1st June 2021
Applications have opened for four funds previously announced by Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance.
The funds are worth a combined £18 million and have been established to support improvements to drugs services.
The funding is part of the additional £250 million announced by the First Minister to tackle the drug deaths emergency over the next five years.
Applications are open to not-for-profit organisations working in the drugs sector, including Integration Authorities, Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, third sector organisations and grassroots/community organisations.
Each fund will run for five years, and multi-year funding will be available with grants awarded on a rolling basis.
David Liddell, SDF’s CEO says ‘This investment will be widely welcomed as a driver for change and as an indicator of the new Government’s commitment on the national mission to reduce drug deaths. There is a challenge here for stakeholders across the drugs field to implement change that address the issue that exist in terms of service access and quality and ensuring people have adequate supports to address problem drug use.’
The funds are:
- Local Support Fund of £5 million to provide resources to community and third sector organisations to increase capacity. This fund was previously referred to as a ‘Communities Fund’
- Improvement Fund of £5 million to support improvements to services for outreach, treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare, with dedicated support for women
- Families and Children Fund of £3 million to support children, young people and families affected by drug use
- Recovery Fund of £5 million for additional residential rehabilitation capacity
Click here to access the application and find out more information.