Good Guiding Fund

The fund will next open to applications in autumn 2025 (date tbc). Both 2025 rounds will have the same amount of money allocated to them. If the number of applications from eligible levels exceeds the amount of funding available, the decision-making panel may choose to award part or no funding.

Round 4 will open at 9am on 24 February 2025 and remain open until 11:59pm on 6 April 2025. We won’t accept applications for Round 4 before 24 February 2025. 

Both rounds will have the same amount of money allocated to them and all applications will be reviewed together once each round closes. We won’t be able to accept applications outside of these dates.  

Scottish units, districts and divisions can apply for support through the general funding stream or the travelling abroad funding stream (but not both).Scottish counties can apply for support through the travelling abroad funding stream only.

Levels will only be able to apply for a Good Guiding Fund grant if they haven’t received money from this fund in the last 18 months. This is to ensure as many members as possible can benefit from the fund.  (To work if it you are eligible to apply again, calculate 18 months from the date of your last Good Guiding Fund offer letter.)

Levels that have failed to complete evaluation forms for previous rounds of funding are ineligible for further funding.

Requests to support an individual girl or girls should be made in the name of a unit by the unit leader. The unit leader will be responsible for completing the evaluation for the funding. Support for individual volunteers should be made in the name of a district or division. The district or division will be responsible for completing the evaluation form.

Newly opened or opening units should apply for a FoGGS New Unit Grant and Trefoil Guild Starter Pack instead of a Good Guiding Fund Grant.

Guide or Ranger units in areas of deprivation should check whether they are eligible for the Generation CashBack project before applying to Good Guiding Fund. Units that have received Generation CashBack funding in the last 12 months will not be eligible for Good Guiding Funding. This is to ensure we can spread the funding we have available around as many units as possible.

If you’re not eligible for this fund, there is lots of other support available. You’ll find details of other Girlguiding Scotland funds, Girlguiding grants and external funds here.  

Unless you are applying for support to go on an international trip, please submit 1 application form per unit – if you request support for multiple units on a single application form, we won’t be able to consider your request.  

For a clear audit trail, we must be able to track back funding issued to the application for funding. 1 application per unit will enable effective financial governance.   

If you don’t yet have a bank account set up for your unit (or district, or division), we can arrange for the funds to be paid to your county (with their permission).  

Levels can apply to the fund once every 18 months as long as they completed the required evaluation forms for any funding received previously. This is to ensure that as many members as possible can benefit from the fund.

Units experiencing hardship are encouraged to approach their commissioner for support with budgeting and advice about local sources of funding that may be available within the county. You can also find details of external funds here.  (To work if it you are eligible to apply again, calculate 18 months from the date of your last Good Guiding Fund offer letter.)

You can apply for up to £500. You should only apply for the amount of funding you’ll really need – if you apply for too much, you’ll need to be ready to return the money as it can only be used for the purpose set out in your application form. We would anticipate applicants being able to spend all the funding they are offered within 6 months of us transferring the funds.

For applications submitted as part of round 4 (February/March/April 2025), we’ll aim to let people know the outcome of their application by 16 May. Applicants will then have until 20 June to accept any funding offered.

Levels can apply for up to £500 across a maximum of 3 of the following categories only.  

• Meeting place rent
  • We’ll support units with up to 6 months of rent payments. Districts/divisions cannot apply for rent costs on behalf of units within their area. We will not fund meeting place donations, utility bills, general maintenance or any other building-related costs.
• Uniform 
  • You can apply for up to one item per young member and/or leader. We will only offer funding towards official uniform purchased from the Girlguiding Scotland shop. If requesting funding for uniform, you’re encouraged to consider how the uniform could contribute toward a uniform bank/be passed on to another member in need in future.  
• Subscriptions
  • We can only offer funding toward subscriptions if the number of girls on GO matches the number of girls specified in your application form. Funding should be used within 6 months of it being awarded (unless for international travel) so the panel may refuse applications for subscriptions at certain times of year.  If you receive funding for subscriptions, we’ll also support you to make a plan for budgeting for next year’s subscription as a condition of our offer. If your subs invoice has fewer girls on it than you receive funding for, you will be required to return the surplus.
• Resources
  • You can apply for costs toward programme materials, badges, craft and other small pieces of equipment you’re likely to use within the next 6 months. The fund isn’t intended to help units stockpile badges so we’ll only fund enough for the number of girls in the unit currently.
• Leadership activities (including trips for girls)
  • You can apply for activities in or out of the unit meeting place that will help girls develop skills and leadership. This can also include help to take part in a Scottish programme or event such as Peer Education or Camp CEO. When applying for trips, you should tell us what you plan to do, when you plan to do it and how it will help girls develop skills.
• Training for adults
  • The fund will support district and division-level trainings to upskill volunteers. It will also support unit teams to take part in local or Scottish training connected to their role. Scottish trainers should contact the Volunteer Experience Project Coordinator for support to access funding for training connected to their roles.
• Recruitment
  • You can apply for support to take part in recruitment events in your local area including costs associated with stall hire and buying banners and other resources that could be shared within your district or division. You can also apply for support with costs associated with welcome events or bring a friend evenings. We won’t cover the cost of posters or postcards as you can get these free from the Girlguiding Scotland shop.  
• Thanks and recognition
  • The Good Guiding Fund will support district and division activities designed to thank and recognise volunteers. This could include activities related to Volunteers’ Week which happens every June or Student Volunteers’ Week which happens in February.
• International trips
  • The fund will support young member trips to participate in international events taking place in or out of the UK. Where a REN is required, your trip must have REN Part 1 authorisation in place when you apply. If you apply before your trip is at this stage, your application will be refused. We cannot provide contingency funding. If multiple units are taking part in the trip, you should make 1 application per trip. Please note, if units taking part in the trip received funding from the Good Guiding Fund in the last 18 months, we will not be able to consider your application. Please note counties are unable to apply to the fund.

The funding isn’t available to cover costs things that have already happened. That includes bills that you have already paid or orders you’ve already placed. It also won’t fund property and building related costs (except rent) or to offer donations to meeting place providers. It can’t be used to create a contingency fund either. 

Before making an application on behalf of a unit, please check the following:  

• You know the level number for the unit, district or division you are applying for and the name of the level as it appears on GO.
• The number of girls and adults attached is accurate on GO.
• For unit-level applications, the unit’s capacity has been entered into GO.
• The most recently due set of accounts have been completed and shared with the county. (We’ll ask your county commissioner to verify this too.)
• You’ll need a copy of the level’s bank statement dated within the last 3 months. The statement must show the account balance, name of the unit and date. (If the level you are applying for does not have it’s own bank account, there’s space to tell us this on the application form.)
• You’ll also need to know the current balance in the unit’s bank account and be able to explain any money you’re holding onto.
• You’ll need to be able to give a breakdown of the funding you’re requesting.
• You should also check you are applying for the right round based on when you think you’ll need the funding. If you apply too early, your application will be refused.
  • The September/October 2024 round is for activities happening and/or costs that will be incurred between January 2025 and July 2025.
  • The March/April 2025 round is for activities happening and/or costs that will be incurred between July 2025 and January 2026.

You may apply for funding further in advance if seeking support for in.

• If you are applying for funding to take part in an international activity, you should use the International Activities application form.  
• For international trips that require an Internation REN, we will only be able to consider applications if REN Part one has already been authorised at the time of application. (This is required at least 9–18 months before the date of travel and is the part of the REN form that includes the international adviser’s signature and authorising commissioner’s signature.) 
• We’re looking for one application per international trip so you’ll need to work together on this if you’re travelling as a group of units.  
• You’ll need to know how many adults and girls are taking part in the trip and how many girls will be going abroad for the first time as a result of your trip. 

You should know the level name for which you are running the trip – if you are required to complete an International REN form, this is the level named in the Event Details section of the form.  

We ask for a bank statement dated within the last 3 months rather than accounts. This enables us to see the current financial position of units while accounts often show an out-of-date position.  You’ll be asked to upload the bank statement when you fill in our online form. If you have a bank account and fail to provide a statement, we won’t be able to consider your application.  

No. It is important that we can show due diligence in our assessment process. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer funding when accounts are overdue.   

We recognise that good financial management can lead to some level of reserves being accumulated. We also recognise that reserves can mean successful fundraising. That’s why there’s space on the application form to explain the balance in the account at the time of application. 

No. By the time you apply for funding you should have a good idea of how much funding you need and be able to show how you came up with this figure. This helps ensure the funding is being allocated to projects or plans that are likely to go ahead within the next 6 months.  

If you don’t yet know what your local levy will be, you may want to apply for the Girlguiding and Girlguiding Scotland portions of the levy only. If you receive funding toward subscriptions for more girls than are in your unit when the final invoice is generated, you will be required to return any surplus funding.  

All of your fundraising must comply with Girlguiding’s fundraising policy. You can apply for funding to top up what you’ve raised already, or you could continue to fundraise and make an application for something else.  

You don’t need approval in advance of making an application. However, you may wish to let your commissioner know that you’re thinking of applying as there may be other local funds that you could access. County commissioners will be asked to review all applications made to the fund once they have been submitted. This will include asking them to confirm that the unit, district or division has submitted their latest set of accounts. 

Our trustees set out the overall criteria for the Good Guiding Fund with advice from our business management and finance committee. A panel of staff and volunteers will review applications against the criteria. 

Applications will be checked against the fund criteria. Those that meet the criteria will then be considered for funding. If we have more applications than funding available for the round, we’ll give priority to those who haven’t received funding previously and where there’s evidence of financial need. Even then, you may not receive all or any of the funding you request. We’ll be considering similar applications in batches to help ensure our decision-making is consistent.  

We anticipate that most funding will be used within 6 months of you receiving your funding. If you don’t think you’ll be able to use all the money within this time, you may wish to apply for a later round.  

Yes, it’s important that we gather evidence to show how this funding is being used and the difference that it is making to local guiding. You’ll need to complete a short online form 6-7 months after receiving funding to confirm that the money has been spent as intended. The evaluation will also ask how many girls and adults have benefitted and invite you to tell us a little bit about the difference it’s made. As the evaluation is a condition of the funding, if you fail to complete it, we’ll contact you to discuss returning the funding.   

Contact funding@girlguiding-scot.org.uk and a member of the team will be in touch. Our development workers will be available for 1-to-1 phone or zoom calls. We expect to very busy as the deadline for applications approaches so please get in touch as early as possible as we won’t be able to accept applications after the deadline date.