SNP says donations rose after launch of £100,000 ‘hearts and minds’ fund

# What happened

Party (SNP) announced a new £100,000 "hearts and minds" fund for campaigning on independence. A senior party source told The National that the announcement produced an immediate uptick in donations, enough to replace some of the fund before it has begun spending.

The fund is described as covering a major doorstep and digital campaign, including what the party expects to be its largest online advertising spend outside an election campaign. The SNP says the money will be deployed to reach voters, with adverts and campaigning on screens planned to be in place by the end of the year.

# Why the fund matters now

The announcement follows a busy fortnight for independence supporters: Andy Burnham conceded that support for Yes could lead to a second referendum, and the Celtic Alliance released a declaration in Cardiff. The SNP says that the sequencing of recent events has helped momentum for its campaign.

A senior SNP source told The National: "Before the £100,000 hearts and minds campaign has even got off the ground we've seen some of that money made up in donations on the back of it." The source added that the party intends to move quickly and that the more money that comes in, the longer and larger the campaign can run.

# What the campaign will fund

According to reporting, the fund will pay for both doorstep activity and an expanded digital ad programme. The party expects to put that advertising on voters' screens by the end of the year and has signalled an intention to sustain and scale the campaign if further donations arrive.

# Political context and reactions

On the wider constitutional front, newly elected Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra said he accepted that "the people of Scotland have the right to decide their future." John Swinney of the SNP described that comment as significant and called for turning the principle into an opportunity for people to make their voice heard.

Separately, Reform MSPs staged a walkout during a Holyrood debate on Scotland's "right to decide its own future," led by Malcolm Offord. Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer mocked the timing of the walkout.

# Polling cited in the piece

The article references a Norstat poll conducted for Believe in Scotland that found 56% of respondents said a second independence referendum should be held before 2036. On the vote intention question among likely voters, the poll found 52% would vote Yes and 48% would vote No.

# What this means going forward

The SNP intends to have the fund operational on voter-facing channels by year-end. The party frames the boost in donations as evidence of public momentum and says additional contributions will extend the campaign's reach and duration. The campaign's success in converting donations into voter contact will affect how much advertising and doorstep work the party can sustain ahead of any formal referendum timetable.

# Related reporting

The National has also published separate pieces reacting to the £100,000 fund and outlining the party's plans for the push. Other recent coverage includes details of a past £225,000 bequest to the SNP and broader party donation patterns across Scottish politics.