INCREASE III Programme

INCREASE III programme overview

The INCREASE III programme 2008 - 2011 builds on the success of the two previous INCREASE programmes from 2004 - 2008.

This programme is earmarked to support not-for-profit community based organisations to develop local solutions to increase tonnage diversion and waste prevention strategies

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, announcing the INCREASE III programme at the CRNS 3rd Annual Conference in Perth 2008.

The Scottish Government have allocated £7.5 million to this Programme over the three year funding period 2008-11.

The Scottish Government remain committed to the role that the community sector have in the delivery of initiatives which compliment existing recycling, reuse and composting services as well as recognising the ability of the sector to innovate new services and programmes particularly in the area of waste prevention. All of which are pivotal to the realisation of the Zero Waste ambition set out by the current Government so the proposed programme will to a great extent aim to build on these areas of expertise and support their development and delivery.

The Programme is managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) with development support for the application process and post-application implementation being delivered by the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS).

Main aim of funding

Move sector away from a reliance on grant funding.
Develop financially sustainable community recycling models.
Increase capacity of individual organisations to develop their ideas.
Allow for the implementation of new and innovative recycling services.
Consistent with the delivery of a Zero Waste Scotland.
Move towards sustainable waste management activities.

INCREASE III comprises of four funding strands as detailed below

INCREASE Prevention:
£5,000 - £300,000
Project proposals should relate to the key objectives set out in the Waste Prevention Action Plan www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/23113217/0

INCREASE Enterprise:
£5,000 - £300,000
Project proposals should include initiatives which aim to recycle, reuse or compost household, commercial and industrial waste, be innovative and / or commercially viable after start-up.

INCREASE Capacity:
£5,000 - £25,000
Project proposals should relate to the employment of key staff to enhance management capacity, backfill of key operational positions freeing up time for organisational or activity development.

INCREASE Small:
Up to £5,000
Project proposals should relate to the purchase of plant and machinery, H&S equipment, provision of licenses and permits and training. This strand is limited to organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000.

All applications to INCREASE III will need to show how they contribute to the Scottish Government's Zero Waste vision for Scotland.

NB: The National Waste Plan is due to be revised within the next three years. Applications will be expected to show how they contribute to the existing and the revised Plan should any amendments be made - www.scotland.gov.uk/News/This-Week/Speeches/Greener/vision-for-waste

Monitoring and evaluation

Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) work with voluntary organisations and funders so they can measure the impact of their work.

Whichever funding strand you are interested in, it's an important aspect how you go about monitoring and evaluating your project.

ESS provide practical support and access to resources and tools. ESS take action to build evaluation and learning into funding and policy-making processes. With their support you can find out what you do well and what you can improve, to deliver better services.