#ShiftThePower Scotland
Comic Relief Fund 

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#ShiftThePower Scotland Comic Relief Fund was a £3.6 million fund from Comic Relief, administered by Corra. The fund provided grants of up to £30,000 to grassroots charities and community groups whose work aligned with four thematic priorities.

These themes were:

  • A Safe Place to Be (supporting people who have experienced homelessness or been forced from their homes to build a new life).
  • Children Survive and Thrive (supporting children facing disadvantage in their earliest years, and their families).
  • Gender Justice (working to end violence against women and girls, and contribute to gender equality).
  • Mental Health Matters (supporting people affected by mental health to share their stories, access support and challenge stigma).

The fund first opened for applications in 2019 and there were four main rounds of funding, the final round being launched in January 2022.

Comic Relief Scotland

566

Applications received

364

Grants made

£3.5m

Distributed in funding

64%

Success rate

In addition to the grants, a programme of community-led grant making was delivered alongside communities, and training opportunities were organised for grant holders. If you’d like any further information about this fund, please contact shiftthepower@corra.scot.

Which organisations received funding?

View the organisations who received funding. We also upload our grant holder data to 360 Giving.

Decision making process

Process Stage 1

Applications assessed by Corra Grants Advisors checked for eligibility and fit with the fund criteria. At this point, applicants were contacted if further information was needed.

Process Stage 2

Applications are peer reviewed by other Corra Grants Advisors. At this stage, some applications did not progress if they were not eligible or a good fit with the fund theme.

Process Stage 3

Applications were then reviewed by panels of people with Lived Experience regarding the four themes. This panel made the final recommendations on which organisations should receive funding.

Why were some applications unsuccessful?

Demand for the funds were very high and this meant that some strong applications did not receive funding. As part of the application process, organisations were asked to demonstrate that the projects and services were led by, initiated by, or at a minimum, informed by people with lived experience of the themes. In general, applications which did not receive funding were those which did not present a strong element of lived experience involvement.

What next?

At this stage, we do not know if this fund will open again to applications. Please keep an eye on our social media or sign up to our funding bulletin to receive updates on open funds.

Further reading and related content

As part of this fund, a number of community-led grant making processes were run in communities across Scotland.