Community Fund - SafeDeposits Scotland

The SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund will award grants up to a maximum value of £2,000 to organisations who commit to deliver a project that meets at least one of five criteria, namely:

Sustainability and the environment
Employability and career skills
Social inclusion
Technology and digital inclusion
Improving the local community

Mike Smith, Head of SafeDeposits Scotland, said: “Through this new fund we aim to contribute to initiatives that will benefit people across Scotland, including our landlord, letting agent and tenant customers and their wider communities. From enhancing play areas to planting trees, and from providing isolated individuals with social opportunities and helping young people prepare for work, these are the types of project we hope to support.”

Grants will be awarded on a quarterly basis and interested parties are invited to submit an application by one of the following dates, to be considered for the subsequent funding round:

Friday 30^th June 2023
Friday 29^th September 2023
Friday 29^th December 2023
Friday 15^th March 2024

The SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund’s rules and guidance outline in more detail what can and cannot be funded, and the requirements of any organisation applying for funding. A set of FAQs has also been prepared for members of the general public who require further information on the SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund.

Abbeyhill Colony of Artists

The Abbeyhill Colony of Artists announce their 18th Annual Exhibition

The Abbeyhill Colony of Artists have announced details of their 18th Annual Exhibition taking place on 16th and 17th September. Funding from the SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund has helped to support their work in 2023. This group of artists and creatives are centred around the Abbeyhill Colonies in Edinburgh.

This year's event features 81 artists in 43 venues and will transform Abbeyhill into a unique gallery for the weekend.

The Abbeyhill Colonies, close to the top of Easter Road, were built by railway workers in the late 19th Century after a working hours dispute saw them locked out of their building site. During the three month dispute in 1861, local tradesmen formed The Edinburgh Co-operative Building Company and by 1911 built over 2,000 houses on 11 sites in the city.

That sense of community was reignited in 2005 when the inaugural Colony of Artists exhibition brought the artists of the area together for the first ever event of its kind in Edinburgh.

The Colony of Artists show work from their own homes and gardens which allows visitors to experience their work in a very personal setting. The event has grown year by year with over 7,000 attending in 2022 from all over Edinburgh and beyond.

The 18th Annual Colony of Artists Exhibition will showcase the past and present of this vibrant community in their biggest exhibition yet. Some of the major highlights are:

Free short walking tours which are a chance to discover the history behind some of the area's many bright and colourful murals designed by the COA Artist Collective "The Murally People" as well as an opportunity to learn more about the history of the Abbeyhill Colonies.
Abbeyhill Primary School and the Colony of Artists mark a significant milestone in 2023. Since 2008 the doors of the Abbeyhill Primary School have been opened for the festival weekend in order to showcase the talents of a new generation of artists. The school will host a special Colony of Artists Garden pARTy at the school playground on 15th September 2023 from 12.30pm to 3.30pm to celebrate.
The dedicated festival hub, The Hive, will be humming to the tunes coming from a wide variety of local musicians along with a pop up bar hosted by Campervan Brewery and food from the Safari Lounge.
And last but not least visit 81 Exhibiting Artists showcasing their work within their own homes and gardens throughout the Abbeyhill Colonies.

For further information, visit Colony of Artists

Lintel Soup

Support local charities and socialise... with soup and sandwiches!

SafeDeposits Scotland presents in partnership with Lintel Trust, Lintel Soup. Come along to this special event, funded by the SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund, to hear pitches from three Glasgow charities and then vote on how a funding pot of £4,500 should be shared between the three organisations and their projects.