Our criteria

We are committed to making a real difference to the communities in which we operate by supporting a wide range of charitable causes and community organisations, all based in Aberdeen.

The Community Involvement Programme creates an effective, transparent process within First Aberdeen by considering and deciding upon requests for funding and gifts in kind based on our charitable criteria.

Our charitable criteria includes:

  • Young People
  • Health
  • The Environment
  • Community Events & Programmes

Applications which fall outside of these charitable criteria will not be considered for funding. Unfortunately, we are unable to support all causes. Any decision made by First Aberdeen with regard to requests of funding and gifts in kind is final. First Aberdeen will not, under any circumstances, enter into any discussion with an applicant regarding any such decision. Please note that the Community Involvement Programme will not accept requests for funding over £1,000.

External applications must be supported in the form of a letter from a First Aberdeen employee.

This applies to external individuals, charities and community organisations. External applications which fail to provide a supporting letter will not be considered for funding. Please also note the supporting letter is to be submitted at the same time as the application and must include the First Aberdeen employee's name, job title and a contact number.

Exclusion Policy

We also have a Community Investment Exclusion Policy, which identifies types of initiatives and causes that we do not fund. These include:

  • Political parties or bodies
  • Promotion of religious beliefs
  • Third party giving organisations
  • Projects funded from local or central government
  • The Arts (unless the donation provides direct support to one of our criteria)
  • Animal Welfare
  • Research projects that are not directly associated with the needs of the business

Please note that applications can take 6 to 10 weeks to process, so please ensure your application is submitted well in advance of your required financial commitment or activity date.