A £25,000 pot of Small Grants Scheme challenger funding has opened, with applications ranging from £500 to £2,500.

However, interested community groups will have to move fast as the application deadline is 9 am on Monday, October 2.

The challenger funding is designed to test a new and innovative approach to awarding funding by offering small grants.

A Comhairle nan Eilean Siar spokesperson explained: “It is expected that this grant scheme will lead to immediate, measurable impacts, albeit comparatively small ones, to balance out the more long-term but large-scale ambitions of Design Grant funding.”

Precise criteria have not yet been determined but will include support for poverty, inclusion and marginalised groups.

The online application form is on the Comhairle website.