Just Transition Fund North East and Moray Development Grant 2026/27: Up to £300,000 for Planning-Stage Community and Social Enterprise Projects

Just Transition Fund North East and Moray Development Grant 2026/27: Up to £300,000 for Planning-Stage Community and Social Enterprise Projects

At a glance

What this grant is for

This development grant is the planning-stage route inside Scotland’s Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The broader fund is a 10-year commitment launched in 2022, but this page is about the 2026/27 development grant stream, which is specifically for projects that are not yet ready for full delivery funding.

That distinction matters. A development grant is not the same thing as a capital award for a finished build, asset purchase, or delivery programme. It is the type of support you use when a good idea needs structured work before it can credibly compete for larger money. In practice, that can mean feasibility work, early design, stakeholder engagement, partnership building, business planning, and the other unglamorous tasks that make a project fundable.

The Scottish Government says up to £300,000 in resource funding is available on an ongoing basis for this stream. There is no fixed closing date for the development grant, but the process may close during the financial year once the available money has been allocated. If you are considering this route, the right question is not “when is the deadline?” but “can I get my expression of interest in while the fund is still open?”

Why this opportunity matters now

The North East and Moray are in the middle of a long economic transition. The Just Transition Fund exists to help the region move away from carbon-intensive activity while creating new jobs, new skills, and new opportunities. That makes the fund useful not only for climate projects, but also for place-based economic development work that has a clear net zero direction.

For applicants, the development grant is especially useful because it can help you do the hard preparation work before you seek larger delivery money. If a project is still at concept stage, you may be too early for a capital stream. If you already have a stronger proposal but need partner agreements, technical scoping, or community consultation, this grant can help you get there.

The 2026/27 funding year is also unusually helpful for planning because the broader fund has several streams. The development grant sits alongside bigger capital streams and a supply chain pathway fund. That means the planning grant can be a stepping stone: you can build the evidence, local buy-in, and project logic now, then use that preparation to compete for a bigger implementation route later.

If your idea is about community benefit, local resilience, economic diversification, or skills tied to net zero, this is worth a close look. If your project is fully delivery-ready and mainly needs capital, it may be better to aim at another stream instead of trying to force a planning-stage application.

Who should consider applying

This stream is aimed at organisations that have a project idea worth developing but need help shaping it into something fundable. The official guidance says applications should be led by a registered charity, business, or public sector body. Individuals cannot apply.

It is also geographically specific. Your organisation must be based in, and have a strong connection to, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, or Moray. The project itself must deliver activity and benefits in those areas. That means the fund is not just about where your office sits; it is about where the public benefit lands.

This makes the grant a strong fit for:

• community groups working through a constituted charity or similar body,
• social enterprises building a local net zero or resilience project,
• local businesses with an early-stage transition idea,
• councils, agencies, or other public sector bodies with a regional partnership project,
• collaborations that need planning money before they can seek a larger award.

It is a weaker fit for projects with no local anchor, no credible delivery partner, or no clear connection to the North East and Moray economy. It is also a poor fit if you are already looking for construction money, procurement money, or a pure capital asset purchase.

Eligibility details that matter

The guidance is stricter than a simple “good idea” check. There are a few practical hurdles you should test before you spend time on the expression of interest.

First, the applicant organisation needs to be solvent and able to meet the fund’s requirements. Second, the project should support the transition to net zero in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, or Moray. Third, the applicant must meet Fair Work First criteria, including paying the real Living Wage and providing appropriate channels for employee voice.

Collaborative bids are welcome, but the guidance expects at least one partner to be based in the eligible area. If you are building a partnership, do not leave that proof vague. Put the local connection in writing and be ready to explain who is doing what.

One important exclusion is community energy. The guidance says community energy projects, such as renewable energy installations or community energy generation, are not currently being accepted through this stream to avoid overlap with the GB Energy Community Fund. If your proposal is really a community energy proposal, use the GB Energy route instead of trying to shoehorn it into this fund.

The simplest way to think about fit is this: the project should be local, net-zero aligned, financially realistic, and still in the planning phase. If one of those four pieces is missing, the bid is probably not ready.

What the development grant can help you do

Because this is resource funding for a planning-stage project, the best applications usually ask for support that reduces uncertainty. Think about the work that would make the difference between “interesting concept” and “solid project case.”

Useful planning activities are likely to include:

• feasibility or options appraisal work,
• early-stage community or stakeholder engagement,
• technical, commercial, or delivery scoping,
• partnership development and governance work,
• baseline evidence gathering,
• outline business planning,
• preparation for a later capital or delivery bid,
• identifying measurable outcomes and indicators.

The key is to connect the work to a future decision. If the planning task will answer a question that matters to investors, funders, partners, or a board, it is more defensible. If it is just general organisational overhead, it is much harder to justify.

Try to avoid writing the grant as if it were already the delivery phase. The fund is there to help you decide what the delivery phase should be. That means reviewers will usually expect you to show a real planning need, not just a wish list of things you would like to do if money appears.

How to apply

The application route is straightforward, but it is not a conventional long-form grant submission. The Scottish Government says that if your project is still at the planning stage, you should send an expression of interest using the template provided on the fund’s supporting documents page.

The practical steps are:

1. Read the official guidance and supporting documents.
2. Download the expression of interest template.
3. Complete the template with your project idea, local connection, and planning need.
4. Email the completed expression of interest to [email protected].

Do not treat the email as a formality. The template is the first filter, and it needs to do enough work on its own to show that the project is credible, local, and aligned with the fund. If your EOI is weak, vague, or not clearly about planning-stage development, you are making the reviewer’s job easy in the wrong way.

Also note the timing risk: because there is no closing date, the stream can close once the available resource funding has been allocated. That means a polished expression of interest should go in as soon as it is ready, not after a long internal delay.

How to build a stronger expression of interest

The best EOIs for this grant are specific, local, and realistic. They show that the applicant understands both the place and the transition challenge.

Start with the problem you are trying to solve. What is missing in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, or Moray? Is it a skills pipeline, a local service, community resilience, business transition support, or something else connected to net zero? State the problem in plain language.

Then explain why planning support is needed now. Good answers are concrete:

• you need feasibility work before deciding between two delivery options,
• your partnership is promising but still needs governance and roles,
• you need community consultation before selecting a site or model,
• you need technical evidence before moving to a capital phase,
• you need to test whether the project can be delivered sustainably.

Next, show the local benefit. The fund exists to support the North East and Moray transition, so your output should not read like a generic climate project pasted into a Scottish form. Say who benefits, where they are, and what changes if the project succeeds.

Finally, be ready with measurable indicators. The guidance and assessment approach point toward practical outcomes. Even at planning stage, you should be able to say what success will look like later: jobs created, households helped, emissions reduced, local partnerships formed, or other outcomes that fit the project.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is applying as if the development grant were a full delivery pot. If your idea is already fully scoped and you mainly need capital, you are probably targeting the wrong stream.

Another mistake is weak geographic framing. “Scotland” is not enough on its own. The fund is specific to Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray, so your bid should make the local link obvious and credible.

A third mistake is ignoring the community energy exclusion. If the project is basically a renewable installation or community generation scheme, the guidance says to use the GB Energy Community Fund instead.

Other mistakes that usually weaken planning-stage bids:

• asking for support without explaining why planning work is needed,
• describing activity without showing who benefits,
• failing to show a partner based in the eligible area,
• overlooking Fair Work First expectations,
• treating the EOI as a placeholder instead of a decision-making document.

The simplest fix is to write for a reader who knows the fund well. Assume they will look for fit, place, and purpose first, and only then for the money.

FAQ

Is there a closing date?

No fixed closing date is listed for the development grant. The Scottish Government says the process is ongoing but may close during the financial year once funds are fully allocated.

How much can planning-stage projects receive?

Up to £300,000 in resource funding is available for the development grant stream.

Who can apply?

The official guidance says the lead applicant must be a registered charity, business, or public sector body. Individuals cannot apply.

Does my project need to be in the North East and Moray?

Yes. The applicant needs a strong connection to Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, or Moray, and the project must deliver activity and benefits there.

Can community energy projects apply?

Not through this stream at the moment. The guidance says those projects should go through the GB Energy Community Fund instead.

Is this a good fit if I already have a finished project plan?

Maybe not. This grant is designed for projects that are still being planned or developed. If you are already ready to deliver, another stream may be a better match.

Official links

• Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: applicant guidance
• Supporting documents and expression of interest template
• Just Transition Fund general guidance
• Community and social enterprise capital projects

If you are preparing an EOI, start with the guidance page, confirm that your organisation and project fit the geography, and then keep the proposal focused on what the planning money will unlock next. That is the clearest path to making this development grant work for you.