LEADER
Visit the Highland Leader website for more information.
LEADER – funding for community projects
The European LEADER fund is available to support projects which are aimed at community development.
What’s it for?
Projects that are eligible for funding must fall within one or more of the following themes:
- local development strategies, eg community consultations, feasibility studies, local development plans
- culture and heritage, eg music, arts, local history, or interpretation projects
- training and learning opportunities, eg increasing access to learning, new training projects, skills for volunteers
- access to services, facilities and activities, eg increasing the range of services in the community, new activities, providing a new facility in the village hall, etc
- land, environment and access to the countryside, eg development of crofting community initiatives, signage and interpretation, paths, community archaeology projects
- renewables, eg small scale pilot renewable energy projects, feasibility studies for renewable energy projects, community recycling schemes
- tourism, eg local marketing initiatives, creating niche tourism products
- social enterprise and micro-businesses, eg projects based on community woodlands; increasing the value of local products; training for social enterprises.
The project must be new in some way. LEADER doesn’t replace existing funding or fund repairs and maintenance.
Who can apply?
Constituted community groups, social enterprises (micro or small businesses), voluntary organisations or public sector bodies with a project idea that will benefit a rural community can apply.
Individuals can also apply in some cases provided the project is community driven and will benefit a wide section of the community
How much funding is available?
LEADER provides match-funding in a project, ie you have to have other sources of funds for the project. These could be either public (eg
How do I find out more?
Visit the website, www.highlandleader.com, or contact