Local Support Fund
The Local Support Fund (LSF) is part of the Scottish Government’s National Drugs Mission Funds, administered by the Corra Foundation. The LSF is for grassroots and community-based organisations in Scotland, which deliver frontline services to support people who use or used drugs, people who are in recovery and/or their families.
This fund is intended to help organisations to stabilise or increase capacity, extend services and provide further reach into the community. It aims to facilitate rights-based, relational support for people so that they can easily access the right support at the right time.
The fund was designed to support charities, social enterprises, community groups and other voluntary organisations, with an annual income of up to £500,000.
The Scottish Government is committed to the sustainability of projects. As such, this round of funding is only open to existing grantholders that have previously been funded through the Local Support Fund, and who have a grant ending on or before 31st March 2026.
Corra Foundation encourages applications from organisations supporting Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities and other under-represented groups.
Please read the Criteria and FAQs document for further guidance on what can be funded.
Applications for continuation funding only will be welcomed in 2025. However, continuation funding can only be provided until October 2026 so project budgets may need to be adjusted to fit this timescale. It may not always be possible to satisfy the demand for funding, and this may result in some awards being agreed for a reduced amount. This will only be done after a conversation with the applicant.
The closing date for applications will be 1pm on Wednesday 3rd September 2025. Applications received after this will not be considered.
96
Applications received
79
Grants made
£11.2m
Distributed in funding
82%
Success rate
Which organisations received funding?
View the organisations who received funding. We also upload our grant holder data to 360 Giving.
Decision making process
Your application is assessed by a Corra Grants Advisor. They may be in contact with you to ask some follow-up questions. At this point, applications that do not meet the basic eligibility criteria will be unsuccessful and not progress further.
Your application is then peer reviewed by additional members of Corra’s wellbeing team.
Next, your application is reviewed by a panel made up of people with Lived Experience of using drugs and alcohol including people affected by their family’s substance use. Their input is gathered and recorded.
Corra compiles all the assessment input and presents this to the Scottish Government who make the final decisions on which organisations to fund.
When are decisions announced?
You can expect to hear the outcome of your application within two months of us receiving your application form, unless we notify you otherwise.
Can I get feedback if my application is unsuccessful?
We provide written feedback to all applicants and are happy to discuss this further with you once you’ve received your result.
What are the reporting requirements for successful applicants?
If successful, we will ask you to complete an Evaluation Planning Grid detailing your outcomes and timeline for the project.
You will be asked to report annually. If you receive funding with a grant period of more than one year, grant payments will be made annually and future payments will be dependent on satisfactory reporting each year and on the Scottish Government having funds available at that time. There is also an initial three-month report in the first year of any grant. Reporting templates will be provided.
We will share information (like progress reports) about your project with your local ADP.
About the National Drugs Mission Funds
The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland is too high. These deaths are tragic and avoidable and reducing them is a priority for all of us.
In 2021, the Scottish Government launched the National Drugs Mission Funds to improve lives, backed by significant additional resources, details of which are available here. Corra Foundation is administering funding to support the National Drugs Mission on behalf of The Scottish Government. The funding streams include the Local Support Fund, Local Support Fund Micro Grants, Improvement Fund, and Children and Families Fund.
Full details of each of the funds is available below.
Read the latest progress report for the National Drugs Mission Funds here, published in September 2024.
Grantholders of the National Drugs Mission Funds not only receive funding but also benefit from the support of a dedicated Corra Grant Advisor and participation in regular Learning Network events organised by Corra.
If you would like to discuss any of the funds, please contact wellbeingteam@corra.scot.
