The Outer Hebrides Community Led Local Development Local Action Group has announced the launch of this years Design Grant funding stream, following the recent sign-off of its 2023/24 Community Led Vision.

The Design Grant is a revenue fund, aimed at enabling successful applicants to lever in further funding towards large-scale projects with wide-reaching community benefits. In total £100,000 in funding will be available which can cover revenue costs incurred in progressing a project to a capital investment stage, such as undertaking feasibility studies, commissioning professional (architect's) drawings or environmental impact studies, or to buy in expertise, help build capacity and develop the project through mentoring, improved networking and collaboration. All funding will have to be spent and works completed by Friday 1st March 2024 at the latest.

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The Design Grant will be the main funding strand of the 2023/24 Community Led Local Development (CLLD) programme for the Outer Hebrides, for which the Scottish Government has made a total of £267,042.38 available. There will also be a Small Grant scheme as well as Local Action Group(LAG)-sponsored strands that will see the creation of a Community Transport Network and promote work towards NetZero in the Islands. The LAG are delighted to once again support a Youth LAG aimed at those aged 16-30, who will be given a budget of £10,000 to support their own projects. They intend to send a representation to the Youth Climate Camp in Aviemore this summer, hope to attend the Scottish Rural Parliament in Fort William in November and will be working on fleshing out their wider programme over the coming weeks and months.