voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
New Third Sector Partnership Aims to Secure Fairer Funding and Stronger Voice
Created: 11/02/2026The Scottish Government will develop an agreement with the third sector to strengthen its voice and improve lives, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has said.
The Third Sector Partnership will be co-designed with the sector, guided by some of the key principles in the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation’s 2026 manifesto, to set out how both can work together to enhance services.
This includes protecting the sector’s future and independence with fairer funding, as well as a focus on shared goals to improve outcomes for people and communities. The government also hope this will provide greater opportunity to contribute to policy and service design.
The Scottish Government intends to work with partner organisations and the wider third sector to develop and refine the agreement in the next Scottish Parliament, subject to the outcome of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
This is in addition to delivering a Fairer Funding pilot that provides multi-year funding worth more than £130 million over 2025-2027, prioritising organisations that deliver frontline services and tackle child poverty.