Pre-budget 2025-26 scrutiny - Third sector funding principles
Overview
Every year the Social Justice and Social Security Committee looks at what the Scottish Government could consider when developing its budget.
This year, the Committee has heard of concerns about funding challenges faced by the ‘third sector’.
The Committee wants to examine how the Scottish Government’s approach to fair and efficient funding can contribute to the continued effectiveness of the third sector.
Find out more about the background to this inquiry on the Scottish Parliament's website.
How to submit your views
Please submit your views using the online submission form.
The Committee wants to hear from:
- third sector organisations
- private sector organisations who fund the third sector
- public sector organisations who fund the third sector
- academics with an understanding of third sector funding
It would like to understand what can be done now to make the public funding process more efficient, so available funding can be used more effectively.
Please submit your views using the online submission form, linked to below. It is not necessary to answer every question.
- Please select ALL sources of funding your organisation currently receives
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: How would a shift to longer-term funding of three years or more support your organisation?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: What specific challenges do you foresee in transitioning to such a funding model?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: If relevant, please provide any specific examples of how your organisation has been affected by a lack of longer-term funding certainty.
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: In what ways would flexible, unrestricted core funding enhance your organisation's operational effectiveness and governance?
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: What specific challenges do you foresee in transitioning to such a funding model?
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: If relevant, please provide any specific examples of how your operational effectiveness and governance have been affected by a lack of flexibility in your core funding.
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: How critical are inflation-based uplifts and full cost covering, including core operating costs, to the sustainability of your organisation?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: What impacts have you observed or anticipate without these adjustments in your funding?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: If relevant, please provide any specific examples of how your organisation’s sustainability has been affected by a lack of inflation uplifts and/or full cost covering.
- Real Living Wage Commitments: What challenges does your organisation face in ensuring all staff are paid at least the Real Living Wage?
- Real Living Wage Commitments: How would improved funding arrangements support your organisation to meet this commitment?
- Efficiency in Funding Processes: What improvements in the application, reporting, and payment processes could make the funding system more efficient for your organisation?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: What are the primary advantages you foresee in transitioning to longer-term funding arrangements of three years or more for third sector organisations?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: What potential challenges do you foresee in transitioning to longer-term funding arrangements of three years or more for third sector organisations?
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: What are the challenges you see in providing flexible, unrestricted core funding to third sector organisations and how could these be overcome?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: What measures do you currently have in place to ensure that the funding you provide includes inflation-based uplifts and covers full operating costs?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: How do you balance the need for sustainability with fiscal constraints and changing economic conditions?
- Real Living Wage Commitments: What challenges have you encountered in incorporating the requirement for third sector organisations to pay staff at least the Real Living Wage into your funding decisions?
- Efficiency in Funding Processes: How could the process for third sector organisations making funding applications, reporting, and receiving payments be more efficient and consistent?
- Efficiency in Funding Processes: What are the barriers to this?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: What are the benefits of providing longer-term funding arrangements of three years or more for third sector organisations?
- Longer-Term Funding Impact: What are the challenges in providing this and how could these be overcome?
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: What are the benefits of providing flexible, unrestricted core funding to third sector organisations?
- Flexibility and Core Funding Needs: What are the challenges in providing this and how could these be overcome?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: How might including inflation-based uplifts and covering full operating costs influence the overall effectiveness and sustainability of the third sector?
- Sustainable Funding and Inflation Adjustments: What are the challenges in providing this and how could these be overcome?
- Real Living Wage Commitments: What impact do you think the ability for third sector organisation to pay their staff the Real Living Wage has on their services?
- Real Living Wage Commitments: What are the challenges in providing this and how could these be overcome?
- Efficiency in Funding Processes: How could the process for third sector organisations making funding applications, reporting, and receiving payments be more efficient and consistent?
- Efficiency in Funding Processes: What are the challenges in providing this and how could these be overcome?
We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language.
The call for views will close on 16 August 2024.
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