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Sunart Community Benefit Fund

About the Fund

The Sunart Community Benefit Fund has been created using the annual profits from the community hydro scheme run by Sunart Community Renewables (SCR). The amount to distribute will therefore vary depending on rainfall!

From time to time the fund may also receive donations from other organisations or donors, referred to hereafter as “Third Party Funds”.

The Fund is administered by a registered charity, Sunart Community Company (hereafter SCC), who must report to the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) on the use of all of its funds, and who will produce authorised annual accounts. SCC has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Sunart Community Renewables for the distribution of funds.

The Panel

The Fund is overseen by a local Panel of 13 Sunart residents. Anyone aged 16 or over is eligible to apply to be on the Panel, which will meet no more than 4 times per year to distribute grants. Panel members for this voluntary role will be drawn from the following age categories. Two people aged 16-25, three people aged 25-44, three people aged 45-64, and three people aged 65+. There will be two Ex Officio Members – one each for the Sunart Community Company and the Sunart Community Council.

The purpose of the Panel is to:

  • Advise the SCC regarding grant awards from the Fund;
  • Oversee the distribution of funds received from a third party (e.g. private benefactor or corporate donor), who may have already agreed the grant award in advance.
  • Advise the SCC on other aspects of the management of the Fund such as promotion and awareness, or the development of strategic initiatives designed to maximise benefits to the community within Sunart.

Awards to Date

The Sunart Community Benefit Fund has supported many different projects in the two years it has been running. A total of £87,324.00 has been awarded and the total project costs the fund has helped happen comes to a whopping £1,121,269.00!

Additional information

Documents for the benefit fund can be found here and the latest update here