Big Change That Lasts Fund Guidance

The Robertson Trust is here to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland, by funding, supporting, and influencing solutions to drive social change.

The Trust recognises that the causes of poverty and trauma are systemic, and solutions to poverty and trauma are broad and complex. If we are to succeed in our mission, to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma sustainably, we will need to move ‘upstream’ and deliver changes that address the system that hold current levels of poverty and trauma in place in Scotland. We call this big change that lasts.

This is the focus of the Big Change That Lasts Fund: identifying and tackling the underlying causes of poverty and trauma. These are often systemic and structural and sit at a societal level, beyond the control of individuals, households or communities working separately. 

We believe change happens in complex ways:

• it often takes more than one intervention, and action over the long-term;
• it requires ‘systems-thinking’, knowing that to deliver impact we will need to see multiple actions from multiple actors working to reinforce each other over time;
• it requires a sophisticated approach to delivering impact, understanding who can influence decision makers and the broader system to change.

Please note that we can only accept one application at a time per organisation to our Big Change That Lasts Fund (unless we have invited you to submit additional ones). This applies if you are the Lead Organisation for the application but not if you are a partner on another application. We operate a rolling application approach for Big Change That Lasts Fund so proposals can be sent to us when they are ready.

Income level
The Big Change That Lasts Fund is only open to organisations working in Scotland with an annual income of more than £200,000. Annual income is based on the money you received in the last financial year, as presented in your most recent set of audited annual accounts. We understand that the income of organisations may fluctuate from year to year so if needed, we can look at the average of your last three years’ income, as presented on OSCR (or other relevant bodies).

If you are a new organisation or feel there are exceptional reasons for your income dropping below £200,000 please contact us at programmes@therobertsontrust.org.uk to discuss your eligibility. In exceptional circumstances we will accept applications from organisations with income under £200,000 but this will usually be by invitation.

Partnerships
When a partnership of organisations is looking to apply, please note that a lead organisation should make the application on behalf of the consortium and must therefore meet our key eligibility criteria. Other partners in the consortium do not need to meet our eligibility criteria. 

Legal Structure
The following types of organisations are eligible to apply for a Big Change Grant:

• Registered Charities active in Scotland
• Asset Locked Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee (you must be able to demonstrate a satisfactory asset lock demonstrating how you do not distribute assets or profits to individuals or third parties),
• Housing Associations
• Credit Unions

If the proposed project is being delivered by a subsidiary company with a different legal structure to that outlined above, the application must be made by the parent company, which must meet our eligibility criteria as outlined above.

Current Grantholders
Organisations already in receipt of another grant from The Robertson Trust are eligible to apply through the Big Change That Lasts Fund. However, the proposed work should be different and/or additional to the work already funded by the Trust. We do not accept applications for service delivery. 

In addition to the eligibility criteria outlined above, we also expect all applicants to be able to evidence the following:

• A minimum of three unconnected Trustees on your organisation’s Board. By unconnected we mean not related by blood; married to each other; in a relationship with each other or living together at the same address.
• Recent audited annual accounts.
• A safeguarding policy. If your organisation directly supports infants, children and young people or vulnerable adults, we would expect you to have an appropriate policy document which sets out how you will keep them safe.
• A policy on equity and diversity. We want to know that your organisation has a written agreement detailing how you will avoid discriminating against people, and how you will take action to create a safe and inclusive environment both within your workplace and for the people you support.

We may request copies of, or information on, living wage, fair work and climate policies at Stage 2, but these are not necessary for Stage 1 applications and are not requirements for funding. 

For us, big change that lasts means delivering what you might call strategic change, systems change and/or long-term change. We want to fund work that has the best possible chance of delivering significant impact on poverty and trauma over the long-term. We want to fund work that has a clear, thought-through and demonstrable potential to lead to significant impact at scale.

We want to change the systems and structures in Scotland that cause or keep people and places in poverty and that cause poverty-related trauma. The change projects we fund will be focused on taking purposeful, long‑term steps to change how these systems work or building better alternatives. We also want to consider the continuing impact of the work, both after the lifetime of the project, and beyond the people directly involved in the funded activities.

This includes thinking through the links and the logic between the first and next steps of the proposed work and the ultimate aim, the people and organisations that will need to act to deliver that aim, the activities that might enable them to do so, and the partnerships and coalitions of support needed to maximise the chances of that happening.

Some refer to this as a theory of change or logic model. We don’t mind what you call it. What matters is that you have thought through:

• the change you are ultimately aiming to achieve;
• whether this is based on ideas/practices you have developed or tested already or something new to address a gap/need;
• how you will know when change happens;
• how you need to act to drive this change;
• who you need to work with, and who you need to influence, to deliver the change we want to see;
• and why this proposed work has the best chance of succeeding in doing so.

You can watch our webinars on big change that lasts below. While the webinars are from 2024, the core information is still relevant. We plan to do more Big Change webinars in the future and you can keep up to date by signing up for our mailing list.  

What is big change that lasts?

Examples of big change that lasts:

Through our Big Change That Lasts Fund, we expect grants to have a primary focus on one of the following activities:

• Feasibility and development projects – Work to develop ideas with strong potential for change at scale.
• Test and demonstration projects – Work to test and demonstrate new approaches to services that can reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland.
• Advocacy, campaigning and influencing projects – Work to change policy, practice, attitudes and behaviours.
• Research and policy projects focused on delivering change – While we are not a research funder, we will support research that is solutions-focused, applied, and clearly connected to action that delivers change.

We understand that some proposals may span more than one of these project types.

Across all our work, we are particularly interested to see proposals for projects working in a focused way with at least one of our priority population groups within low-income families and/or those at risk of poverty, which are:

• Women, particularly those in part-time work and/or with caring responsibilities
• Formal or informal carers
• Parents, including lone parents
• People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
• Disabled people or those with a long-term health condition
• People with experience of the care system
• Larger families

We are currently inviting applications that focus on delivering big change that lasts under our Financial Security theme. You can read more about our priorities below. 

In your Stage 1 proposal we are looking for a clear focus on the following:

• Links to existing thematic focus: at this stage we are inviting proposals that primarily focus on our Financial Security theme. More information on our priorities for this theme can be found below.

We also encourage applicants to consider opportunities for including our cross-cutting themes of Equity, Diversity, Participation & Rights and/or Climate as part of their proposals.

• Reducing and preventing poverty and related trauma: we will only fund projects where this is the ultimate ambition. Through the Big Change That Lasts Fund we want to fund projects that challenge the structural causes of poverty rather than symptoms. We want to understand how systemic inequalities are addressed within the project and by it.
  
  
• Big change that lasts: the priority for this Fund is to support projects that can deliver wider systemic impact to prevent and reduce poverty and associated trauma in Scotland. Applications should clearly detail how the proposed work links to delivering long-term change on poverty and trauma in general, and it should focus on one or more of our Financial Security priorities.

We expect projects to focus on impactful interventions that align with their own, and any partner organisation’s, strengths and track records.

• Maximising impact through influencing, engagement and/or collaboration: we want to support projects and organisations that are ready to drive impact, have the networks, coalitions and collaborations in place to do so, and can develop partnerships with people and other organisations necessary to do so with a sense of urgency.

What this entails will look different for every project but some things to consider are:

• • opportunities for collaboration or building upon existing relationships to further reach and/or impact;
  • opportunities and routes to influence for further reach and/or impact;
  • any existing evidence, research or projects that can support the proposed work to achieve its aims.

In addition to the above, we are particularly interested to see proposals that consider the following as part of their approach:

• Community power sharing & participation: we seek to bring change-making closer to people, particularly those with lived experience of poverty and trauma. We believe we are more likely to make meaningful progress when people, families and communities are supported and resourced to develop their own solutions to poverty and trauma.

As a country, we have repeatedly made the mistake of ‘doing to’ rather than ‘doing with’ people, families and communities with poverty and trauma. In principle, and in practice, the solutions to poverty and trauma are much more likely to work sustainably if they are as often as possible designed and delivered by people and communities themselves.

As such, the Trust is increasingly aiming to build participation with people with experience of poverty and trauma into our work, and to fund work led by people and communities with experience of poverty and trauma.

• Responsive approach to learning & evaluation: we want to learn alongside grantholders and subject experts to explore what helps or hinders big change that lasts in different contexts.

Therefore, we expect all Big Change grantholders to integrate evaluation and learning into their project activities, to use successes and failures to continuously improve, and be willing to share this learning with the Trust and others.

At Stage 1 we want to understand the outcomes you are seeking to deliver, both during the project and the impact beyond the timeframe of your project, and how you will know the contribution of the project to them. We will ask for more information about your approach to learning in the second stage of the application process.

For some funded projects we will ask for an independent external evaluation to run alongside the project – this will almost always be the case for test and demonstration projects.

The Robertson Trust is here to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland, by funding, supporting, and influencing solutions to drive social change. Our work is organised around four themes: Education Pathways, Financial Security, Nurturing Relationships and Work Pathways.

Within each theme we set priorities for our funding. These priorities are our way of making clear what kind of work we are interested in supporting or the problems we hope to see solved, prevented or reduced. Our priorities are reviewed regularly and may change from time to time.

For the Big Change That Lasts Fund, we are currently inviting applications that focus on delivering big change that lasts under our Financial Security theme. Financial Security means ensuring income adequacy and stability, access to essentials, and effective safety nets that prevent people from falling into poverty.

Our current priorities for the Financial Security theme are in the following areas:

1. Secure foundations: safe, secure, appropriate, affordable access to essentials (including e.g. housing, energy, food, transport and childcare costs).
2. Secure safety net: a social security system which provides and enables a dignified quality of life, supports people in times of crisis and allows us all to participate fully in society.
3. Designing-out insecurity: upstream interventions that prevent long-term financial insecurity (including reform to affordable credit provision, early debt support, the child maintenance system and how debt to public bodies is treated).

We are interested in supporting projects that contribute to delivering big change that lasts on preventing and reducing poverty in (at least) one of these priorities.

Through the Big Change That Lasts Fund we will ordinarily make grants for up to five years or less, and a total grant amount of between £20,000 and £500,000. Most of the grants we will make through this Fund will tend to be between £50K–£100K per year.

Please consider the following points when developing your budget:

• You can apply for project funding* for up to five years, with longer awards by exception. This can include staffing costs and direct delivery costs. We will look carefully at the amount of funding requested in proportion to the existing size and income of the organisation.
• We encourage project budget full-cost recovery (i.e. direct project costs and a proportionate share of organisational overheads), in addition to evaluation costs. We are happy to consider both part funding and fully funding the costs of Big Change Grant applications.
• Given recent trends in inflation it is important proposals for more than one year include a realistic assumption for cost-of-living and price increases.

* By project funding we mean project restricted revenue funding – as opposed to funding for core costs or unrestricted funding.

Overall, we will not fund work unless it can demonstrate a high potential for delivering big change that lasts, beyond the funding term and beyond the direct beneficiaries of the work. This will need a well-thought through plan for how the proposed work links to delivering long-term change on poverty and trauma.

We will not fund work through the Big Change That Lasts Fund that could be funded through Our Funds, including Large Grants. Please see here for more information about our other funding programmes.

The following is not an exhaustive list but provides broad examples of the type of work we would be unable to fund within Big Change Grants:

• Projects that would be eligible for support through Our Funds.
• Work that is not relevant to at least one of our four themes outlined above (please note that our current focus is on the Financial Security theme).
• Direct delivery of services, unless testing new or scalable approaches with a particularly high potential for big change that lasts.
• Funds for onward distribution unless it has a particularly high potential for big change that lasts.
• Work that has a low potential for impact beyond the funding period or beyond the direct beneficiaries of the project.
• Unrestricted funding, though we do encourage full cost recovery and will fund a proportionate share of organisational overheads through Big Change Grants.
• Wider interventions and approaches which do not have a clear connection to delivering big change that lasts on tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland.
• Applications which are about improving or changing internal organisational capacity, capabilities or structure (unless there is a clear link to how this will improve outcomes for people experiencing poverty and/or trauma).
• Work which solely seeks to build understanding of the causes and/or consequences of poverty and trauma as opposed to delivering solutions on poverty and trauma.
• Restricted funding for capital projects.

We recognise that many organisations now use AI tools as part of their day-to-day work, and we understand the potential value they can bring when preparing an application. You can use AI to support your submission, but please make sure to read our guidance before you do so. 

Our guidance explains what we expect from applicants, how information should be presented, and the standards your application must meet. It's important that your final submission reflets your organisations own ideas, plans, and evidence - not content generated solely by AI.

If you choose to use AI tools, please ensure that:

• The information is accurate, appropriate and genuinely represents your project. 
• You review, edit, and take full ownership of the application. 
• You follow all requirements set out in our guidance.

Our application process has no closing deadlines and happens over two stages:

Stage 1 involves completing a short application which gives a clear, high-level outline of your change idea. We will internally review your application and let you know of the outcome within 10 weeks.

Our Stage 1 assessment process is primarily focused on eligibility criteria, and our assessment criteria which covers the areas highlighted above (focus on poverty & trauma; the potential to achieve big change that lasts; and maximizing impact).

If you are successful at Stage 1, we will invite you to complete a Stage 2 application.

Stage 2 applications are longer, and we will ask you to share more detail about your proposal. This will then be reviewed, usually by internal and external assessors, and we may also book in a call with you as part of the assessment process so that we can hear more about the project directly from you.

The timeframe for Stage 2 is in part dependent on when you can return the Stage 2 proposal to us. Our aim is to make a final funding decision within 6 months of you sending us your Stage 1 application.

Apply Now - Stage 1 Application

• We'll email you to confirm we've got your application and when you can expect to receive a decision.
• We will respond to Stage 1 applications within 10 weeks and make a final decision within six months of receiving your Stage 1 application. 
• We'll send all correspondence about your application via email, so it's important that the email addresses and contact details you provide in your application are correct. We'll normally contact the person you've listed as the 'application contact' in the first instance, so it's helpful if this person is available during the assessment period. Please let us know if there are any changes to the contact details provided. 
• We'll assign a member of our team to assess your application. They may get in touch with you during the assessment period and will be able to help with any changes or updates you might need to make to your application.