Our Regional Community Benefit Fund Reopening in Summer 2025

The Transmission Regional Fund aims to support strategic projects across the north of Scotland. These projects are expected to have a significant and transformational impact beyond more than one community. The panel will also be interested in seeing innovative projects which could be replicated in the future, maximising the overall impact of the scheme. 

Local Funds will be available solely to communities who are situated close to new infrastructure. These funds will support projects that aim to positively impact local communities. The focus for these funds will be developed through discussions with communities, ensuring that local priorities are supported. 

SSEN Transmission conducted an extensive  consultation to identify these themes. This included aligning with local area needs assessments and regional community planning reports, engaging with local authorities and third sector organisations, and engaging with local communities.

This fund is now closed for 2024. Details of funding levels for the next round will become available when the fund reopens in Summer 2025.

To be eligible for funding, applicants will have to be a legally constituted community group, a non-profit organisation, or a registered charity. Applications will only be considered if they benefit communities within the SSEN Transmission network area, meet the fund criteria and fall under the identified themes. 

In addition, applications will not be considered if they fall under the following categories: 

• The advancement of religion or politics (including requests to support the core activities of religious or political groups)   

• Direct costs of energy consumption  

• The repayment of loans or payment of debts  

• Trips abroad  

• Costs already incurred or activities which will take place before we have made a decision on an application (retrospective funding) 

• Payments towards areas generally understood to be the primary responsibility of statutory authorities 

The decisions on who should receive funding are made by an independent panel. The regional panel is made up of four independent panellists and one SSEN Transmission employee. The panellists were selected through an open recruitment process and all have a record in supporting communities and local people. The panel are united in their vision to deliver genuine support to communities across the north of Scotland.

All panel members have been identified through an open recruitment process. The Chair of the panel is Peter Peacock, former Scottish Government Minister and Convenor of Highland Council. The remaining panel members are:

Louisa Macdonell (Vice chair)

Lucy Conway

Nicholas Gubbins

Christianna Logan (SSENT representative)

Governance processes are in place to ensure that all panel members understand their role and responsibilities. Panel members will serve for 3 to 6 years.

All applicants will be contacted with information about the application outcome after the Panel meeting in January 2025. A list of all successful applications will then be published on this website. 

Adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. These goals have been put in place to transform our world and are integrated within SSE Group business goals. 

Applicants are asked to align with one or more of the UN Sustainability goals as these form the basis of all outcome measures for funded projects.

Yes - The SSEN Transmission Community Benefit Funds are completely separate from all other SSE Funds. Therefore, you can still apply for this fund if you have previously applied for, or are currently in the process of applying for, any other Community Benefit Fund. 

Applications of this kind will be considered by the panel; however, applicants should take into consideration the strategic nature of this fund. As such, it is important that applications demonstrate that there will be a wider benefit to any apprenticeship/training provision/scholarship, beyond a singular individual.  

Local funds are being developed in consultation with key stakeholders and community representatives on local priorities and objectives. You can find out more about our local funds here.

As part of your application, you will need to answer a series of questions designed to help us understand your project and its potential impact on the community. To assist you in preparing, we have provided a document that outlines all the questions you will encounter in the online application process.

We strongly encourage applicants to familiarise themselves with these questions and prepare their answers in advance to ensure a smooth and efficient application experience. You may wish to copy and paste your answers into our online application form for ease. You can access the document here to review the questions and begin your preparation.

Taking the time to thoroughly prepare your responses will help us better evaluate your project and its alignment with our funding goals.

You will be asked to upload the following documents as part of your online application:

Required documents:

• A signed copy of your organisation’s constitution
•  Your organisation’s latest annual accounts (independently verified)
• A bank statement belonging to your organisation from within the last 3 months
• Your Project Budget Plan
• Detailed cost breakdown of the entire project, specifying which elements you are seeking funding for from this fund. Where possible, include quotes or supporting evidence.

Optional documents/if applicable:

• A copy of your organisation's latest AGM minutues
• Your Business Plan (or similar document which provides context on the project and organisational priorities, explaining how you will achieve them)
• Three quotes for relevant pieces of work
• Your organisation’s Child Protection/Vulnerable Adult Policy
• Letters of Support
• Any other documents you believe would support your application

No, the Community Benefit Fund is not a compensation scheme. It is designed to support and deliver local projects and initiatives that benefit the community. Unlike compensation, which typically addresses specific impacts or losses, the fund aims to provide positive contributions and support for communities.

Our approach is centred on ensuring that communities hosting our infrastructure are acknowledged and supported in a meaningful way. We are committed to transparency and fairness, making sure that the benefits provided genuinely contribute to the long-term development and prosperity of the community, without any perception of undue influence.

We will be open and transparent with all of our funding decisions. Our panel is made up of one SSEN Transmission employee and four independent panellists, one of whom will be chair. For the regional fund, the panel will seek to maximise positive outcomes to communities based on our selected three themes. These themes were created in consultation with community representatives and were tested in our public consultation.

For local funds, we will work with local communities to align with the actual needs and priorities of the local population. This process involves extensive consultation with community leaders and residents to understand what will make the most meaningful impact. All initiatives are monitored and evaluated to ensure they deliver real, lasting benefits, beyond any PR considerations.

UK Government guidance outlines best practice for community benefit funding associated with new transmission infrastructure and SSEN Transmission will adhere to this guidance.  

We can 100% fund projects or we can part fund along with other funders. Our fund can also be used as one of several funding sources including other SSE group community benefit funds.

Funding projects for more than one year is possible with our fund, however, as we expect demand to be high, applicants should note that multi year funded projects will need to be of an extremely high standard and deliver exceptional outcomes.