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The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

As part of the “Deaf Sector Partnership (DSP)” project, Deaf Action were funded to support early implementation of the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, as per previous discussions and proposals devised by the DSP in conjunction with the Scottish Government Equality Unit and Voluntary Action Fund.

The proposed core activities of the DSP were:

• Support delivery of actions set out in the BSL National Plan
• Support the civic participation of a range of BSL speakers across Scotland
• Support engagement between BSL speakers and public bodies
• Increase awareness, confidence & skills in relation to tactile BSL
• Publish the BSL National Plan and raise awareness of such
• Provide guidance to listed authorities in a range of ways

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Identify, engage with and empower Deaf BSL speakers aged 18-30 (16-17 if in full time education within FE/HE sector), including these with protected characteristics, across Scotland so that they can participate in and engage effectively in society and with structures and bodies.
• Support public bodies to better understand and prepare to meet the needs of BSL speakers and meet their obligations under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, and support the Scottish Government with implementing the Act.
• Promote the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 and associated processes on a national & global basis, sharing learning and experiences so that other countries can benefit and contribute to sign language legislations. Ensure Scottish BSL speakers are represented in global citizenship & politics.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Scottish Seniors Alliance (SSA) project was funded to take forward the agendas for older people that had been developed and nurtured by SSA through the seniors forum model. The methodology would be to support extant forums, and grow and support those groups of older people who wanted to take forward their issues in a cohesive way. From that grassroots approach the project would be able to provide the authentic voice to statutory sector, government agencies and others who serve older people and the wider community.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Older people with sensory and physical impairment, and from the minority communities will be supported to better influence policy and service developments and be recognised for their contributions.
• 6 bi-monthly senior forum meetings per-year will be held. These will be attended by older people representing grassroot members from 32 local authorities in Scotland with 20-30 members attending per meeting.
• Provide a high quality information service which includes email, news bulletins, policy briefings and 6 Newsletters per year to approximately 100 forums per year in the 32 local authority areas in Scotland.
• SSA will continue the collaborative process between older people's groups and local and national government, health boards etc, representing the voices of older people .
• SSA will be proactive in responding to issues of concern to older people both at a local and national level, involving older people in policy debates and responding to consultations.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Making It Work project was funded to support Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) in its work as the only government funded organisation in Scotland specifically working towards monitoring, supporting and developing the profession of sign language interpreting and associated functions, SASLI aims to broaden and develop its scope to meet legislative, demographic and societal changes. The project would focus on developing new pathways to validate skills, protecting user communities through driving up and maintaining professional standards will increase accountability to deaf and deafblind people.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Deaf people have a greater choice of appropriately skilled and registered communication support professionals, making possible effective communication and inclusive participation in daily and public life and in educational/learning environments.
• Deaf people have a greater choice of appropriately skilled and registered communication support workers, to ensure effective learning and inclusive contribution in educational/learning environments.
• Deaf and deafblind people are trained and employed to provide training to enhance skills of communication support professionals
• The SASLI Register includes a specific category to recognise deaf people who have developed life and work skills through their lives. This replaces the need of accredited qualifications to encourage recognition and value of skills gained through life and not through education pathways.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Highland Equality and Fair Work in Action Project was funded to provide a local specialist “Equality and Employment Rights Advice and Representation Service” to empower workers in the Highlands who (due to having a protected characteristic and in particular a disability) may suffer unlawful discrimination and/or disadvantage when their rights are breached which will reduce barriers to justice; reduce discrimination and inequality; will promote early intervention; increase in ‘fair work’ practice; increase cohesion/community participation and progress social policy issues.

The specific outcome to be achieved was:

• 1600 Highland workers who (due to having a protected characteristic – mostly notably those who have a disability) suffer unlawful discrimination or related breaches of their equality/employment rights will have improved access to a local specialist advice and representation service which will advise of their individual rights and options and improve access to justice in order to reduce discrimination; reduce disadvantage; increase fair work and reduce barriers to participation.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Parents’ Project was funded to build on the People First’s Parents’ Group work in reducing the discrimination experienced by parents with learning disabilities and supporting parents to participate in, and engage with, services and society. The project would employ a part-time development worker to support a self-advocacy group of parents with learning disabilities (Parents’ Group), provide individual advocacy, support parents to provide training and participate in strategic planning fora.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Parents with learning disabilities are more aware of their rights and responsibilities and have increased confidence and skills both in parenting and in contributing to training and policy
• Parents with learning disabilities have access to more information in appropriate formats, helping them to engage with services, participate in society and be the best parents they can be
• Professionals have an increased awareness and understanding of the issues for parents with learning disabilities, they are more likely to adopt a supported parenting approach in line with current policy so parents with learning disabilities experience fewer barriers to exercising their right to family life.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Equality Engagement project was funded to support a tailored mentoring program (the PLC scheme) and a shadowing scheme to provide support to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) individuals to access public life and increase their engagement. All the activities would be inclusive, aimed at both BME men and women equally. Joint work would be carried out in partnership with major political parties at the grassroots level. Initiatives would be undertaken to get BME individuals involved in local democracy and community councils in West Lothian, Midlothian and East Lothian. IN addition, a pilot study would be carried out to determine the level of participation of the BME community in the Scottish Parliament’s committees/activities. That research aimed to raise awareness on current BME representation in the Scottish Parliament and encourage policy makers to work towards more positive actions towards BME representation.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Increase the engagement of the BME community into Public Life
• Increase representation of BME communities in the political process
• Increase awareness on barriers to engagement among key public agencies and organisations

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Women in the Highlands project was funded to support the Workers Education Association (WEA) to lay the foundations for five self-governing and sustainable groups for women in the Highlands. Through the founding of these groups, women would be encouraged and empowered to participate in and engage with services and civic society. Links to the Women’s Equality Steering group via a Highland satellite cluster would lead to increased community cohesion and recognition.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Women in the Highlands will be encouraged and empowered to participate in and engage with services and civic society.
• Women expressing an interest in becoming leaders will be supported and have increased access to development opportunities.
• Five self-governing and sustainable women’s groups will be established in the Highlands.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38258 on 18 June 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Empowering, Engaging, and Connecting Diverse Communities project was funded to support the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCOJEC) to improve understanding by providing public bodies and others with evidence about matters that affect Jewish people, and promoting accurate education about Jews and Judaism; and to build capacity of Jewish people by engaging them through networks, newsletters, events, mutual support, to improve resilience to hate crime, increase confidence, safety, and involvement in Scottish society. As well as to expand volunteering and empower minority communities to engage in civic society.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Improved community cohesion and safety: people with Jewish heritage feel better supported, networks are strengthened, people feel better able and more confident in reporting antisemitic hate crime, and the Jewish Community as a whole is more cohesive and resilient.
• Education and community cohesion: accurate, authoritative, and engaging educational materials about Jews, Judaism, and the Jewish Community are available for schools, teachers, and community groups; and accurate information is provided for, and accessed by, government, public authorities, other communities and the media.
• Participation and representation: Minority communities will be better informed about policy matters and better able to engage effectively with public bodies, including Government, in order to tackle racism and inequality, promote the rights and political empowerment of those communities to influence policy and service delivery, and to support the effective implementation of the public sector equality duty. Since evident that the resource is produced by a Jewish organisation, it will also engender positive feelings towards the Jewish community, and thus contribute to improved community relations and a reduction in antisemitic attitudes.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Following a review of the impact of the Regional Improvement Collaboratives, I confirmed to Parliament in 2023 that funding would be tapered in 2024-25 and repurposed thereafter, including to support the establishment of the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

The following table shows funding that has been provided to support the work of each Regional Improvement Collaborative (RIC), in each of the last five financial years: