Why removing barriers to funding works

In November 2021, the Scottish Government announced £45,000 to support Community-Based Adult Learning initiatives in Aberdeen’s grassroots organisations. The funding was given to ACVO, Aberdeen’s Third Sector Interface, to distribute to community organisations across the city in partnership with Aberdeen City Council’s Adult Learning and Community Learning & Development Teams. Distributing the funds quickly was a priority and so there was temptation to stick to traditional methods of funding distribution, i.e. organisations fill in a form and ACVO and partners choose the projects to fund. However, when we all sat down to discuss, it became apparent that there was a need to try an alternative, more inclusive, empowering, community-led method of distributing funds. 

The problem with traditional funding models

The traditional funding distribution model has many flaws and presents barriers to participation with smaller organisations. The obstacle of digital literacy in smaller organisations means that some people simply do not have the time, confidence, or know-how to complete long and complex applications. The playing field is uneven, meaning that those with higher digital skills can complete forms much quicker compared to people with lower digital skills, who take much longer to complete the same work. 

“It took me five hours to complete [a] funding application and the website said it should only take 30 minutes. And then folk wonder why small organisations don’t bother applying for funding.” - Marlene Donaldson, Cairncry Community Centre.

Research shows that people with better digital literacy also tend to have better communication skills in general, meaning that those who struggle just to complete a form often complete it to a lower standard than their digitally literate peers. The competitive nature of traditional funding distribution methods only compounds the issue as it leans in favour of the digitally literate, meaning increased rate of failure for those who are putting in the most effort. It’s no wonder that people don’t want to spend time filling in applications when there’s no guarantee that their efforts will be rewarded. It’s estimated that small organisations in the 3rd sector spend £900 million each year on grant applications alone, due to the time commitment and lengthy decision-making processes. For small grassroots organisations, this equates to an average of 38% of their grant-funded income being spent on further grant applications. Traditional funding methods fall short of empowering applicants and their organisations as they work against people who are already disadvantaged in our digital society. 

Not only are traditional fund distribution methods not inclusive for the applicants, but they are also not inclusive for the community. At no point in the current standard model do community members get a say in what gets funded in their area, even though the projects are supposed to be for their benefit. Furthermore, the competitive nature of the standard model means that organisations are encouraged to design projects that serve the priorities of the funders, which might not necessarily be the priorities of the community. Ultimately, traditional methods of funding distribution fall short of serving those who they are intended to serve, which restricts potential for positive impact. A more inclusive approach to funding distribution is needed. 

A more inclusive approach

Recognising the shortfalls of traditional funding models, when the opportunity to distribute funds to our communities arose, ACVO were keen to show initiative and try a more inclusive approach. The challenge of trying something new, however, was that it needed to be fast for the funds to be spent and make a real difference. What could be an approach that is inclusive, that promotes equality, that places more power in the hands of communities, and that we can execute quickly? 

We opted to work collaboratively and inclusively with a wide range of adult learning providers/Community and Learning Centres, and Community Flats to identify adult learning activities that met the fund’s aims, outcomes and key Adult Learning priorities of the Aberdeen City Community Learning & Development Plan. Following this, 26 Community and Learning Centres/Community Flats and Projects submitted a short summary of activities that they would undertake and were each awarded £1653.84 to take forward and achieve outcomes of the Scottish Government Community Based Adult Learning Recovery Fund and local adult learning priorities (as agreed in the Aberdeen City Community Learning & Development Plan). 

The key elements of this process were: 

• the very short application process to remove digital and written communication barriers

• the even allocation of funding to ensure that every organisation was guaranteed to receive money

• keeping the aim of the fund broad and not restricting what the fund could and could not be spent on, so that organisations can decide for themselves how best to support adult learning

• placing greater trust and power in the hands of the organisations and their respective communities

The response was massive. There was a huge outpouring of gratitude from these organisations who had been working tirelessly to navigate ever-changing Covid restrictions to continue to provide for people and their communities. Organisations accepted the offer who would never normally apply for funding. The model provided a great start to building people’s confidence around securing funding and removing the barriers to participation resulted in increased uptake. The improved accessibility allowed by our model saw funds going into areas where they otherwise would not have gone and saw funds being used for community-led initiatives. Furthermore, the purposefully broad aim of the fund – to support adult learning – meant that the community organisations had more control over how and where the money was used, enabling flexibility with how they respond to community needs. 

Thanks to the fund being distributed by a local organisation with which all applicants were already connected, applicants felt able to get in touch with any questions and knew that we already had knowledge of their specific community, which could further support their project. 

ACVO was able to capitalise on and further strengthen our good working relationship with Aberdeen City Council’s Adult Learning and Community Learning & Development teams by combining everyone’s expertise and support. This fantastic teamwork was able to benefit the communities through the development of an inclusive and accessible funding model. 

The funding made a real difference for adult learning in communities across the length and breadth of Aberdeen and had a profoundly positive impact on learners. The community-based focus of the fund ensured that it reached grassroots communities and people across the City - including communities and adult learners who have experienced barriers to participation and social exclusion in the past. 

The impact on adult learning and the community

The resulting projects achieved the outcomes of the Scottish Government Community Based Adult Learning Recovery Fund and the local adult learning priorities as agreed in the Aberdeen City Community Learning & Development Plan. Adult learners themselves fed back on the great positive impact that the funding had on their learning.

“Due to Omicron and the ever-changing COVID restrictions, our adult learning projects had gone over-budget and there was no way of recouping these costs without passing them onto our centre users, which we of course didn’t want to do. The Community-Based Adult Learning Fund was fantastic because it came at just the right time, and we could spend it in whatever way we felt would best benefit the community. Our adult learning projects were able to go ahead at no cost to participants, which was fantastic!” – Ian Aitken, Cornhill Community Centre.

In addition to adult learning and educational benefits, there were many social benefits that the fund enabled as well such as bringing people and communities together, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving mental health and wellbeing of participants, reducing inequality and exclusion, and assisting adult learning and communities to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. 

“This funding is precisely the type of investment in grassroots community organisations that encourages participation and creates a path to reaching those who wouldn’t normally attend activities.” – Anonymous Fund Recipient.

These examples are only a taste of the wide range of impactful work that the fund was able to support and achieve. In total, the £45000 funded a phenomenal 48 ongoing adult learning activities across the city, as well as provided accredited training opportunities for 37 adults, which increased employability.

“One of our volunteers who had been helping in the café and with the under 11’s did the first aid course and felt she was ready to apply for a job. She successfully applied for a job and is now working as a Carer in a residential home for older people.” - Anonymous Fund Recipient.

“We would welcome any additional opportunities to access similar funds, where small investment represents significant returns on multiple levels for the learners.” - Anonymous Fund Recipient.

Overall, this more empowering, community-led model of distributing funding proved to be very effective. While there are always some areas for improvement, this model is refreshingly promising. Both ACVO and our CLD partners in Aberdeen City Council would relish the opportunity to be able to further develop this model in the future; its benefits are clear and the potential to strengthen our communities is massive. We are thankful that there will be a lasting positive legacy from the Scottish Government Communities Based Adult Learning Fund, which will continue to make a real difference for adult learning in Aberdeen for years to come.