Scottish groups compete for a share of Royal Bank of Scotland’s £140,000 Skills and Opportunities Fund

Twelve organisations from across Scotland are in the running for a share of a £140,000 fund set up by Royal Bank of Scotland – with the public now being asked to vote for their favourites.

Hundreds of not-for-profit organisations across the UK and Ireland have applied for the latest round of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Skills and Opportunities funding – and the public are now being invited to help decide which ones should go on to receive grants of up to £35,000.

Voting is now underway and the public have until Friday April 20 to register their vote on who should receive funding.

FetLor Youth Club, the Highland Cattle Society, Positive Action in Housing, Upward Mobility, The Food Foundation, Auchinleck Community Development Initiative (ACDI), Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau, Remake Scotland, Islay & Jura Community Enterprises, Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau, Stirling District Citizens Advice Bureau and The Community Help and Advice Initiative (CHAI) have all made the shortlist.

Malcolm Buchanan, chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Scottish board, said: “We received an excellent response from organisations across Scotland working hard to make a difference in their communities.

“The diversity and standard of entries has been superb and shows how keen some individuals are to improve the lives of the people who they live and work beside.

“It’s going to be a very difficult decision now to choose the ultimate winners of this round – and that’s where the public vote comes in.

“The Skills and Opportunities Fund offers the opportunity for real change for Scotland. We want to see everyone take the time and cast their vote.”

The public can find out more about the finalists and cast their vote by visiting skillsandopportunitiesfund.rbs.com.

Since the Royal Bank of Scotland Fund first opened in 2015, 41 community organisations in Scotland have received over £848k in grants from the Fund, leading to 71 new businesses, 121 jobs and over 1,600 qualifications, and benefitting over 19,300 people in total.

Previous winners Saheliya, an Edinburgh-based specialist mental health and wellbeing support organisation for black and minority ethnic (BAME) women and girls, received support for their Pathways to Self-Employment project for women who want to start their own business.

Their representative said: “I have never met a more inspirational group of women, many have come through major trauma as asylum seekers, others are survivors of FGM or domestic abuse, but they all had the determination to better themselves and become financially independent - it was a privilege to work with them all.”

Thom Kenrick, head of sustainable banking integration and programmes at Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “The projects funded by the fund are helping thousands of people across the UK & Ireland to develop money or business skills, gain qualifications, or start a new business. Voting takes just seconds but feedback tells us that the benefits can last a lifetime.”

Winners of the Spring round of the Skills and Opportunities Fund will be announced on May 25. A second Skills and Opportunities Fund will take place in the Autumn.