Donations for good causes

Lone parents, the elderly and children’s education are among the first causes to benefit from the University of St Andrews Community Fund.

The £30,000-a-year fund was launched in April to support groups and activities in St Andrews and the surrounding area.

Applications are accepted from organisations and groups from across Fife, providing their activities have an impact on St Andrews and the neighbouring communities or demonstrate a clear opportunity to increase engagement with the University.

Among the first causes to benefit is Kilrenny Anstruther and Cellardyke Community Council which will receive £1000 to support the over 75s and lone parents who may be experiencing hardship, with PPE (personal protective equipment), IT equipment and food.

Community Action St Andrews (CASA) will receive £300 for materials to make masks for the community, and St Andrews Preservation Trust will receive £290 for a project to create activity packs for children to design and write a postcard for an older person in their local community.

The City of St Andrews Pipe Band will also receive £500 to run online classes and run an in-house competition.

Although the Fund was conceived before the Covid-19 crisis, the University recognised that key to a community’s recovery and the very fabric of life in communities are the many small voluntary bodies that are responding to the needs of their residents with a will and bravery which must be commended.

Projects eligible for funding of between £250 and £3000 include those which: benefit communities in the local area (St Andrews and neighbouring communities); increase engagement between the University and the community; promote knowledge exchange and widening participation; promote environmental sustainability; promote diversity and inclusion; and celebrate St Andrews and the local area’s heritage, whether physical or cultural.

All applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The fund will prioritise small, grassroots charities and community organisations over larger organisations.

Local branches of national charities are eligible to apply if they are financially independent and locally managed, and national charities if they have a distinctive offering to the local community.