Funding to the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA): FOI release

Information requested

A breakdown of all funding provided by the Scottish Government to the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) between January 1, 2019, and August 1, 2025. For each funding award, please include:

• The amount awarded
• The date of the award
• The purpose of the funding
• Any associated grant agreement or contract

Please provide this information in electronic format.

I understand that under the terms of the Act, a response will be provided within 20 working days.

Response

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in the electronic format you asked for.  The answer to your question is provided below:

Key:

• Children Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC)
• Childcare Sector Representation and Sustainability Fund (CSRSF)
• Covid-19 Pandemic Response and Recovery grant

The amount awarded

Grant Fund	2019 - 22 Award	2022/ 23 Award	2023/24 Award	2024/25 Award	2025/26 Award
CYPFEIF & ALEC	£100,000	£105,000	£105,000	£105,000	£105,000
CSRSF	£0	£0	£40,000	£40,000	£20,000
COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND RECOVERY	£40,000 (2021-2022)	£0	£0	£0	£0

The date of the award

Grant Fund	Financial Year	Date of funding award
CYPFEIF & ALEC	2023/24	22 March 2023
CYPFEIF & ALEC	2024/25	22 March 2023
CYPFEIF & ALEC	2025/26	7 March 2025
CSRSF	2023-24	26 June 2023
CSRSF	2024-25	29 May 2024
CSRSF	2025-26	13 May 2025
COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Recovery	2021-22	26 January 2022

iii) The purpose of the funding

Children Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI &ALEC)
The main objectives/expected outcomes of the Grant are:

• Private sector early learning and childcare providers are engaged in the development of policy and guidance creating an environment where a mixed economy of provision can thrive so high-quality, flexible early learning and childcare is accessible for more children and families;
• Private early learning and childcare providers understand and are supported to implement policy and guidance improving quality, flexibility and accessibility for children and families;
• Local authorities and private sector nursery providers are supported to extend partnership working so high-quality, flexible early learning and childcare is accessible for more children and families.

Childcare Sector Representation and Sustainability Fund (CSRSF)
The main objectives/expected outcomes of the Grant are:

• representation of childcare services in the private, third, and childminding sector on national issues relating to the childcare sector in Scotland, including participation in Scottish Government working groups
• the collation and provision of suggestions on behalf of members to support Scottish Government and Statutory Agencies policy/decision making and review
• the provision of quantitative and qualitative evidence on the impact / potential impact of policy developments on the organisation’s membership, including gathering of responses from members to Scottish Government surveys
• wider provision of targeted support initiatives for childcare providers in Scotland – including, but not limited to, business, financial, human resources, and marketing – with regards to sector sustainability and adaptation
• collaboration across childcare sector representative organisations in Scotland in order to maximise the impact of the funding
• identification of options for strengthening organisations’ long-term sustainability and, where appropriate, to diversify sources of income.

The funding is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

• Continued opportunities for childcare sector providers’ views to be heard and reflected in national policy.
• The provision of robust evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, on the impacts/potential impacts on childcare providers of Scottish Government and Statutory Agencies policy development.
• Identification of actions to support the long-term sustainability of the organisation.
• The requirements of all types of childcare providers are reflected in the evidence that informs the development of a targeted support offer for the childcare sector.

Childcare Sector Representation and Sustainability Fund (CSRSF) - Transitional Funding
The main objectives/expected outcomes of the Grant are:

• Representation of childcare services in the private, third, and childminding sector on national issues relating to the childcare sector in Scotland, including participation in Scottish Government working groups.
• The collation and provision of suggestions on behalf of members to support Scottish Government and Statutory Agencies policy/decision making and review.
• The provision of quantitative and qualitative evidence on the impact / potential impact of policy developments on the organisation’s membership, including gathering of responses from members to Scottish Government surveys.
• Collaboration across childcare sector representative organisations in Scotland in order to maximise the impact of the funding.
• Identification of options for strengthening organisations’ long-term sustainability and, where appropriate, to diversify sources of income.

The funding is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

• Continued opportunities for of all types of childcare sector providers’ views to be heard and reflected in national policy.
• The provision of robust evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, on the impacts/potential impacts on childcare providers of Scottish Government and Statutory Agencies policy development.
• Identification of actions to support the long-term sustainability of the organisation.
•  

COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND RECOVERY
The overall objectives of the project are to represent the interests of National Day Nurseries Association by:

• participating in Scottish Government working groups looking at COVID guidance, sector recovery, sector sustainability, including settings in the private, third and childminding sectors
• continuing to support the rapid development and implementation of time-limited funds to support critical sector sustainability in particular during periods of restriction for the childcare sector
• providing information on the impact of the pandemic on the organisation’s membership, including gathering of responses from members to Scottish Government surveys on sector recovery and related activities
• providing suggestions on behalf of members to support Scottish Government policy/decision making

The expected outcomes of the Grant are to represent the interests of by:

• attending and providing feedback at Scottish Government Working Group meetings
• providing feedback, in-depth conclusions and responses to Scottish Government surveys on sector recovery and associated work on behalf of members
• making suggestions to appropriate mitigations and operational responses to the needs of the pandemic, including providing feedback on operational guidance
• supporting membership with interpretation and implementation of Scottish Government policy and/or Public Health Scotland policy/guidance

Any associated grant agreement or contract

Grant letters have been provided as attachments to this release. However, this does not contain the grant award letters from the CYPFEIF & ALEC fund from the period 2019 -2022. An exemption under section 17(1) of FOISA has been applied in this case and further information can be found in Annex A.

ANNEX A

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because the grant letters from 2019 -2022 were not saved within the erdm filing system as the CYPFEI & ALEC third sector fund is administered and managed by the Corra Foundation on behalf of the Scottish Government. The Corra foundation issued grant offer letters to funded organisations between 2019 and March 2025. The Scottish Government issued grant offer letters for funding in 2025-26. We are therefore unable to provide copies of these grant letters or provide notification of the grant award date.

As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

An exemption applies

An exemption(s) under section(s) s.38(1)(a) and s.38(1)(b) relating to personal data of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. The names and details of those who have signed the grant letters from the NDNA have been redacted as we are not required to release personal data relating to a third party. Bank details have also been redacted as these are classed as personal information and therefore cannot be disclosed to the general public.

This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.​​​​​​​

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202500479306 - Information Released - Annex

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