Unit support fund
Thanks to funding from the Girlguiding Unit Support Fund and Girlguiding Scotland’s Good Guiding Fund units that will struggle to pay their subscription bill in 2025 can apply for a grant of up to £500 to help cover girl and volunteer costs.
How to apply
Applications are open from 22 January until February 9 2025. Before making an application, please check you are eligible by reading the FAQs below. We’ve included template and sample application and evaluation forms to help you prepare your application. Applications completed on the example forms will not be accepted.
Sample application- financial hardship
Sample application- unexpected increase in unit size
If you would like help or have questions that aren’t covered by the FAQs, contact funding@girlguiding-scot.org.uk.
Fund criteria and FAQs
Who can apply?
Units that will struggle to pay their subscription bill in 2025, can apply for a grant of up to £500 provided:
- Their accounts aren’t overdue
- They haven’t received funding in R3 of the Good Guiding Fund (Sept – Dec 2024)
- They’ve not received CashBack funding for subscriptions since April 2024 (if eligible)
We must receive one application per unit. Applications covering multiple units will be rejected.
How can the grant be used?
The grant can be used to cover girl subscription and volunteer subscriptions only. If units receive more funding than needed to pay the subscriptions invoice for the unit, they will be required to return any unspent funds.
When can I apply?
The fund will be open from 22 January to 9 February 2025.
What information is needed to make an application?
- The name of the unit as it appears on GO
- The unit level number (this can be found on GO)
- A recent bank statement (dated from within the last 3 months) and the current balance on the account as well as the reason for any money you are holding onto
- If you do not have a bank account, you will need to tell us why not and how much money the unit has access to
- How many girls will benefit from the funding
- How many volunteer will benefit from the funding
- How much the annual subscription is for the unit
Before you apply, please ensure GO is up to date and showing an accurate picture of the number of girls and volunteers attached to the unit.
Will all units be successful?
The fund aims to support struggling units so those with high bank balances will need to explain why the money isn’t being allocated to subscriptions.
We can’t consider incomplete applications or those that cover multiple units. We also can’t fund units where accounts are overdue.
If the fund is over-subscribed, units may receive part or no funding. Where possible, we will prioritise those most in need. The information on your application form will help the panel make a decision so the clearer your application is, the more likely you are to be offered some funding.
Timelines
The fund will be open to applications between 22 January and 9 February.
County commissioners will be advised of all applications by 12 February and asked to raise any concerns by midnight on 16 February.
Decisions will be communicated by 21 February. Successful units will be provided with an acceptance form to return.
Grants acceptance forms must be returned by 28 February. This form includes bank details so we know where to send payments.
Payments will be with units week commencing 10 March.
Evaluation forms will be due 30 April.
If units fail to complete paperwork in full or on time, this will delay the process and may adversely affect the unit’s ability to submit subscriptions payments to Girlguiding on time.
What happens if our unit numbers change between requesting funding and the unit invoice being finalised?
We will be unable to accept requests to increase the amount of funding within your application form once it has been submitted. If a unit receives more funding than needed to pay the subscriptions invoice for the unit, they will be required to return all unused funding. The funding cannot be used for other purposes.
Where has this funding come from?
This grant is available thanks to funding from the Girlguiding Unit Support Fund and Girlguiding Scotland’s Good Guiding Fund.
The Good Guiding Fund will re-open to funding requests (excluding subscriptions) on 24 February 2025.
Subscriptions (subs)
Find out more about subscriptions, how they are used and the timeline for 2025.