Climate Week funding opportunities

As part of Scotland’s Climate Week 2022 we want to raise awareness of the global climate emergency and encourage climate action across South Lanarkshire. Are you a local group looking for funding to support your work around sustainability and net zero? There are lots of great funding opportunities out there for groups supporting a range of activities and there’s never been a better time to get involved.

Below is information on a number of funding opportunities that could help your organisation tackle climate change.

Large funds

National Lottery Community Fund – Climate Action Fund

Description: This funding aims to help communities across the UK to address climate change.

Looking for projects that focus on the link between nature and climate.  Projects should use nature to encourage more community-led climate action. The funder expects these projects to bring other important social and economic benefits. Like the creation of strong, resilient and healthy communities or the development of ‘green’ skills and jobs.

Interested in projects that can do at least one of the following:

• show how creating a deeper connection with nature will lead to changing people’s behaviours and greater care for the environment
• show how by bringing nature back into the places we live and work, we can help communities to reduce or adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Eligibility: Community and voluntary organisations, charities, public sector, working in partnerships

Amount: Up to £1.5 million over 2 to 5 years, with most projects between £300,000 and £500,000. Development grants of £50,000 to £150,000 over 12 to 18 months.

Deadline: Ongoing

The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund

Description: The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund aims to encourage people to change their behaviours to walk or cycle as part of their everyday short journeys.

The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund aims to encourage people to change their everyday travel behaviours. Grants are available to encourage people to use buses and community car clubs for longer journeys; walking and cycling for short journeys, and home-working to replace daily commutes.

The fund aims to help cut Scotland's carbon emissions and improve our air quality. It will also help reverse the trend towards sedentary lifestyles and will tackle health inequalities.

Eligibility: The Open Fund is available to support public, third and community sector organisations.

Amount: Grants available are between £5000 and £50,000 and need to be match funded. Funding is available for 50% of a total project cost and needs to be match funded, although 25% of the total project cost can be in-kind contributions.

Deadline: No deadline provided

Transport Scotland eBike Grant Fund

Description: Funding is available to assist local authorities, public sector agencies, further and higher education institutions, active travel hubs and community groups to adopt ebikes as a sustainable alternative to car journeys. The fund can be used to cover the cost of ebikes, etrikes, ecargo bikes, cargo bikes and trailers, tandems, adapted cycles, and trikes.

Category A offers up to £25,000 of funding towards projects that will provide opportunities to their communities to trial ebikes.

Category B offers up to £200,000 of funding per application towards large scale fleets of pool bikes or public bikeshare/hire schemes, and promoting large scale uptake of ebikes.

Eligibility: Public, community or third sector organisations with a governing body, a democratically elected management committee and a governing document that has been formally adopted.

Amount: Up to £200,000

Deadline: 18 November 2022

Zero Waste Scotland - Circular Economy Investment Fund

Description: The Circular Economy Investment Fund is an £18m grant funding opportunity for businesses and organisations in Scotland working in all business and social economy sectors, who are helping to create a more circular economy.
Proposals are invited from small to medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees/turnover less than €50 million) and non-profit organisations (charities and social enterprises). They are interested in:

• Exploring markets for new circular economy products;
• Development and adoption of innovative business models for new circular economy products and services;
• Development and uptake of innovative technologies, products and services to support a circular economy.

Key areas are: Built environment; Food systems; Bioeconomy; Energy infrastructure; Heat and energy; Waste.

Eligibility: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are registered with Companies House. Registered third sector organisations (including community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and cooperatives) that conform to the EU SME definition.

Amount: Between £20,000 and £1,000,000

Deadline: Apply at any time.

Local Energy Scotland - Let’s Do Net Zero Community Buildings

Description: The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) is here to support communities to engage with, participate in and benefit from the energy transition to net zero emissions. The Fund will help community organisations reduce their building energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding is available for many types of community buildings, including:

• community cafes
• community hubs
• faith buildings
• public halls
• community halls and centres.

CARES supports communities to engage, participate and benefit in the energy transition to net zero. They will support projects that:

• accelerate the uptake of community and locally owned renewable energy, to meet Scotland’s 2030 2GW ambition
• support community involvement in local energy systems that lead to new installations of locally owned renewable energy generation
• support shared ownership projects (where a community group invests in a commercial renewable energy project)
• assist communities to maximise the impact from community benefit funds through community consultation, action planning and good governance.

Eligibility: Applicants must be constituted non-profit distributing community organisations, including organisations with charitable status, that are established and operating across a geographically defined community (‘local community organisations’) or faith groups.

Amount: Up to £80,000. Grant funding is available for up to 80% of eligible costs up to a maximum of £80,000.

Deadline: Ongoing until the end of March 2025

Small funds

South Lanarkshire Council - Climate Emergency and Resilience Fund

Description: Climate Emergency and Resilience Grants are available to community groups and organisations who need funding to pursue environmental, sustainability or climate change projects.
The fund can be used for community projects which embrace the council’s climate change, sustainability, and climate adaptation objectives:

• Improved air quality
• Increased climate resilience
• Improved resource efficiency
• Increased active travel opportunities
• Increased/enhanced urban greenspace
• Improved outdoor access
• Reduction in the reliance of fossil fuels
• Improved energy efficiency
• The use of renewable technology
• Increased renewable energy generation
• Reduction in waste
• Supporting the circular economy

Eligibility: Applicants should either be a community group officially operating in South Lanarkshire Council or a partner organisation.

Amount: Up to £2,500

Deadline: Ongoing. One application can be made each year. A decision will be made within 30 days unless additional supporting information has been requested.

The Mushroom Trust

Description: The primary goal of the Trust is to support the creation and improvement of greenspaces, particularly in urban environments, through an emphasis on horticultural aspects. The Trust helps to fund projects throughout Scotland, especially those in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
In recent years the Trust has supported a broad variety of proposals for the improvement of public parks, the development of allotments, the commissioning of landscape designs for long term planning, the planting of community gardens and orchards, and the creation of therapeutic garden spaces.

The Trustees encourage applications for the initial costs for design work in connection with new projects where this has not yet been considered.

Eligibility: Applications are invited from any organisation or group. The Trustees are interested in supporting projects that can demonstrate public involvement and community based fundraising. Furthermore, the trustees are keen to support organisations that might have difficulties in obtaining public funding from other sources.

Amount: Between £1,000 and £5,000

Deadline: 31 March 2023

The Conservation Volunteers - The Chestnut Fund

Description: The Chestnut Fund is part of TCV’s commitment to support Community Network members. The fund makes grants available to encourage and enable community groups to carry out conservation activities. The grants fall into two categories:
Start-up grants: For groups who have little or no money when they are first set up and are available to groups in their first year of existence. The grant will enable them to begin practical work and will cover administrative expenses, e.g. postage, publicity, hire of meeting rooms, telephone bills and/or insurance fees.

Support grants: For groups who have little or no money for tools, equipment and training. This grant is available to all groups, regardless of how long they have been constituted.

Eligibility: TCV requires that the group has a proper current bank account, in the group’s name and at least 2, ideally 3, independent people involved. Groups should not use bank accounts of other organisations or individuals.

Amount: Start up grants maximum amount is £160. Support grants maximum amount is £350.

Deadline: Apply at the time. The Chestnut Fund committee meets every 6 weeks to discuss new applications.

Localgiving - Magic Little Grants

Description: Funding can go towards projects focusing on a number of themes including:

• Improving biodiversity and green spaces
• Responding to the climate emergency and promoting sustainability
• Increasing community access to outdoor space

Eligibility: Registered charities; Community Interest Companies (CICs); Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs, SCIOs); social enterprises; other not-for-profit community organisation.

Amount: Between £250 and £500

Deadline: Next deadline: 31 Oct 2022

Vegware - Community Fund

Description: The Vegware Community Fund gives monthly support to non-profit sustainability projects, with new recipients being added as Vegware grows. The Vegware Community Fund supports sustainability in its widest sense, including the built and natural environment, and community projects. The fund offers monthly grants or a regular donation of Vegware products.

Grants are intended to cover core costs, which may include items like stationery, teas/coffees for volunteers, equipment hire, heating, web hosting, internet access and so on. It is their goal to provide a contribution to allow groups to engage in their chosen task, develop or expand existing projects, or provide a basis from which to apply for further project funding.

Eligibility: Ideally organisations should have been running for at least 12 months. Applicants must have a UK bank account in the name of the organisation for payments to be made into.

Amount: Between £20 and £200

Deadline: 31 Jan 2023

The Naturesave Trust

Description: The Naturesave Trust was set up to promote the adoption of sustainable development. It obtains 100% of its funding from the premiums generated by Naturesave Insurance.

The latest funding window is focused on the circular economy, with focus repairing, restoring, mending, sharing and repurposing.

The principal areas of funding are:

• Environmental and Conservation Projects: Working with communities and organisations to protect wildlife and improve biodiversity
• Social Enterprise Projects: Working with charities and voluntary organisations to support vulnerable and disadvantaged groups
• Community Renewable Energy Grants: Providing startup ‘seed corn’ grants for community renewable energy projects

Environmental Performance Reviews: The Trust also funds independent reviews for commercial customers of Naturesave Insurance. This free advice is designed to help their SME business customers to become more sustainable and reduce costs.

Eligibility: The Naturesave Trust will consider applications for specific projects from Charities, Companies, or Organisations whose activities are based within the UK.

Amount: Between £500 and £2,500

Deadline: No deadline provided