THE Scottish Independence Foundation was launched during the summer with the specific aim of providing moral and financial support for the broader Yes movement.

The National can reveal that since its launch in June, the Foundation (SIF) has to date donated well over £50,000 to local and national pro-indy organisations throughout Scotland for their campaigns.

SIF’s specific criteria for funding covers activities like education or training of activists, design and production of materials and literature to be used in the campaign, an event or series of events that will positively raise the profile of the campaign and the development of infrastructure and/or processes to support a future campaign.

The Foundation set itself a high target with its opening statement: “The next independence campaign will be won on the doorsteps, in the pubs and clubs, in communities and workplaces, and through networks, real and virtual.

“SIF aims to provide financial support to this campaign, enabling the grassroots to engage as widely as possible and to encourage those who are not yet persuaded to join us.

“Unaligned to any political party nor part of any other pro-independence grouping, SIF aims to be a trusted custodian of funds, generated by individual contributions, large and small, channelling them, without prejudice, into projects which will benefit the movement.”

Examples of the work of SIF can be found across the country. For instance, SIF provided over £8000 of match funding to help ayeMail produce 200 Indy Kits. Each Indy Kit is a 40kg box stuffed full of flags, badges, stickers and leaflets and other campaigning material, and plenty Yes groups are already in receipt of a Kit as ayeMail distributed the boxes – at just delivery cost – to Yes groups around the country, which means that over 2 million items are now being issued to help campaigners run stalls and sell merchandise to fundraise.

Indyposterboy is well-known within the Yes movement for his high-volume design, production and distribution of generic campaign materials. SIF gave him funding to upgrade his computer and design software to continue creating his high quality, downloadable campaign materials.

The new pipe band of the Yes movement is Saor Alba Pipes and Drums. Pipe bands usually have to appear politically neutral if they want to play at gala days and similar community events so SIF helped this group to purchase band equipment to support independence campaign marches and other events – you can expect to see a lot of them in 2019.

Dumfries and Galloway pensioners for Independence have a large Unionist population in their area, so much work is required.

The group requested funding for car window stickers for distribution, for training events, for printing leaflets and for IT support to help develop their website which can be visited at www.dgp4indy.scot – SIF broadly split the costs for all of this.

Yes Southside in Glasgow needed a campaign kick-start, so funding was given for public hall hire, speakers’ expenses and PA hire. In addition they are getting 5000 customised leaflets, 2000 wee Saltire flags, and 200 Yes Southside badges.

In Midlothian, Yes Penicuik felt the time had come to re-activate their campaign and to engage with the public, making a clear and concise case for independence.

An SIF grant has helped them to start with street stalls and build towards the acquisition of premises, and has boosted their co-operation with other Yes groups throughout Mid and East Lothian and Edinburgh. Their activities now include public meetings for the “Not-Yet-Yes”.

SIF also gave Yes Strathaven a grant to help them fit out their new hub, which they bought through generous donations from committed locals.

SIF CEO Greg McCarra told The National: “Our main aim is to help ensure that we win independence in the next referendum, or through whatever democratic method Scotland chooses to use.”

Clearly SIF is making a difference.

Why not consult their website www.sif.scot to donate or to see if you could use their help...