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Finding funding is a huge challenge but Common Good Funds are a significant and often overlooked source of funding for charities in Scotland. Here's everything you need to know and how to find if your council has one.
Common Good Funds in Scotland originated in the 15th century and are the assets and income of some former Burghs. I believe that they have a combined value in excess of £300m, which generates at least £20 m annually. Not all councils, or all towns have them and there’s no central register. Councils appear to have a wide remit in how they spend these, concerns have been raised (see below) and I've found one that was underspent by £100k in 2023. Following research that found Common Good Assets have the potential to deliver much greater benefit, this is now being looked into by the Scottish Government.
The list of funds below and their values was sourced from The Ferret (Scotland’s investigative journalism cooperative), which posted an article on Common Good Funds, which estimated their values, provided more information on some and argued that these were in need of reform. I think the information was obtained through multiple Freedom of Information Act requests.
| Council | Value 2020/21 |
| Aberdeen City | £127.1m |
| Aberdeenshire | £8.6m |
| Angus | £21.1m |
| Argyll and Bute | £8.1m |
| City of Edinburgh | £26.2m |
| Clackmannanshire | £5.4m |
| Dumfries and Galloway | £8.9m |
| Dundee City | £3.6m |
| East Ayrshire | £5.2m |
| East Dunbartonshire | £1.2m |
| East Lothian | £16.6m |
| East Renfrewshire | £1.7m |
| Falkirk | £1.8m |
| Fife | £9.4m |
| Glasgow City | £22.7m |
| Highland | £46.9m |
| Inverclyde | £1.5m |
| Midlothian | £9.4k |
| Moray | £20.8m |
| North Ayrshire | £4.1m |
| North Lanarkshire | £4.1m |
| Orkney Islands | £1.1m |
| Perth and Kinross | £6.9m |
| Renfrewshire | £39.8m |
| Scottish Borders | £16.4m |
| South Ayrshire | £15.1m |
| South Lanarkshire | £3.8m |
| Stirling | £1.3m |
| West Dunbartonshire | £3.5m |
| West Lothian | £23k |
I don't know if the list above is comprehensive but I've also managed to find an online map of common good assets, albeit I don't think this is complete either.
Falkirk Council - Common Good Funds exist in Falkirk, Bo'ness, Grangemouth and Denny and are used to benefit residents of these areas. The Fund can be spent on: distribution of grants to individuals and organisations, repair & maintenance of assets, and the costs of administering the funds by the local authority. The Common Good Funds are administered by the Council and overseen by local Councillors, through the Common Good Sub Committees.
You can use this Google doc to search and find what common good funds in your local area have been spent on and how much.
Common Good Fund References
Scottish Government - The land of Scotland and the common good: report (2014).
A registered charity ourselves, the CEF works for any non profit, not just charities.
Plus, 100+downloadable funder lists, 40+ policies, 8 online health checks and the huge resource base.
Quick, simple and very effective.
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This article on Scottish Common Good Funds is for general interest only and does not constitute professional legal or financial advice. There is limited data available on these, so I've sourced the best that I am able to find in order to help charities identify funds to apply to but I do not think it is comprehensive and may contain inaccuracies. I'm neither a lawyer, nor an accountant, and I cannot write guidance that covers every charity or eventuality. I have included links to the sources I used, which you must check to ensure that whatever you create reflects correctly your charity’s needs and your obligations. In using this resource, you accept that I have no responsibility whatsoever from any harm, loss or other detriment that may arise from your use of my work. If you need professional advice, you must seek this from someone else. To do so, register, then login and use the Help Finder directory to find pro bono support. Everything is free.
