The Volunteering Support Fund 2024 – 2025, worth approximately £1.1million per annum, supports 106 funded projects.

Purpose of Fund

The purpose of the one-year continuation fund is to enable Scotland’s small to medium-sized third sector organisations to recruit additional volunteers who will contribute towards delivering a new volunteering project, or extending/expanding an existing one, and improve how volunteers are supported in their role. A list of funded projects can be found here.

Impact Funding Partners manages this fund on behalf of the Scottish Government and provides fund management including providing development support and creating opportunities for organisations to come together to share, learn, collaborate and network through participation at themed cluster groups. The groups provide a platform for funded projects to work on volunteer related issues such as recruitment and retention of volunteers and measuring the impact of volunteering.

Outcomes of Funding

Funded projects contribute towards the following four outcomes:

Increase diversity

Increasing the diversity of the third sector’s volunteer pool, especially to include people who experience disadvantage or would traditionally experience barriers to volunteering;

Create opportunities

Improving opportunities for skills and personal development through volunteering;

Volunteer Support

Improving the third sector’s capacity to support, train and deploy volunteers;

Service Development

Enhancing the services organisations deliver to better meet the needs of the communities they serve.

2024 - 2025

Recruit 12 volunteers with 8 who experience disadvantages or would traditionally experience barriers to volunteering

Priority groups for this fund include:

People on low incomes
People with mental health conditions
People who are physically disabled
People with additional support needs
People with long-term medical conditions

Carers
People affected by abuse
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people
People with convictions or an offending background
Young people at risk of offending

People affected by homelessness
People from minority ethnic backgrounds
People with other disadvantages not listed here

Hear Their Stories…

This report provides an overview of the impact the Volunteering Support Fund 2021 – 2024 had on communities throughout Scotland. Key examples, expertise and case studies are shared within the report as well as an overview of the ongoing support and capacity building opportunities provided by Impact Funding Partners.