The answer
What money does your group need alongside a CARES grant?
Your group needs to cover the part of eligible costs that CARES does not fund, plus any work outside the grant. The published offer is up to 80% of eligible costs and up to £80,000, not a promise that every project gets 80%. Show confirmed money, timing and a fallback if the award or final price differs from the headline plan.
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What is the group's real contribution?
Local Energy Scotland says the highest funding percentage is for organisations that can show financial need. Include reserves, money already set aside and other confirmed support; explain what the group can afford without putting normal operations at risk. Split the installer quote into potentially eligible measures and costs outside the fund, such as unrelated repairs. A grant percentage applies only to accepted eligible costs, so an excluded roof repair or an extra electrical upgrade can raise the amount your group pays.
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Can another fund help pay your share?
Possibly, but do not count an unconfirmed award as cash in hand. Check whether both funders allow their money to be combined, whether they will pay for the same cost line, and whether either requires you to secure the other award first. Ask in writing where the rules are unclear. Trustees should see a funding table with confirmed, applied-for and still-unfunded amounts in separate columns.
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Will the cash be available when invoices arrive?
A project can look affordable in total and still fail because the installer needs a deposit or progress payment before the grant claim is paid. Put every expected invoice, claim and funder payment on a month-by-month timeline. Include VAT, contingency and the possibility of a smaller award or cost increase. Do not agree grant-dependent spending before the written offer permits it; check its payment and evidence conditions before signing a supplier contract.
Can the committee approve the spending safely?
Make one budget page with four numbers: eligible work, work CARES may not fund, the grant you are asking for and the cash the group can commit. Add a separate line for contingency rather than burying it in the installer quote. If the project costs £100,000 but only £80,000 is eligible, an 80% grant on the eligible part would be £64,000; the group would still need £36,000. That is an illustration, not an award forecast.
Then put dates beside the numbers. A supplier might request a payment when equipment is ordered, another after installation and the balance at handover. Find out when CARES permits claims and when any award would be paid. If the group cannot bridge those dates without harming its day-to-day services, the project may need a different schedule or financing plan.
Before a vote, show trustees what happens if the grant is lower than requested, a roof repair is excluded or a quote rises. Record the maximum amount the committee is authorising and what decision must return to it if the project crosses that limit. A survey can clarify the technical price; it cannot make an unfunded share disappear.
What to check next
Your next steps
Where we checked the facts
Check the original information.
These official pages back up the rules and technical details above. They can change, so check them again before spending money or starting work.
Apply this to your own property
Could your community building be suitable?
Tell FLO about your building and the work your group is considering. A free survey checks what may fit; Local Energy Scotland decides CARES eligibility and funding.