It has been set up by the Crossdykes Windfarm and will be available to Langholm, Ewes and Westerkirk; Lockerbie; Middlebie and Waterbeck; Eskdalemuir and North Milk for charitable projects and activities benefiting those communities.
About £240,000 will be available each year for the main grants programme, with small grants of under £2000 accessed via the local community councils.
In addition, individual educational bursaries are going to be launched.
Grants for a wide range of costs are available to eligible community groups of between £2000 and £30,000 per year, up to a maximum of three years.
The fund is open now with a deadline for applications of October 30 and decisions will be made in mid December.
The new fund is provided by Crossdykes WF Limited from its Crossdykes Wind Farm, which was developed by Muirhall Energy. It is distributed by Crossdykes Community Benefits Limited, a charitable company which is run by volunteers drawn from the local communities.
Support is being provided by charity Foundation Scotland’s South of Scotland team, who are ready to help groups with their applications.
Nicholas Jennings, chair of Crossdykes Community Benefits Limited, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching this first round of grant making with funds provided from the Crossdykes Wind Farm. This is a new fund and we know groups may have questions about how to apply – we warmly welcome pre-application enquiries. Please get in touch if you have any questions about the funding available.”
To find out more on how to apply, go to www.ccbf.org.uk.
