About the Self Management Fund

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) administers the Self Management Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, supporting third sector and community based organisations across Scotland to develop self management activities. Since 2009, The ALLIANCE has awarded over £29 million in funds to 495 projects. More information on the projects can be found in our Funded Projects section.

The Self Management Fund was created by the Scottish Government in response to recommendations made in the Gaun Yersel: the Self Management Strategy for Scotland (link will open in a new page). It was set up to support the development of co-produced, person centred, self management activity across Scotland. Learning from the experience of people living with long term conditions, and their unpaid carers, is central to the ethos of the fund.

Across all rounds of the Self Management Fund projects must show that:

• Work is new for the applicant organisation, or present a development of an existing idea.
• The idea has come from the people it is designed to benefit.
• Disabled people, individuals living with long term conditions and/or unpaid carers will be enabled to take a leadership role in the design, delivery and evaluation of the project.
• The capacity of disabled people, individuals living with long term conditions and/or unpaid carers to effectively self manage will be enhanced .
• The principles of self management identified in Gaun’ Yersel’: the Self Management Strategy for Scotland are at the heart of the project.

Alongside these core criteria each funding round has a specific focus, the priorities of Self Management for Life, Round 3 are below. Projects must demonstrate their project supports, guides and enables self management in one of the following ways:

1. Work that aligns with secondary prevention by working to embed self management soon after a long term condition or disability is identified, or early in someone’s unpaid caring role.
2. Work that seeks to address health inequalities while increasing the self management capacity of people with long term conditions, disabilities and/or unpaid caring responsibilities who experience these inequalities.
3. Work that develops the self management capacity of people living with long term conditions, disabilities, and/or their unpaid carers, whilst awaiting health or social care support.

Applications for Self Management for Life, Round 3 are open until 19 December 2025.

The fund aims to develop practice and share learning, this is done in a number of ways though our partners in the Scottish Government and through our own Self Management Network. You can find out more about our learning by clicking the learning tab in the sidebar.