REPAIR CAFE
GRANTS PROGRAMME

The Glasgow Climate Action Hub are delighted to be working with our friends at Repair Café Glasgow and Circular Communities Scotland to offer a new grant opportunity as part of our Climate Swap Shop funding programme.

After a recent network event where both presented the concept of a repair café, there was a clear interest from groups in Glasgow who might want to open one of their own so we’re offering seed funding of £2000 each for 5 trial cafés in Glasgow.

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What is a repair café?

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From Circular Communities Scotland and applicants should read through the resources available to help shape their application:

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A Repair Cafe is regular community event where people can bring along household items that are broken or not working properly and have them fixed by a volunteer.

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At a repair café you don’t need to just hand over your item, you can also learn how to fix it. It is a great way to share knowledge and build new skills. Repair Cafes are very social events where people can come together, learn about repairs, save money and also do something positive for the planet.  This short film illustrates how these projects work.

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There are over 45 repair cafes across Scotland – and more than 4,000 across the world. We’d love to see more in Glasgow.  You could set up a general repair café that offers to mend all different types of items, or you could opt for a project that specialises in one type of repair, such as textiles, bikes or electrical items. 

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If you’re interested in setting up a repair café, you can find out more from Circular Communities Scotland’s Share & Repair Start Up Services.  They provide 1-to-1 advice and support, signposting, training events, template document and online resources. Repair Café Glasgow are also offering support to help new projects in the local area get up and running. With the support on offer, even if you're not ready to take the plunge with this fund, you can always revisit the idea later.

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What does this fund offer?

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Setting up a repair café is a simple concept but it needs some thought and the right mix of skilled volunteers to be successful, it also requires a basic stock of tools and equipment depending on the type of repairs you intend to offer.

The fund will cover those startup costs up to £2000.

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All successful applicants will also have support from Repair Café Glasgow and Circular Communities Scotland in the form of:

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• 1 kick-off session to review and develop your plan.

• 2 check-ins between now and March to review progress and problem solve barriers.

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All successful applicants will be required to engage with that support as a condition of funding and additional support may be available depending on capacity.

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The available grant is £2000. We may be able to offer additional funds for projects that are able to offer more complex repairs like electronics however, that would only be available for the necessary equipment purchases if our partners agree that the skills you have available for those repairs are viable.

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What's expected of applicants?

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Repair cafés should ideally be low-cost and volunteer driven. This opportunity would suit an organisation with an existing venue or community space, some experience with volunteer management and an engaged community who participate in your regular activities. 

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It would also help if you already had a sense of the skills in your community that you can tap into before you apply.

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Repair cafés are an important community resource that provide connection, social opportunities and help people spend less on new things but they also form part of our circular economy which is about reducing consumption, waste, and keeping resources in use for as long as possible. You may have heard the expression “repair, reuse, recycle” which is central to the circular economy. Because of this, repair cafés are an important element of climate action, and we expect funded cafés to integrate that messaging into their service. People coming along should understand how the service is helping them but also the environment. We understand that not every organisation will be experienced enough to develop that messaging so we’ll be happy to help you develop resources.

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The process

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Organisations can submit proposals up until midnight on Sunday the 22nd of November. We aim to assess them and make offers by the end November.  

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Applications can be made by constituted third sector organisations, parent councils and community councils. Constituted groups include charities (including SCIOs), Companies Limited by Guarantee, trusts and unincorporated associations. Community Interest Companies (CICs) are eligible, provided they are constituted in a way that prevents profit distribution to shareholders. Applicants must be based in and delivering in the Glasgow City area.

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If you have any questions about the fund, please feel free to contact us on info@gcah.scot.