Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future opens to applications
Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future opens for applications, making £20 million available to partnership projects as part of our 10-year £100 million commitment to inspire more people to take climate action in communities across the UK.
Described as the most pervasive threat to the natural environment and societies the world has ever experienced, the climate crisis can often feel too big, too scary and too complex to even consider. Research tells us that 80% of UK adults are concerned about the impact of climate change on their local community, and two-thirds (64%) believe in the power of individual action to make a positive difference on climate change in communities.*
We know that climate change matters to communities, so it matters to us. We believe, as it will ultimately affect everyone, that our response needs to involve everyone. Supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable is one of The National Lottery Community Fund’s four key missions in its 2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’.
Since 2019, £78.6 million has supported 550 projects across the UK. Now, we are making a further £20 million available through Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future for ambitious partnership projects linking climate action to the everyday lives and interests of local communities to inspire more people to take action.
We’re particularly interested in projects that are making sure those most at risk of their lives being impacted by climate change, as well as people experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination are supported to have their say.
What we want to achieve
When designing this new funding theme, we reached out to sector experts who shared excitement about the opportunity to focus on unexpected and unusual partnerships, approaches, and themes and how this funding has potential to reach people and communities that others have not.
Thinking ahead to what this funding could achieve, those in the sector highlighted the need for surprising stories to help catalyse, involve more people in the conversation, and normalise collective action. What if everyone heard something motivational about climate action at least once a day?
We know that to really make a step-change in climate, we need everyone’s voice. This means engaging with a much wider pool of people, more representative of our society as a whole – and particularly those who have previously been underrepresented.
Most importantly, we want to see projects help communities convert words into practical action to create a better future for all.
Who should apply
We’re actively encouraging applications from partnerships that are not led by climate/environment focused organisations. We do still want to see partnerships with climate expertise included but are keen to see groups who are thinking differently about how to approach climate action to create bold and exciting change. We want to see a step-change in public engagement with the issue. The more ambitious, the better!
We’re focusing on two key areas where we think our funding can have the most impact and we expect all partnerships applying to be working in one or both areas.
Firstly, linking climate action to the everyday lives and interests of local communities. This could mean projects that don’t start with climate as the hook and instead focus on the interests and activities of local communities, which could be connecting with art and music, health and wellbeing or even the local football club!
Climate Outreach partnered with Pledgeball, a UK-based charity, to inspire football fans into conversations and action on climate change. The partnership shifts football fans' relationship with climate action, through encouraging them to commit to low-carbon lifestyle pledges – such as using public transport to get to a match, and wider actions like installing solar panels.
This creates a competition where teams collectively pledge to save the most emissions to win a fixture, creating a ‘league’ of commitments, incentivising climate action and creating a visible collective of people taking action.
Next, we want to see partnerships that are influencing communities at a regional or national level. Like linking up groups across the UK on a social media campaign. Or helping communities to influence the people who make policies that affect them. This could be in one country, or across the whole UK.
Local Storytelling Exchange inspires action by spotlighting the stories of everyday people and businesses quietly taking positive climate action for a better future. While big news stories tend to highlight climate threat, Local Storytelling Exchange works in key locations across the UK to share stories across regional and national media, including through a digital map and at offline events to show “this is what the transition looks like” from people like our friends, family, and colleagues across the UK.
Think your project could be a strong fit? Head to Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future webpage for the full programme criteria and to find out how to apply or to sign up for a free webinar.
Projects we’ve funded:
If you are considering applying to the Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future, the following projects offer inspiration from what we have funded in the past.
Please note these were funded under a different theme through the Climate Action Fund but give a flavour of the ambition we want to see from successful groups.
Climate Action Leeds (CAL) is an ambitious five-year, city-wide collective action approach delivered by a partnership of Voluntary Action Leeds, Our Future Leeds, Together for Peace, Leeds Tidal, CAG Consultants and Leeds Community Foundation. CAL’s collective purpose is to help shape a Leeds, which is zero carbon, nature friendly and socially just by the 2030s.
Its annual cycle of key events, designed to involve a diverse range of contributors, includes twice-yearly climate assemblies held in different locations across the city – each with a distinct focus on engaging specific groups/communities in different aspects of climate action. Recent examples include one with a youth focus, another as part of a green weekend with one of the community hubs and a family-oriented assembly with an arts theme. Watch this video to find out more.
A partnership between three organisations in Edinburgh, Communities Reduce, Reuse, Recycle aims to build capacity in ethnic minority communities to contribute to the local target of net zero transition by 2030 and Scottish Government target by 2045.
Focusing on climate justice, the £700,000 funding will support the Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), Networking Key Services, and Strengthening Communities for Race Equality Scotland (Score Scotland) to challenge unsustainable waste and consumption habits across the city. This includes carbon literacy programmes specifically for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities that consider a variety of cultures and experiences, waste management workshops for Asian restaurants, redirecting surplus food for families via community fridges and meals, and food workshops and recipes using leftovers and local seasonal vegetables.
Cumbria Action for Sustainability is an ambitious five-year project co-designed by 11 partners and the local community to make a zero-carbon Cumbria by 2037. Working with community groups, local authorities, the NHS, police, national parks, businesses, and the farming community, this county-wide project looks at transport, waste, buildings, and land use to reduce emissions in everyday life across Cumbria.
Two successful Youth Climate Summits have reached more than 500 school children across the county, and more than 1,000 people have completed carbon literacy training. The project is now recognised as a Platinum Carbon Literate organisation by the Climate Literacy Trust, one of only eight UK organisations accredited at this level.
Please only apply to Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future, if your project meets all the criteria. If your project is a strong fit, you can apply through our website.
If you’d like to hear more information, we have two free webinar sessions in May. You can sign up to attend one. A recording of the sold-out March webinar will also be coming soon to the web page over the next few weeks.
Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action.
*The Community Research Index is an annual survey of over 8,000 people across the UK that finds out how people feel about their local community, and what their ambitions and priorities are for their community both longer-term and in the year ahead. Research conducted on behalf of The National Lottery Community Fund by Savanta between 6th October and 13th November 2023. Adults weighted to be representative of UK adults by gender, age, region, social grade and ethnicity.