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Guidance to Applicants for Funding

Each year Highland Cross receives requests for assistance that total more than it can support  Therefore after great consideration, it is clarifying its grant giving preferences.

Highland Cross

• wishes to concentrate its funding on charities and incorporated organisations, regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator that seek to work for the benefit of the people of Highland who are disadvantaged through medical or social causes.

• regards “Highland” as being the geographical area administered by Highland Council.

• will only fund capital items.

• will not consider applications for revenue costs such as running costs, expenses or staff costs.

• will not consider applications for retrospective funding.

• prefers not to fund second hand vehicles or equipment.  An applicant would have to have exceptionally strong reasons for such a purchase.

National charities are welcome to apply to Highland Cross for funding for capital items for projects that are of direct benefit to people of Highland.  However the panel will wish to examine why the funding is required where a charity has a major national fundraising operation. They will also require assurances that the assets will continue to be applied to the benefit of people of Highland for the foreseeable future and that there is a sustainable plan for their use in Highland should the national charity cease operations in Highland.

Highland Cross

• will show preference to those charities who are the end user of the item(s) being funded.

• will show less preference for charities who are raising funds for an item e.g. vehicle or building where that will be handed over to a third party that is not a charity especially if the third party is a statutory body.

• will not fund minibuses or other vehicles for local authority schools.

• is reluctant to donate to large collector funds where there is a long time scale to the realisation of a project. Highland Cross may contribute to such a project where they are being asked to fund the cost of a specific item to complete the project such as furnishings or equipment for a building.

The Application date

Applications must be with Highland Cross by 30 September each year.  

The Commitment from Charities nominated as Major Beneficiaries

Major beneficiaries are expected to contribute to the successful organisation of the event by contributing £1,000 towards the costs and providing 20 appropriate people to act as marshals.  

Applications for smaller amounts of assistance

Applications for smaller amounts of assistance should also be made by 30 September each year, and if surplus funds are available from that year's event, a distribution may be made thereafter. The smallest grant ever given was for just under £60.  Applicants for smaller sums are not required to pledge finance but Highland Cross will look to beneficiaries that receive larger sums from the “small” grants to support a future Highland Cross with “hands on” assistance on the day to help with marshalling duties.

Application process

Whether charities are looking for a small grant,  or to be a major beneficiary, applications must be made on the funding application form.

The charity application form can be downloaded here.

The completed form should be sent ideally by email to charities@highlandcross.co.uk with the required supporting documents to arrive by 30 September.   If sending by post, please send form and documents to Highland Cross Organisers, Redwood, 19 Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 4AA.

Please ensure that you use the current form.  Applications made on previous versions of the form will have to be rejected.

Charity Selection Process

All applications undergo an initial screening to ensure that they meet the basic eligibility criteria.  If successful at that stage, applications go to an Independent Selection Panel. The Organising Committee do not select the charities as a number of the Organisers are professionally involved with charity work in the Highlands.

Major Beneficiaries

Charities are chosen by an Independent Charity Selection Panel of three members who are quite   separate   from   the   Organising   Committee. Highland Cross will have four or five major beneficiaries each year.  The   Charity   Selection   Panel normally selects up to 6 potential major beneficiaries for interview which will take place in November or early December each year in Inverness. The Panel will then inform the Organisers of the nominated causes. 

The Independent Charity Selection Panel takes a number of criteria into consideration. A copy of the Panel Guidance can be obtained here.

Smaller Grants

Grants for smaller amounts are assessed on the basis of the application form. Where they consider it necessary the Independent Charity Selection Panel may seek additional information from applicants.

Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team SCIO

Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team SCIO is a registered charity established in 1971. Our purpose is to save lives and to provide relief to those in need through the provision of a voluntary mountain rescue service, primarily in Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire. The team consists of around 40 unpaid volunteers. We are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help anyone in difficulty in the mountains and elsewhere in an area spanning more than 2,600 square miles.

The number, type, duration, and complexity of callout that we respond to differs between years with no two years being the same. Those needing our assistance can be of any age, local, or from further afield. We respond to a wide variety of incidents including some involving the most vulnerable in our communities and those caused by extreme weather events.

In 2025, we responded to 33 incidents and gave 1759 hours of volunteer time on rescues. Our volunteers also gave more than 4000 hours to attend team training.

We currently rely on four 4x4 off-road vehicles, based throughout the team’s area in Dingwall, Ullapool, Mellon Charles and Cannich to safely transport our volunteers, their personal kit, stretchers, first aid equipment and specialist rescue kit to and from callouts.

Our oldest off-road vehicle is scheduled for replacement. We plan to base the new vehicle in Dingwall which provides ease of access to east and west locations as well as inland glens. Once funds are in place, an order for the new vehicle will be placed without delay.

Glenurquhart Care Project
The Glenurquhart Care Project is a dedicated charity serving older and vulnerable individuals across the Glen Urquhart, Strathglass, Kiltarlity, and Beauly communities. Our centre provides essential services that enhance quality of life, including nutritious meals, opportunities for social interaction, domestic support such as cleaning, laundry, hygiene assistance, and meal deliveries. For many, these services are a lifeline - helping to combat isolation and maintain dignity and independence.
 

A vital part of our work is ensuring that those without transport can access the centre. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Highland Cross 2022 organisers, we were able to purchase a minibus which truly transformed our ability to reach people who might otherwise go days without meaningful social contact. We remain deeply grateful for this support, which made a profound difference to our organisation and the lives of those we serve.
 

Growing demand for our services means we are currently struggling to collect all those who wish to attend the centre. We are seeking funding to purchase an additional vehicle, which would allow us to reach more individuals and reduce the feelings of isolation experienced by elderly members in rural areas with no access to reliable public transport.
 

This additional vehicle would benefit more than 90 local people who rely on our centre for connection, nourishment, and care. It would also enable us to expand our domestic support services, which have seen a significant increase in demand recently. By providing these services in people’s homes, we help them remain independent for longer, reducing pressure on the wider health and social care systems.
 

Your support would help us continue our mission of ensuring that no one in our community feels forgotten or alone.

Isobel Fraser Home
The home’s founder, Isobel Fraser, was a woman known for her great humanity, imagination and keen awareness of the needs of others, providing care for the elderly and infirm of Inverness in 1899. This philosophy has continued in the purpose-built listed building in Crown area of Inverness since 1938. We remain to be an independent, charity run home, providing exceptional person-centred care, love and trust, and ensuring that all residents in our Isobel Fraser family are care for to the highest standards.

We are looking for support to be able to purchase a minibus for the home. This would open various doors for the residents, allowing them to be part of the community again. It would help us to be able to take the residents out to allow them to continue with a live outside the walls of Isobel Fraser, making memories and enjoyment in Inverness and the wider area. We would use the minibus to ensure that residents get out and about, allowing them to continue to be part of the community of Inverness by going to various events in supporting other local charities. It would also allow us to continue with our annual “residents Holiday”, allowing us to transport our residents to the holiday destination. We use taxis currently to support us to take the residents to hospital appointments, this becomes costly for the residents; with the use of our own minibus this would drastically reduce this cost for the residents also.

Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers
The Skye and Lochalsh Community Care Forum SCIO is a registered charity, it established the Skye and Lochalsh Young Carer service in 2000.

The service supports young carers from 5 to 18 years of age who are at risk of underachieving as a result of providing care and support for a family member. These young carers in our community are geographically, financially and/or socially disadvantaged.
 

We provide opportunities for young carers to be children and young adults first. Through weekly support group activities and regular respite breaks they are able to put aside their worries and responsibilities and focus on fun and new experiences in a supportive environment.
 

Through skill development activities which link into practical experience on the respite breaks we promote personal safety, team working, confidence building and ambition. To ensure no young carer is disadvantaged by geography or financial restrictions we cover all transport and activity costs. We tailor our service provision to meet the needs of individual young carers; some need regular one to one support for respite and skill development activities due to their own difficulties/chronic illness/disability or condition.
 

Having a new minibus in will increase reliability of our services and maximise opportunities for young people in Skye and Lochalsh. This minibus will significantly reduce our existing running costs which will help to make our service more sustainable in the longer term.