Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF)

What it is

Not a direct business grant - only Local Authorities and National Park Authorities apply (with community partners), so businesses benefit by getting their council to adopt a project. Capital grants for visitor infrastructure in rural Scotland under visitor pressure: low carbon transport, multi-use paths, toilets and motorhome facilities, and signage. The 2026-27 round is OPEN until 12pm on Wednesday 2 September 2026, with awards announced after 14 October 2026.

Verified 2026-08-21 on visitscotland.org RTIF page: 'RTIF is currently open for applications until Wednesday 2 September 2026 (12pm)' - a status CHANGE from prior records (between rounds as of 27 July 2026). 'Application guidance documents are available from the Local and National Park Authorities or by contacting the RTIF team' (RTIF@visitscotland.com); gov.scot round announcements confirm applicants are 'local authorities and National Park Authorities... or in partnership with their communities'. £24.5m awarded to 86 projects across seven prior rounds; listed awards ranged from ~£52,050 to £750,000 per project, but NO per-project minimum/maximum or intervention rate is published for the 2026-27 round, so no value range is claimed and capture is set to £0 - a private business cannot capture this money directly. Does not fund revenue activity (rangers, marketing, maintenance). The sector rule targets tourism-adjacent businesses for awareness; actual applicant eligibility (public bodies only) is not expressible in engine fields.