustainable development in practice. Grants were given to projects that were innovative, easily replicable, promoted good ideas and practice and encouraged people to behave sustainably. From 2003 to 2006 new projects had to be at a national or regional level.
From 2002 Aggregates Levy funding was administered through the Sustainable Action Fund.
Information on the allocation of funding to projects.
Grants in 2007
Grants available in 2007-08 announced on March 5, 2007 offered assistance for some types of community environmental projects. These were Environmental Justice Grants and Community Environmental Renewal Scheme Grants, about which you can read more.