New £2.5m community climate action fund offers grants of up to £10K
Melanie May | 2 September 2021 | News
A £2.5million National Lottery-funded community climate action fund has opened for applications.
The ‘Together for Our Planet’ funding programme has been launched in the run up to COP26 by The National Lottery Community Fund. It offers grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support local community projects, covering areas such as food, transport, energy, waste and consumption and the natural environment.
It aims to create a legacy of ongoing climate action in hundreds of communities, beyond COP26, supporting the UK to reduce its emissions on its part to Net Zero by 2050.
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The National Lottery Community Fund has also launched an online ‘Climate Hub’, holding the latest funding news, insights, learnings and stories on climate change and the environment.
Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“COP26 looks set to be a pivotal point in the global response to the climate emergency. Our new funding programme, Together for Our Planet, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, hopes to harness the interest and excitement around this event and support community organisations across the UK to take ongoing action on climate change.
“With this programme we are keen to reach those who are not sure how to take climate action or haven’t before, helping ensure that climate action moves further into the mainstream, and is accessible and relevant to all communities.”
Applications need to meet at least two of the following five criteria:
1. Support the development of longer-term climate action within communities (that is, taking place after the COP26).
2. Encourage communities to plan for the climate emergency – to consider what climate action could mean to them and why it matters.
3. Celebrate the importance of community-led climate action and encourages more people to get involved.
4. Build resilience in communities that are hardest hit by climate change.
5. Provide jobs, skills or training opportunities for communities which support climate action.
In addition, Together for Our Planet will prioritise applications from people and communities hit hardest by climate change; people and communities who are starting to think about taking climate action; groups who have not received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund before or those who do not currently have a National Lottery grant; and smaller organisations with an annual turnover of under £100,000.
It is open for applications until 5pm on 18 November and expects to make approximately 400 to 500 awards.
The National Lottery Community Fund has previously launched the Climate Action Fund. This ten-year £100m fund gave out its first grants in 2020.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.