shmu Community Support Fund disperses £25,000 in Aberdeen

Scottish Government-funded initiative will help community groups respond to COVID-19

As a Community Anchor Organisation, shmu was chosen by the Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund to disperse £25,000 of funding to community groups and organisations in Aberdeen.

The shmu Community Support Fund offered between £500-£2000 to support groups to deliver new or existing activity in response to COVID-19.

Our aim was to get the money out to small community groups who could make a difference at a local level by using it to tackle identified needs in their community.

The fund received 28 proposals totalling £43,956 from a variety of local community groups over the short 10-day submission period.

The proposals were primarily focused on Aberdeen’s regeneration areas, and we received requests for a number of different project ideas; from food and utility provisions to craft and activity packs for children, and from online support resources to meaningful home-based activities.

We then had the difficult process of shortlisting these proposals and deciding who we would be best placed to support. We also decided to offer partial support options in order to allow us to help more groups.

We’re pleased to announce that the full £25,000 was awarded on Wednesday 27th May, just two weeks after the launch of the fund, with groups receiving their money on Friday 29th May.

Ron Bird, Community Worker at the Middlefield Project was delighted to receive support and had this to say about the process: “Thank you shmu,very grateful! Such a quick turnaround. Would like to feed back that the process was logical and straightforward. Good job guys!"

Here’s a full list of the organisations we supported, more details can be found on the shmuSupports website:

African Women’s Group Scotland (SCIO)
Aberdeen in Recovery
Cultivate Aberdeen
Langstane Housing Association
Mastrick Community Centre
Miscarriage Information Support Service
Powis Community Centre
Seaton Community Church
St Machar PSP
Sunrise Partnership
Tillydrone Community Council
Touch of Love Outreach
Kittybrewster Congregational Church
Cornhill Community Association
Middlefield Project - under 11s
Northfield Church
One Seed Forward
Old Torry Community Centre
Printfield Community Project
Torry Rainbows
Time to Heal
Powis Residents Group
Igbo Community Aberdeen
Kittybrewster Parents Voice

Photo: Volunteer Alan Pirie from St Machar Rotary Club delivers surplus supermarket food to Powis Community Centre for distributing to residents