Funding opportunities from Connecting Scotland

Support for Device Lending Libraries (Summer/Autumn 2023)

The objective of this project is to provide devices and/or connectivity to organisations across Scotland that can be used as part of lending schemes or lending libraries to support people who are experiencing digital exclusion.

We know that, for many, owning a device is something that they are not yet ready for. They could be unsure of which device is best suited for them, would like to use a device for a while to see the benefits them, or would just prefer to use a device occasionally and not want to own one.

The Connecting Scotland device lending libraries programme is open to organisations that are already running device lending libraries. It can help them expand the range of devices and connectivity that they have available, extend the number of devices available for loan or replace devices that are coming to the end of their lives.

Through the programme we aim to support people who are digitally excluded focusing on people:

over 65
in a low-income household
living with a long-term illness or disability
who are unemployed
or who are the victims of crime or abuse

This is a small fund distributing £100,000 capital funding overall.

Applications closed on 27th November 2023.

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Support for Housing Providers (Summer/Autumn 2023)

Evidence suggests that people needing housing support are more likely to be experiencing forms of digital exclusion than those living in other types of accommodation. The objective of this project is to provide devices and/or connectivity to organisations across Scotland providing social housing or transitional accommodation.

There are three opportunities within this fund for devices and/or connectivity to support people who are experiencing digital exclusion:

To form a new lending library
To be part of a community space where devices and connectivity are available
A larger improvement project for connectivity infrastructure in communal areas

We want to encourage and support organisations who are at the beginning of their digital inclusion journey to increase and improve access to digital devices and connectivity for their residents and communities. For this project, we are therefore looking to fund organisations who are less experienced in digital inclusion work (less than one year activity) but who have the resource and supporting infrastructure in place to manage new projects.

We want to support projects that can be accessed by people who fall into at least one of the following categories: 

Those over 65  
People living in low-income households
People living with a long-term illness or disability  
People currently unemployed 
Women and children at risk of violence 
Families
People who are homeless

This is a small fund distributing £300,000 capital funding overall.

Applications closed on 27th November 2023.

Find out more: