Women’s Fund for Scotland opens for applications

Organisations supporting women and girls across Scotland can now apply to the Women’s Fund for Scotland, with grants of up to £5,000 available for eligible groups.

The fund, administered by Foundation Scotland, aims to support women’s development, self-sufficiency and social and economic equality. Applications are open until 30th October 2026.

Since it was established, the Women’s Fund for Scotland has distributed more than £3.4 million to over 700 community groups and charities. This year’s programme has a total funding pot of £100,000 available to support projects and organisations working with women and girls across Scotland.

What funding is available?

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for organisations that can demonstrate a proven track record of working with women and girls. Funding can be used to sustain existing work or support new activity that aligns with one or more of the fund’s themes.

The fund supports work under three key themes:

• Thrive – supporting leadership, skills development, innovation and creativity for women and girls.
• Heal – providing spaces and support that help women recover from violence, marginalisation and injustice.
• Rise – helping women overcome poverty and isolation, build connections and work towards a more equal Scotland.

Who can apply?

Applications are welcomed from properly constituted organisations including charities, social enterprises and unincorporated groups.

Eligible organisations must have an annual turnover of less than £500,000, although priority may be given to organisations with an annual turnover of £300,000 or below if the programme is oversubscribed.

The fund particularly encourages applications from:

• Women’s organisations, especially those led by and for women.
• Community-based organisations supporting women and girls.
• Projects working with disadvantaged women and girls.
• Organisations helping women escape and recover from domestic, sexual or sex-based violence.
• Projects that demonstrate long-term impact and organisational sustainability.

The fund is intended to support single-sex services and will not fund mixed-sex groups.

Key dates

• Applications open: 1st October 2026
• Application deadline: 30th October 2026
• Funding decisions expected: March 2027

Based on previous years, around 25% of organisations applying to the programme are awarded funding.

Annual survey now open

Alongside the funding programme, the Women’s Fund for Scotland is inviting organisations working with women and girls to complete its annual sector survey.

The survey gathers information about the challenges, priorities and support needs facing organisations across Scotland. Responses help inform future grant programmes and funding priorities.

The survey is expected to take around 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until the end of October 2026.

Topics covered include organisational sustainability, funding challenges, service demand, workforce issues and the needs of women and girls accessing services.

Find out more

Full eligibility criteria, exclusions and application guidance are available through Foundation Scotland’s website.

Organisations interested in applying are encouraged to review the full criteria before submitting an application.