ScottishPower Foundation: General Grants

Overview

For the current round of funding applications are invited for grants ranging from £35,000 to £200,000.

Criteria for 2026

To be considered, your application must address at least one of the following specific objectives which have been set for the 2026 round of funding to support our overarching strategic aims:

Education, Training and Research

Specific Objectives

• STEM: Inspiring young people to pursue qualifications and a career in STEM in order to contribute to energy sustainability 
• Raising aspirations: Using innovative educational solutions to address society’s needs and challenge the next generation

Biodiversity and Climate Change

Specific Objectives

• Environmental protection: Protecting or conserving the environment
• Habitat restoration: Contributing to the restoration of habitats and enhancing biodiversity
• Knowledge and research: Creating new solutions to the challenge of climate change

Art and Culture

Specific Objectives

• Restoration, development and conservation: Safeguarding artistic and cultural heritage
• Cultural initiatives: Celebrating diversity and cultural identity through the arts

Social Initiatives

Specific Objectives

• Economic security: Supporting social inclusion and reducing poverty, prioritising child and in-work poverty
• Economic opportunity: Supporting entrepreneurship and skills development for the most vulnerable groups, in particular women and those living with disability or serious illness.

Eligibility

In addition to addressing at least one of the above specific objectives, all the following statements must apply to your organisation:

• The bank account into which the funding is to be made is not based in a restricted country (i.e. tax haven, high corruption risk or sanctioned country)
• You have an active board of at least three unrelated trustees
• You have been registered with one of the UK Charity Regulators for at least one full year. We don’t accept applications from exempt charities
• You have at least one year of published accounts covering a 12-month operating period that show as received on the relevant charity regulator website
• Your income in the last set of published accounts was greater than £75,000 but does not exceed £10,000,000

Applicant Notes

• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. Your application must contribute towards at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• They consider a partner to be an organisation involved in planning, execution and monitoring of the proposed project. For projects delivered in partnership, they may request supporting documents from all partners should you be shortlisted. 
  • The lead organisation, considered to be the organisation submitting the request for funding, must be a charity registered with one of the UK Charity Regulators 
  • For partnerships with registered companies, there must be demonstrable evidence of in-kind or financial contributions from the partner company 
  • Requests for funding are limited to one per partnership

Funding

They provide funding that is restricted to the delivery of specific projects, and not for general unrestricted running costs.

The following statements must apply to your application:

• Your application must be for at least £35,000 and must not exceed £150,000
• Your project must start between 31st March 2026 and 31st December 2026 and be completed within 12 months. They will only approve funding for a one-year period

Note: 

• Whilst there is no limit to the number of times an organisation can apply to them for funding, they will not provide funding to the same project for any more than three consecutive years. 
• Applications for funding for a previously supported project beyond year 1 must demonstrate additionality, and the evolution of the project must be evidenced within your application.
• You can apply for funding for salary costs, however, as above, please note that funding is awarded for a maximum of one year at a time and there is no guarantee of funding in subsequent years
• They encourage applicants to pay their staff the UK Living Wage, and require that any post directly funded from their grant is paid at no less than the current UK Living Wage rate 
• If you are applying for funding for salary costs, your application should factor in the associated indirect overheads as well as direct costs associated with the delivery of services