Speaking at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (SCVO) parliamentary reception, Finance Secretary John Swinney encouraged third sector organisations to apply.

Mr Swinney said:

"Scotland's Third Sector has the unique ability to connect with vulnerable people and create employment opportunities - something we must take advantage of in an economic downturn.

“But we recognise the sector is not immune from the effects of recession. That’s why, as we build on our economic recovery plan to position Scotland’s economy for recovery, we want to help the sector withstand the pressures of recession and emerge stronger.

“We have worked with Third Sector partners to develop the Third Sector Resilience Fund, which has the potential to mitigate the twin impacts of recession on some organisations of increased demand for their services and cash flow difficulties.”

Lucy McTernan, Deputy Chief Executive of SCVO, said:
“The creation of this resilience fund is welcome news for the Third Sector as we weather the economic storm. We are a resilient sector but the effects of the recession have not passed us by - demand for our services is up whilst income is falling. This fund will go some way towards helping to support voluntary organisations providing frontline services for the most vulnerable and hard to reach members of our society and we look forward to working with the Scottish Government to ensure the fund reaches all the organisations that need it as soon as possible to ensure vital services are not disrupted.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

SCVO is the national body representing charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations in Scotland. The sector has 130,000 paid staff and approximately 1.3 million volunteers and manages an annual income of £4.1 billion. More information on SCVO can be found on our website at www.scvo.org.uk.

For more information, please contact Sarah Beattie-Smith at SCVO on 0131 474 8045 or 0779 060 1995.

Grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 will potentially be available to Third Sector organisations which can demonstrate:

· How the recession has led to increased demand or significantly undermined their services

· Any increased pressure on their services is as a direct result of the recession

· That prior to the recession they were a viable organisation with a proven track record of delivery over two years

· What caused the problem, and their proposed solution including the submission of a detailed Recovery Plan

· They have unrestricted reserves equating to less than six months’ running costs of the organisation

· The requirement for the Resilience Fund and their longer term viability with certification by an auditor or chartered accountant to that effect

· Appropriate safeguards are in place for both the expenditure of funding and, if the need arises, recovery.

The fund, which will be open for five weeks from late October, is being delivered as part of the £12 million Third Sector Enterprise Fund.

Organisations seeking information on the fund, or potential applicants, should contact Mary Lyden on 0141 305 4176.