We understand that community energy projects are challenging, and a degree of flexibility is required to help projects progress. We want to make sure that the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) funding can support community organisations to fill gaps, support a range of projects and address project challenges outside of the timings of the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund.

This fund is open to applications at any time, until available funds are fully allocated. CARES funding is currently for the 2025-26 financial year, which means all funds must fully spent and drawn down by 31 March 2026. You can apply for this fund if your project meets the guidance for the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund (except meeting application deadline dates) and you can evidence an urgent deadline for funding to keep your project on track. Where you have an existing CARES award you can apply if Local Energy Scotland has confirmed your request should be managed through the Resilience Fund rather than a change process. Applicants must clearly evidence the need for funding, specify the timing of the spend, and expect to be held to the timing set out in any funding offer.

Applications are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Intervention rates and maximum awards will be to the same as those of the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. It will be possible to receive funding through the Resilience Fund, whether or not you have an existing Community Energy Generation Growth Fund award, as long as your project meets the criteria.

Applications to this fund will not be considered where you can reasonably apply to the core CARES funds for the costs in question. Please see our CARES funding page and review the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund Guidance for details. If you have read the guidance and are unsure, please send a short email with your organisation’s name, project details and why you feel your application doesn’t fit to info@localenergy.scot, and a Local Energy Scotland development officer will be able to advise on next steps. Projects already in contact with a Local Energy Scotland development officer can email this information directly to them. Following this, you will need to submit an expression of interest form via the CARES project portal to formally apply for funding. More information on this can be found below.

What can be funded?

Examples of the types of projects that can be funded include:

  • Timescale example – A community energy project urgently needs to pay a grid deposit. The published timings of the CARES Community Energy Generation Growth Fund mean that going through this normal CARES funding cycle would result in missing the grid payment deadline date.
  • Cost increase example – There are weather delays that mean keeping plant and equipment onsite for longer, and cost increases go beyond what your contingency budget can reasonably cover. Your Local Energy Scotland development officer recommends that you apply to the Resilience Fund rather than manage this through a change process.

Projects will only be progressed through this fund where there isn’t an alternative CARES funding option. Local Energy Scotland may also invite CARES projects to apply to this fund where we think extra funding could help speed up projects before other core funding rounds open.

What can’t be funded?

Examples of activity that can’t be funded:

  • If you applied to another CARES fund and your application was unsuccessful, it’s not possible to apply to this fund for the same or similar activities, unless you were invited to do so in your unsuccessful application feedback letter.
  • Applying in advance of another core CARES fund opening where you can’t clearly show why the application is urgent and why your request can’t wait for the funding round to open.
  • Projects that are only eligible for the Community Buildings Fund. The Community Buildings Fund is allocated on a first come first served basis or until the fund closes, with a queuing system to allocate funds.

Eligibility

Please review the Community Energy Generation Growth Fund guidance for all eligibility requirements, noting that you do not need to meet application deadlines when applying for the Resilience Fund.

Assessment

Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For initial enquiries please submit an email referencing ‘Resilience Fund’. Please be clear why you feel you need to apply to this fund and why the timescales, type of project or cost increases mean your application cannot be progressed through other funding.

We will either write to explain why we can’t support your request, outline next steps to apply, or set up a call with a Local Energy Scotland development officer to go over your request and potentially move forward with it.

If moving forward, you will need to visit the CARES project portal and submit an expression of interest form with information about your organisation and project so that we can check eligibility before you submit a full application. If you already have a CARES portal account, please use this account to submit a new expression of interest form for the new project. When you start to fill out your online application, please select ’Resilience Fund’ at the start of the ‘Project details’ part of the application. This is important as it affects the questions that will be shown for you to complete.

Next steps

Please make sure you have carefully read all the guidance above. This funding is only available where other core CARES funding, like the Community Buildings Fund or Community Energy Generation Growth Fund are not an option open to you. If you believe that this fund is the best route open to you, please submit an initial enquiry email to the team at info@localenergy.scot.