Charities urged to apply for vital LNER community funding
Charities across Scotland are being encouraged to apply for funding from LNER’s 2027 Customer & Community Investment Fund (CCIF).
Grants of up to £10,000 are available to small and medium-sized charities based within 15 miles of the East Coast Main Line for projects that support LNER's three key priorities: better for planet, better for people and better for places.
Among the organisations to have benefited previously is East Lothian environmental charity Balanced Horizon, which is now encouraging other groups to put themselves forward.
Interest in the fund continues to grow, with more than 400 applications in the latest funding round. Seventeen projects were selected for support, helping deliver tangible benefits to local people and communities.
Balanced Horizon works to protect biodiversity and promotes coastal restoration across Scotland. It has used the award to buy a quad bike, enabling the team to carry out large-scale coastal clean-ups. Balanced Horizon has removed debris following winter storms, and it uses the bike to support tree planting and habitat recovery.
Other Scottish charities that received support from LNER include Red Chair Highland, a community interest organisation based in Inverness that used CCIF funding to expand its digital inclusion programme in rural communities. Charities and organisations in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh have also received funding.
Kerrie Flockheart, Project Lead at Balanced Horizon, said: “We're very grateful to LNER for funding our new quad bike. It allows us to quickly remove larger items washed up on our beaches and reach more remote areas that were previously difficult to access, making it a real asset to the charity and helping us expand the work we do. We would encourage other organisations to submit a bid for CCIF funding.”
More details about the CCIF and the application process can be found here: Customer & Community Investment Fund | LNER
Rachael Wilson, Community Investment Manager at LNER, said: “Our communities are at the heart of everything we do. Through the Customer and Community Investment Fund, we are proud to support organisations delivering positive change for people, places and the environment.”
“We look forward to receiving applications from charities and community groups whose work is helping to build stronger, more sustainable communities across the LNER route.”