Islands Programme capital fund 2021/22 to 2024/25: grant awards - evaluation

2. Methods

2.1 This evaluation was carried out in two stages between February 2025 and May 2025. The first stage (February to March 2025) comprised a review of documentary evidence. The second stage (March to May 2025) involved qualitative research – interviews and focus groups – with Islands Programme stakeholders.

Stage 1: review of documentary evidence

2.2 The purpose of the documentary review was to gather evidence of how the Islands Programme has operated in the four years from 2021/22 to 2024/25, including how decisions have been taken about which infrastructure projects to support. The documentary review also identified issues for further exploration in the second stage of the evaluation.

2.3 A wide range of Islands Programme documents provided the basis for the documentary review, including:

• Application forms and guidance to Islands Programme applicants
• Completed application forms
• Papers related to Investment Panel proceedings and decisions (the Investment Panel assesses applications and makes recommendations for funding under the current competitive bid process)
• Grant offer letters
• Monitoring forms and reports.

2.4 Another key source of evidence was the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAI Committee).^[7] As part of the committee’s scrutiny of the Scottish budget for 2023/24 and 2024/25, it invited written and oral evidence on the operation and impact of the Islands Programme. The committee made a number of recommendations for improvement which resulted in changes being made to the competitive bid process in 2023/24. (See Chapter 3 for details of these changes.) Annex 1 provides details of the evidence presented to the RAI committee.

Stage 2: qualitative research

2.5 The second stage of the evaluation gathered stakeholders’ experiences of the Islands Programme and explored their views on the advantages and disadvantages of the current competitive bid funding model. It also considered broader questions of how best to fund infrastructure projects in the Scottish islands.

2.6 Stakeholders in the Islands Programme include:

• The Scottish Government Islands Team (SGIT) and Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) who have had a role in developing, delivering and monitoring the programme
• The Investment Panel – the group responsible for assessing applications and making recommendations for funding to Scottish Ministers under the competitive bid process
• Island local authorities and island community organisations that have applied for funding and / or been involved in the development and delivery of projects.

2.7 This second stage of the evaluation involved the following:

• Interviews (including some group interviews) with 12 council officers in the six island local authorities.
• Interviews with members of the Investment Panel: Eight panel members (not including SGIT members) participated in interviews, while one panel member provided written comments.
• Focus groups and interviews with community organisations whose projects received Islands Programme grants: Representatives of community organisations that received grants in relation to a community-owned asset were invited to participate and 15 people (from 14 projects) agreed to take part.
• Interviews with community organisations whose projects were unsuccessful in obtaining Islands Programme funding: Representatives of five community organisations were invited to participate and two agreed to take part.
• Interviews with three staff from SFT (including the Islands Programme manager): SFT has been involved (together with SGIT) in the design, delivery, management, monitoring and evaluation of the Islands Programme from its inception.
• Interviews with representatives of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS): These two organisations play a significant role in supporting and, in some cases, providing funding for infrastructure developments in island communities.

2.8 It should be noted that some stakeholder interviewees had experience of other grant funds as assessors, applicants or recipients, and were able to reflect on this in interviews.

2.9 Finally, members of SGIT assisted the evaluation by providing further detail (verbally and in writing) about the background and ongoing management of the Islands Programme.