Tay Cities Match Funding

Stage 2 readiness and match-funding control view for the Cultybraggan Centre for Friendship and Creativity. Checked 27 July 2026.

Current Position

The application is now in assessment; the useful work is preparing the evidence that would be asked for next.

Submission position
EOI submitted and receipt confirmed

Joanne at [email protected] confirmed receipt on 17 July 2026 for consideration under the Culture & Tourism Challenge Fund.

Immediate action
Do not send extra material unless asked

The acknowledgement did not request corrections, attachments, or further information.

Likely next gate
Stage 2 business case if invited

The EOI form states that a business case is required at Stage 2 if the EOI is successful.

Stage 2 Evidence Pack

No artificial project dates here: this is the material to have ready if Tay Cities invite a business case.

AreaWhy it mattersEvidence heldWork neededHow to strengthen weaker evidence
Match funding evidence
Strengthen
CTIP requires at least 50% match funding, so Stage 2 needs a credible stack with funder positions and fallback routes.EOIs have been placed with potential match funders; CDT has previous funding relationships with most prospects; CARES feasibility work is already funded and underway.Get written status updates, decision dates, eligibility confirmation and whether each award can count as capital match.Use previous CDT awards as confidence evidence only where true; state clearly that Wolfson is new to CDT and should remain unconfirmed until a direct route is tested.
Cost plan and specifications
Assemble
Stage 2 will need a costed, deliverable capital project rather than a broad vision.EOI cost headings and capital package are defined; heritage conservation and energy workstreams are already separated.Assemble updated costs, quotes, assumptions, VAT treatment, contingencies and which funder each cost line could support.Where quotes are missing, flag them as estimate bands and name the technical information required to convert them into firm prices.
Governance, permissions and delivery readiness
Assemble
Funders will test whether CDT can legally and practically deliver a capital programme at this scale.EOI includes governance, risk and applicant details; CDT owns and manages the site and has a track record of previous grant-funded works.Collect board approval, ownership/lease evidence, permissions constraints, conservation-professional route, procurement approach and delivery roles.Use previous successful delivery as capacity evidence, but separate historic track record from current permissions still to be secured.
Visitor demand and destination case
Strengthen
The Stage 2 case needs to show that investment unlocks visitor days and regional spend that the current infrastructure cannot capture.Known interest from German visitors and people with German ancestry; VisitScotland alignment; EOI narrative around Cultybraggan as an underdeveloped anchor destination.Gather enquiries, visitor stories, tour feedback, regional stay/spend logic, and partner statements from tourism or local businesses.Use a clear before-and-after argument: current offer attracts interest despite weak infrastructure; investment makes the site worth a longer journey, longer dwell time and wider Tayside itinerary.
Museum-specific funding cluster
Watch
MGS, Wolfson and NLHF museum elements are co-dependent on accreditation, collections significance, interpretation scope and capital readiness.Jailblock Museum and interpretation package are central to the EOI; MGS Repair and Adaptation opens to EOIs on 29 July 2026.Clarify accreditation or Working Towards Accreditation status, collections significance, and whether the Jewish history strand needs research-first funding.Position museum routes as a sequenced cluster rather than separate guaranteed match, with MGS advice as the next credibility step.

Tourism Case To Sharpen

Keep the focus on German visitors and Americans with German ancestry, then show the before and after clearly.

Current position

Cultybraggan already attracts German-linked interest, but the visitor infrastructure, interpretation and capacity are not yet at destination quality.

After investment

Investment creates a visitor offer worthy of longer journeys, repeat tours, education visits and regional itineraries.

Evidence to gather

Past enquiries, tour feedback, visitor book comments, accommodation links, and VisitScotland international visitor-day strategy alignment.

Current position

The German POW story is known locally, but the Jewish refugee/Pioneer Corps angle is still under-researched and under-interpreted.

After investment

The project opens a new socially valuable strand of heritage, broadening the visitor proposition without drifting beyond the evidence.

Evidence to gather

Archive research plan, academic partner interest, Valerie Campbell/local history sources, and any confirmed Pioneer Corps records.

Current position

Visitors can currently experience fragments of the site, but there is not yet a strong enough anchor for multi-day Tayside stays.

After investment

A stronger Cultybraggan destination gives German visitors and Americans with German ancestry a reason to base trips around the area, benefiting food, accommodation, transport and other attractions.

Evidence to gather

Regional business support letters, itinerary examples, accommodation partner statements and current tour-to-local-spend examples.

£2,050,000
Original capital forecast tracked
6
Open or opening routes
1
Submitted applications
0
Closed routes to avoid
2
High-risk assumptions

Application status to watch

CARESSubmitted

Application is in. CDT is waiting for a response. The published Community Buildings Fund route supports community-building decarbonisation and appears capped well below the original £400k forecast.

Community Buildings Fund closes at the end of October 2026 or when fully allocated; Approved projects must be complete and claimed by 15 March 2027

MGSOpening soon

Multiple Scottish museum routes are live or opening. Innovation and Unlocking Potential are open to 20 January 2027; Repair and Adaptation opens to EOIs on 29 July 2026.

Repair and Adaptation Fund EOIs open 29 July 2026 and close 9 September 2026; Innovation Fund and Unlocking Potential Fund close 20 January 2027; Small Grants Fund reopens for EOIs in September 2026

WolfsonRoute check

Do not rely on DCMS/Wolfson: that route is England-only. Direct Wolfson is UK-wide but narrow and should be tested only after accreditation, collections significance and public-access fit are clear.

Direct Wolfson Round 2 Stage 1 deadline was 1 July 2026; Next direct Wolfson Stage 1 opening: 20 November 2026; Direct Wolfson Round 1 Stage 1 deadline: 5 January 2027

PKCRoute check

Some PKC community funds are open or recurring, but the scale needed here depends on a specific place, regeneration or strategic capital route being identified.

Community Environment Challenge Fund and Common Good Fund dates vary by local route

AbertayRoute check

No single open grant route identified. Relevant support is likely through partnership, knowledge exchange, live research calls or in-kind input.

Dates depend on live academic, UKRI, Innovate UK, Interface or knowledge-exchange calls

Showing 11 of 11 funders

National Lottery Heritage Fund

Open for applications. Grants over £250,000 require an Expression of Interest first; full applications are by invitation after EOI review.

Openlow risk
Forecast
£650,000
Realistic Range
£250k-£10m route; £650k target plausible if scoped well
Capital Match
strong

Known funder dates

  • -No fixed deadline published for the main £250k-£10m route

Criteria

  • -UK heritage project
  • -EOI required for grants over £250,000
  • -Must address saving heritage, environment, inclusion/access/participation, and organisational sustainability

Best fit

Priority hut conservation, Jailblock Museum, archive access, interpretation, participation infrastructure and access improvements.

Work needed

Get NLHF Scotland route advice on whether the bid should start with development-phase funding and how to package conservation, interpretation, volunteering and activity costs.

NLHF £250k-£10m guidance

Historic Environment Scotland

Open. Historic Environment Grants Fund is HES's main flexible project fund for Scotland's historic environment.

Openmedium risk
Forecast
£500,000
Realistic Range
£100,001-£750,000 Large Grants
Capital Match
strong

Known funder dates

  • -EOI open all year with expected 10-day response
  • -Large Grant application deadlines: 31 October 2026 and 28 February 2027

Criteria

  • -Clearly relates to a Scottish historic environment asset
  • -Appropriate match funding and value for money
  • -Works must not have started unless agreed
  • -Physical works need an accredited conservation professional
  • -Applicant must own the asset or hold a full repairing lease with at least 20 years remaining

Best fit

External-envelope repairs, priority Nissen hut conservation, conservation specification and specialist repair packages.

Work needed

Prepare the conservation scope, condition evidence, lease/ownership position and conservation-professional route before relying on HES as capital match.

HES Historic Environment Grants Fund

CARES / Local Energy Scotland

Application is in. CDT is waiting for a response. The published Community Buildings Fund route supports community-building decarbonisation and appears capped well below the original £400k forecast.

Submittedmedium risk
Forecast
£400,000
Realistic Range
Application submitted; current comparable route appears capped below original £400k forecast
Capital Match
confirm

Known funder dates

  • -Community Buildings Fund closes at the end of October 2026 or when fully allocated
  • -Approved projects must be complete and claimed by 15 March 2027

Criteria

  • -Community organisation
  • -Renewable and low-carbon building measures
  • -Likely technologies include solar PV, battery storage, heat pumps and eligible efficiency measures
  • -Up to 80% of eligible costs in the published Community Buildings Fund route

Best fit

Solar generation, battery-ready infrastructure, energy management and low-carbon enabling works.

Work needed

Capture the decision when it arrives, then confirm in writing which costs are eligible and whether any award can be treated as CTIP capital match.

Original £400k forecast should stay flagged until Local Energy Scotland confirms a route that can support that scale.

CARES Community Buildings Fund

Museum-specific funding cluster

These routes are co-dependent: accreditation status, collections significance, interpretation scope and the museum capital package need to line up before the funders can be treated as separate confirmed match sources.

Museums Galleries Scotland

Multiple Scottish museum routes are live or opening. Innovation and Unlocking Potential are open to 20 January 2027; Repair and Adaptation opens to EOIs on 29 July 2026.

Opening soonmedium risk
Forecast
£300,000
Realistic Range
£60k, £100k, or £250k routes depending on programme and accreditation fit
Capital Match
possible

Known funder dates

  • -Repair and Adaptation Fund EOIs open 29 July 2026 and close 9 September 2026
  • -Innovation Fund and Unlocking Potential Fund close 20 January 2027
  • -Small Grants Fund reopens for EOIs in September 2026

Criteria

  • -Museum-specific project
  • -Accreditation or Working Towards Accreditation may be required
  • -Programme fit depends on whether the ask is development, repair/adaptation, innovation or unlocking potential

Best fit

Museum development, accessibility, interpretation, collections care and accreditation-readiness.

Work needed

Confirm the Jailblock Museum accreditation position and ask MGS to map the museum package to the right programme sequence.

MGS grants programme

DCMS/Wolfson / Wolfson Foundation

Do not rely on DCMS/Wolfson: that route is England-only. Direct Wolfson is UK-wide but narrow and should be tested only after accreditation, collections significance and public-access fit are clear.

Route checkhigh risk
Forecast
TBC
Realistic Range
Direct Wolfson usually £15k-£100k for historic buildings or £50k-£500k for nationally significant collections
Capital Match
weak

Known funder dates

  • -Direct Wolfson Round 2 Stage 1 deadline was 1 July 2026
  • -Next direct Wolfson Stage 1 opening: 20 November 2026
  • -Direct Wolfson Round 1 Stage 1 deadline: 5 January 2027

Criteria

  • -DCMS/Wolfson route is for England
  • -Direct Wolfson museums route usually requires full accreditation and nationally significant collections
  • -Direct Wolfson historic buildings route requires outstanding historic, architectural and cultural significance with public access
  • -Best suited to display, interpretation and learning-space quality

Best fit

Only a tightly scoped museum display or interpretation ask if national significance can be evidenced.

Work needed

Treat as a speculative route. Contact Wolfson for eligibility advice only after CDT can make a strong national-significance case; do not cite previous CDT success because there has been no Wolfson award.

Wolfson museums and galleries guidance

Perth and Kinross Council / place funds

Some PKC community funds are open or recurring, but the scale needed here depends on a specific place, regeneration or strategic capital route being identified.

Route checkhigh risk
Forecast
£200,000
Realistic Range
Routine community routes appear much smaller unless a strategic route is found
Capital Match
confirm

Known funder dates

  • -Community Environment Challenge Fund and Common Good Fund dates vary by local route

Criteria

  • -Community benefit and local support
  • -Some funds require 50% match
  • -Strategic or regeneration funding likely needs PKC sponsorship

Best fit

Visitor access, toilets, wayfinding, active travel links, enabling works and place-based match.

Work needed

Ask PKC External Funding for a written list of realistic place, regeneration and strategic capital routes, rather than assuming routine community funds can supply £200k.

PKC community funding support

DTAS / Scottish Government Strengthening Communities Programme

Award already secured. This is enabling revenue, not a new open capital-match route.

Securedlow risk
Forecast
£159,359
Realistic Range
Secured enabling revenue
Capital Match
none

Known funder dates

  • -Funding period and reporting dates should be tracked under the grant agreement

Criteria

  • -Capacity-building post
  • -Multi-year development journey
  • -Sustainable income and reduced grant reliance

Best fit

Business development capacity, income strategy, partnership development and capital-bid groundwork.

Work needed

Treat as secured enabling revenue and keep it out of the CTIP capital match total unless Tay Cities explicitly agrees otherwise.

DTAS funding programmes

Creative Scotland / culture programme sources

Open year-round through National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations. Targeted funds appear separately as Creative Scotland opens them.

Open year-roundmedium risk
Forecast
£60,000
Realistic Range
Open Fund for Organisations; project scale depends on programme
Capital Match
none

Known funder dates

  • -No fixed deadline for the Open Fund for Organisations

Criteria

  • -Creative activity, project, production, programme or R&D
  • -No fixed deadline for the open fund
  • -Revenue/activity rather than infrastructure-led capital

Best fit

Artist commissions, theatre and digital heritage, youth workshops, events and residencies.

Work needed

Build a costed creative programme brief around POW creativity, cartoons, theatre and contemporary responses.

Creative Scotland Open Fund for Organisations

Abertay University / academic partners

No single open grant route identified. Relevant support is likely through partnership, knowledge exchange, live research calls or in-kind input.

Route checkmedium risk
Forecast
£35,000
Realistic Range
Partnership, in-kind, student and research leverage; direct cash not dependable
Capital Match
none

Known funder dates

  • -Dates depend on live academic, UKRI, Innovate UK, Interface or knowledge-exchange calls

Criteria

  • -Research or knowledge-exchange fit
  • -Digital heritage, games, interpretation or evaluation scope
  • -Likely depends on live calls and academic partner capacity

Best fit

Digital interpretation, archive research, youth skills, evaluation, knowledge exchange and prototype content.

Work needed

Request a partnership letter and send a scoped digital heritage / games / evaluation brief that Abertay can map to live routes.

Abertay research and knowledge exchange

Visitor giving, crowdfunding and patrons

Crowdfunder partner match funds are live, but each fund has its own criteria and approval process.

Openmedium risk
Forecast
£50,000
Realistic Range
Campaign-dependent; confirm only once pledges and match conditions are documented
Capital Match
possible

Known funder dates

  • -Decision timing varies by partner fund; published guidance indicates reviews can take 1-4 weeks

Criteria

  • -Campaign must meet partner criteria
  • -Match funds normally decided after campaign review
  • -Funds are paid after campaign and drawdown conditions are met

Best fit

Public campaign, donor care, small gifts, sponsorship, event fundraising and match-challenge campaigns.

Work needed

Design a giving proposition and only count confirmed pledges or match-fund awards once conditions are documented.

Crowdfunder match funding

Trusts and foundations

Several trust and foundation routes are open or rolling. Foyle Foundation is permanently closed and should not be treated as live.

Openmedium risk
Forecast
£50,000
Realistic Range
Outcome-led small to medium grants; strongest local fit is Gannochy
Capital Match
possible

Known funder dates

  • -Gannochy 2026 portal opens 3 August 2026
  • -Gannochy 2026 deadline: 2 October 2026 at 12 noon
  • -Capital projects require a Stage 1 Capital Project Summary Template before full application
  • -Foyle Foundation is permanently closed

Criteria

  • -Specific community, youth, inclusion, culture, heritage or built-environment outcomes
  • -Avoid generic running-cost asks unless the fund permits core costs
  • -Some routes depend on charity status, income size or poverty/trauma focus

Best fit

Youth workshops, volunteer coordination, school resources, access support, community events and training.

Work needed

Build a shortlist around specific activity outcomes, with Gannochy as the strongest immediate local fit. Remove Foyle from live prospect lists.

Gannochy Trust grant guidance