Investment theme: Building skills and confidence, Growing social connections, Improving health and well-being
Last year (2025), my journey around groups we’ve funded took me to Kairos Women+ in Paisley. It was a bright, sunny day and, after chatting with Katy, I got to spend time with some of the women who use the space; they were every bit as bright and sunny as the weather. We first came to know Kairos Women+ when we funded their Kairos Kitchen project, a cross-cultural recipe-sharing programme for women+ of colour and migrant women+ in Renfrewshire. Once a small pilot, that strand of work is now supported by The National Lottery Community Fund which is exactly the kind of progression we love to see: the Women’s Fund helping to seed an idea that grows into something bigger and longer term.
Now Kairos Women+ are in year two of a three-year grant with us. It’s a relatively small grant, but it gives them something priceless: the ability to plan. (We’d love to give bigger grants – that always depends on the income we can raise.)
Spending time at Kairos Women+ you quickly realise just how much is happening on what is, frankly, a very tight budget. The team are magnificent at making magic happen with limited resources. Alongside welcoming drop-ins, they host a Fierce Women+ heritage trail, a language café, wellness and growing groups, and a recovery and mental wellness programme. They publish the Kairos Chronicle, undertake research – including powerful work on the “invisible work of women” – and support women with “no recourse to public funds” to find specialist advice and practical help.
Our current grant helps them invest in their volunteers through regular volunteer meetings, reflection sessions, celebration events and programme-planning meetings, all coordinated by a Senior Coordinator whose role is partly funded by the Women’s Fund for Scotland.
What struck me most was how intentional they are about centering lived experience and sharing power. Many of the volunteers started out as participants; now, with the right support, they’re co-creating activities, shaping decisions and informally mentoring others.
The result is a deeply rooted, trauma-informed space in which women+ can show up as they are, connect with others, build skills and confidence, and slowly move from simply surviving to truly thriving. You feel, in the best possible way, that Kairos Women+ is both a safety net and a springboard.
If you’re reading this and wondering where you fit in, here it is: when you donate to the Women’s Fund for Scotland, you help make work like this possible and sustainable. Our grant to Kairos Women+ is modest compared to what they could do with more, but it plays a crucial role in keeping their volunteer programme strong, their doors open and their ambitions alive. With more funding, we could increase the size and number of grants we offer, supporting not just Kairos Women+ but many more grassroots women’s organisations across Scotland who are creating safe, brave spaces where women and girls can heal, thrive and rise. Please consider making a gift to the Women’s Fund for Scotland today: fund us, so that together we can fund more groups like Kairos Women+ and ensure that this kind of life-changing work continues to grow.
