Futurebuilders Scotland
Futurebuilders Scotland is an investment programme to help social economy organisations that provide services to the public.
Social economy organisations are voluntary and community organisations that use a business like approach to delivering goods or services. They have a wide range of interests from community initiatives in rural areas to those that provide employment opportunities for disabled people.
The programme invests in social economy organisations that are working:
• to achieve the Scottish Executive’s ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap’ objectives and targets;
• to deliver services to the public; and
• to increase their financial sustainability.
All Futurebuilders Scotland Funds closed in March 2007
Investment Fund
• Aimed at medium to large size social economy organisations this fund invests in organisations with a track record in delivering public services.
Seedcorn Fund
• Aimed at small social economy organisations this fund helps organisation’s to realise their potential to become less dependent on grants and to earn income from the services they deliver.
Learning Fund
• Funding for training or learning that will directly help social economy organisation to deliver more or better services.
The funds are assessed on two key criteria:
• to contribute to one or more Scottish Executive ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap’ objectives; and
• to improve the financial sustainability of the organisation by increasing their earned income.
The ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap’ objectives are to:
• increase sustained employment for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups;
• improve the confidence and skills of the most disadvantaged children and young people;
• reduce financial exclusion and multiple debts;
• regenerate the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods;
• increase the health of people living in the most deprived communities;
• improve access to high quality services for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in rural communities.
Future funding
The Vision for the Voluntary Sector published by the Scottish Executive in December 2005 highlighted that Ministers would consider the next stages of the Futurebuilders programme.
This will include consideration by the Social Economy Advisory Board and will be linked to an evaluation of the current Futurebuilders programme, which is currently underway.
Any decisions on a further Futurebuilders programme will be linked to the Scottish Executive Spending Review 2007, which allows spending from April 2008.
