The funds will be made available over the next three years to support services and activities that improve the health, well-being, social and economic position of communities and individuals.

The communities fund is designed to value early intervention and prevention, equalities and innovation. It will also concentrate on the positive impact these services have on people’s lives.

The council has worked with Glasgow Third Sector Interface Network (GTSIN) and other partners, to shape the fund and focus it on responding to the effect of poverty, deprivation and inequalities. The council looks to utilise the fund to remove barriers to participation and supports communities in co-designing, developing and delivering sustainable services.

The fund also implements the requirements of the Scottish Parliament’s Community Empowerment Act 2015 to help empower citizens; making them feel more confident about participating in the social, economic and cultural life of the city, and helping them to influence development, planning and decision-making around the services that affect their daily lives.

With the administration process being streamlined and easier to work through, the grant programme will also be flexible enough to respond to emerging issues such as holiday hunger or social isolation.

Glasgow City Council is inviting applications from community and third sector organisations that deliver locally within Glasgow and engage local people in the design and development of services to meet their needs.

Organisations can apply for between £20,000 and £200,000 per year for up to three years, to cover some or all of the project expenditure, including employee and running costs.

Councillor Jennifer Layden, city convener for community empowerment, equalities and human rights, said: “The new Glasgow Communities Fund will deliver for people across all corners of our city, supporting those organisations dedicated to reducing poverty and inequality and enhancing lives and life chances. Glasgow has needed a fairer funding programme which works better for all of the third sector and all of our communities for a very long time.

“I’m delighted that the partnership working with the third sector to find a more equitable approach has done just that. It will ensure that many more groups delivering valuable work on the ground - but who have until now been excluded or marginalised from the process - have access to resources to make a real difference. The sector asked us to provide the option of multi-year funding to provide them with more financial security and I’m personally very proud to have been able to do that.”

Kathleen Caskie, from Glasgow Third Sector Interface Network, said: “Glasgow Third Sector Interface welcomes the new Glasgow Communities Fund and its emphasis on tackling poverty and inequality in our communities. We look forward to seeing the details of the application process and working with the third sector to ensure a vibrant and diverse range of applications are made.”

The application stage is open until Sunday 20 October. To make the process easier a pre-assessment questionnaire has been developed to make sure groups are eligible, before proceeding with the full application.

For more information on the fund, eligibility, and to make application please visit www.glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowcommunitiesfund.