NHI Impact Reports
In 2025 NHI celebrated it’s 20th anniversary, an ideal moment to reflect on the impact of our funding programmes since their inception in 2020.
Below you will find our first Impact Report, covering the funds we delivered between 2020 and 2024, along with our most recent 2025 review, which focuses on our CISP fund.
Together these reports not only showcase our achievements but also help us evaluate our impact, learn from challenges, and shape our future direction.
2025 Impact Report
Our 2025 Impact Report captures the story of a year shaped by community-led ideas, practical support, and real local impact across the North Highlands.
Through our 2025 Community Infrastructure Support Programme (CISP), we supported 63 projects across 39 communities—investing over £108,000 into the places and people that keep rural communities going. From improving village halls and shared spaces, to supporting wellbeing initiatives and hands-on learning, the 2025 CISP awards reflect what communities told us they need most.
A big theme throughout the year was making the most of what’s already there—helping communities look after and improve important local assets, bringing people together, and creating spaces that work for everyone.
You’ll also see how this local work reflects our ongoing commitment to aligning local action with global priorities, with many projects contributing directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals—particularly around wellbeing, education, and building stronger, more resilient communities.
2020 – 2024 NHI Impact Report
Our 2020–2024 Impact Report provides a broad view of our work over five years—charting how sustained, flexible funding supported communities across the North Highlands through a period of real and unexpected change and challenge.
It covers the 3 different funds we ran in this period to meet the immediate needs of communities in the North Highlands: Community Infrastructure Support Programme (2020-24), Energy Support Programme (2022-23) and our Community Resilience Fund (2023).
This was a time shaped by the pandemic, rising living costs, and increasing pressure on rural communities. In response, our funding adapted—supporting food provision and emergency relief during COVID-19, helping communities manage increased tourism, and later focused on energy costs, wellbeing, and tackling isolation. This report highlights long-term trends, key achievements, and the strategic direction that continues to guide our work today—supporting resilient communities, protecting vital assets, and enabling local people to shape their own futures.
