Area: Scotland
Deadline: As of February 2026, this fund is currently paused but hopes to open again soon

About the fund

Run by the Scottish Community Alliance, the Community Learning Exchange is a fantastic opportunity for communities who are planning new ventures or thinking about future possibilities, to learn from the experience of others. 

There is nothing so powerful as learning from your peers and the Learning Exchange offers an opportunity to do just that.

Prior to the pandemic, the Learning Exchange operated solely on a face-to-face basis with groups travelling the length and breadth of Scotland to make visits to communities where there was something of interest to see and learn about.

As the world moved online, so did the Learning Exchange. Virtual learning exchanges proved surprisingly effective and in many respects were considered to be more accessible, cheaper to organise, and with a much reduced carbon footprint.

To that end, the Scottish Community Alliance now offers a blended form of the Community Learning Exchange which can include either virtual or face-to-face visits.

Funds available

Virtual

A grant of up to £200 is available for virtual exchanges, which could take the form of:

• Video calls
• Webinars
• Pre-recorded videos with live Q&A
• Virtual tours
• Podcasts
  Other ideas you may have!

Face-to-face

The Exchange will fund up to £1,000 to cover the costs of a visit by members of one community to another community project, to include travel, accommodation and subsistence, and a fee for the host organisation.

How to apply

Although the Community Learning Exchange fund is run by the Scottish Community Alliance, all applications are endorsed by Alliance members - including Creative Lives.

Fill in the form at https://scottishcommunityalliance.org.uk/community-learning-exchange/ - select 'Creative Lives' from the drop-down menu, and put [email protected] as the email address. Creative Lives will then receive a copy to review and endorse.