2024 Christmas School Holiday Food and Activities Fund has now closed
The aim of the fund is to support local organisations deliver activities and food to children and young people from low-income families across Falkirk during the Christmas school holiday.
- Funding up to £250 will be available for projects
Applications must be submitted by Wednesday 13 November 2024.
The panel will review applications until Friday 22 November 2024. Outcomes will be communicated, and payments processed starting from Monday 25 November 2024. This timeline allows your groups sufficient time to organise and promote your activities, with funding expected to reach you a couple of weeks before the start of the Christmas holiday.
Who is the funding intended to reach?
The funding for the 2024 Christmas School Holiday Food and Activities Fund targets school-aged children and young people, with a particular emphasis on those who are likely to face disadvantages due to ongoing poverty.
The priority groups identified by Fairer Falkirk's analysis of national and local data include:
- School-aged children (5 - 14)
- Young people (14 - 19)
- Large families (3 + Children)
- Lone parents
- Care Experienced Young People
- Kinship Care Families
- Priority areas
Fair Work First
Moving forward, all organisations receiving public sector grant funding must comply with the Scottish Government's Fair Work First Guidance. This will apply to organisations receiving funding through the School Holiday Food and Activity Fund.
Please review the guidance and confirm if your organisation is compliant with the following:
- Payment of at least the real Living Wage
- Appropriate channels for effective workers' voice
- If you do not currently meet this, then you can request an exemption. If you are not compliant, then please confirm this and tell us the reasons why an exemption should be granted (for example, you are working towards compliance, or the size of your organisation is such that at present you are unable to comply).
A new section has been added to our application form. Please get in touch with the Fairer Falkirk team if you need help with it or experience any problems.
Receipts and End of Award report
Receipts must be provided on request for any significant items of expense which funding has been requested for. By applying for and accepting this funding, you are acknowledging that you understand this and will provide this information at our request.
It is a criterion of grant funding that an End of Award report is submitted, using the template we provide. At the end of the Christmas activities, you will be asked to complete the report. Failure to provide information may have a detrimental impact on any future funding applications.
How to apply
Complete the online form below:
A guide on how to submit the application can be downloaded below:
- Downloads
-
Guidance on completing the application form
PDF file, 2 MB
New limitations on activities that will/will not be funded are applied from 2023 Autumn Fund:
- Downloads
-
New restrictions - Autumn 2023
PDF file, 163.4 KB
Applying for multiple funds
It is now possible to apply for multiple School Holiday funds simultaneously. While any group or organisation can apply for multiple funds, this option is particularly beneficial for those delivering similar types of sessions across different holidays.
In the application form, you'll notice new fields in the "Sessions" and "Expenses" tabs. Before adding a session or listing expenses, you’ll need to select the specific holiday to which the sessions and expenses apply.
The available school holiday funds are Christmas 2024 and Easter 2025. You can apply for one or two. If you only wish to apply for the Christmas fund, simply select "Christmas 2024" and proceed as usual.
I understand that changes to the form can sometimes be challenging, so please don't hesitate to ask for help if needed.
If your application for multiple funds is approved, you will not need to reapply for the subsequent funds. However, please note that a positive response from the panel does not guarantee the receipt of funds. The final amount will be confirmed once all applications for the relevant funds have been reviewed and finalised.
Fund amounts
To assist you in applying for multiple funds and planning your activities in advance, the maximum amounts available for each holiday fund are:
| Fund |
Amount |
| Christmas 2024 |
£250 |
| Easter 2025 |
£800 |
Contrary to previous communications, the 2025 February School Holiday Fund has been cancelled. Additionally, the funding amounts have been reduced, particularly for the Christmas fund. We understand that lower funding may impact your ability to deliver activities, but our goal is to support as many groups as possible.
Notification email
We have implemented a notification email system to confirm the receipt of your application. Once your application is submitted, you will receive an automatic email confirming the submission, which will include a PDF copy of your application. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours, please contact fairerfalkirk@falkirk.gov.uk as soon as possible, as this may indicate that your submission was not successfully delivered.
Support is available to help you develop your application
Completing your application
For help completing your application, including how you can promote food and activities towards the target groups, contact:
Organising activities
For advice on how to organise activities for children and young people contact:
Capacity building
For help with capacity building, applications and event organising, contact:
For help with capacity building, applying for funding, and governance support contact:
Menu ideas and food guidance
For menu ideas, portion guidance, resources, and training to support the food provision of funding, email fv.fvcommunitynutrition@nhs.scot or visit: