A new £20,000 grants programme will fund projects gathering the experiences of lesser heard voices across Renfrewshire.
The Renfrewshire Voices pilot was approved at Renfrewshire Council’s Leadership Board meeting on Wednesday 16th September 2026.
Organisations led by, representing or working with equalities groups can apply for grants of up to £4,000. Applications opened on 16 September and will close on 28 October.
The projects are intended to identify barriers, unmet needs and gaps in local services.
Evidence gaps identified by the council include experiences connected to faith, the LGBT+ community, intersectional equalities communities and people who use British Sign Language as their primary language.
Examples of intersectional equalities communities include New Scots who are parents and disabled LGBT+ people.
The findings will help inform policy development, service design, Equality Impact Assessments, monitoring of Equality Outcomes and the future development of the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan.
Applications will be assessed by a panel involving Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire.
Recommendations are expected to be presented to the Leadership Board from December 2026.
Successful projects are expected to run between January and June 2027, although the timetable can be extended where a project needs longer.
The council said a further tranche of funding could be considered if the pilot is successful.