Organisations urged to apply

Steps to Sustainability celebrates its third year as applications open to heritage organisations from Scotland.

Thanks to funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the programme will be delivered by the Social Enterprise Academy, which provides transformational learning and development programmes for people and organisations working for social change.

The heritage programme was delivered in 2020 and 2021 to 110 learners across the UK where 86% reported an increase in confidence when implementing an income-generating idea.

Guy Corbett-Marshall, Chief Executive at Woodland Heritage, 2021 programme participant said: “We have a clearer direction for the development of our fundraising ideas and will now be able to devote more resources to allow them to meet their potential.”

Grace Nelis, Business Development Manager at Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, 2021 programme participant said: "It has brought together a group of people with the same mindset of safeguarding their languages. A number of us have come together with the hope of creating a new legacy between the Scots Gaels and ourselves.”

Round three will kick off in October for people who would like to increase the sustainability of their heritage organisation and lead in a way that helps to generate and diversify their organisation’s income.

All successful organisations can apply for a funding grant of up to £10,000 to incentivise increased trading income during and immediately after the programme.