The Scottish Government

This diagram shows the process of applying for funding under Rural Priorities from the initial idea through to the payment of grant. You can click on each of the stages to view detailed guidance.

Businesses, land managers and community groups are invited to submit proposals setting out how they could contribute to the priorities identified for their region.

A 2-stage application process has been developed.

The initial stage ends with the submission of a simple Statement of Intent. Feedback on your Statement of Intent from a case officer is based on an amber or red rating.

In the second stage applicants can decide whether or not to prepare a detailed Proposal, plus an Outcome Plan setting out how they would contribute to one or more 'regional priorities'.

Both stages will be supported by Case Officers who will advise on eligibility, regional priorities, budgetary positions and the need for consents/approvals. They will draw on advice from the relevant public bodies, as required.

Proposals will be accepted throughout the year, with periodic assessment rounds. Regional Proposal Assessment Committees (RPACs) will select which Proposals to recommend to Scottish Ministers for funding.

Selection is made on

• contribution to relevant regional priorities
• value for money
• management of risk

Successful applicants will be offered a single Rural Priorities Contract, with the scope to add to it with further proposals.

However if your proposal is limited to specific Regional Priorities and only contains Forestry Options then it may be possible to approve these on an ongoing basis (without referring the application to the RPAC) provided they satisfy the eligibility criteria for these types of applications. In such cases, Proposals will be assessed and scored in the normal way, but separate arrangements will exist for approvals. For more information contact your local FCS Conservancy Office or see the process flowchart (Case Officer guidance).

Eligibility criteria for the ongoing approval process

Your application must meet the following criteria if it is to be considered eligible for the ongoing approval process:

• Entire proposal contains only one or more of Regional priorities 14, 21 and 23
• Entire proposal includes only one or more forestry options:

• Total payment value across all payment years is less then £250,000
• Proposal achieves threshold score set by NPAC

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