Up to £10 million in National Lottery funding made available to community-driven projects focusing on energy and climate

The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, is making up to £10 million available to community-driven projects across the UK that are focusing on the link between Energy and Climate.

The Climate Action Fund will be open from midday on Thursday 2 March for applications from across the UK that focus on community-driven energy projects that can deliver both environmental and societal benefits.

Energy use in households across the UK, from heating, hot water and using electric appliances, makes up about 20% of UK carbon emissions. Changing how we use energy in our homes will help to reduce carbon emissions while also delivering financial, health and wellbeing benefits for people and communities.

The Climate Action Fund is interested in supporting community-driven projects that will help communities make the most of opportunities that arise as we move towards more sustainable energy in the future.

Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Climate change matters to people and communities, so it matters to us. We are committed to supporting community-led climate action across the UK and, thanks to National Lottery players, can continue to step up our ambition, having allocated almost half of our £100 million commitment to projects through the Climate Action Fund.

“This new funding programme explores how community-driven energy projects can deliver environmental and societal benefits for people and communities across the UK. Communities are well-positioned to play a vital role in our response to the climate emergency, and engaging communities in conversations around energy locally can inspire action at scale and develop long term sustainable behaviours.”

Since 2017, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded more than £480 million through over 8,000 grants which involve environmental action, including action on waste and consumption, energy, transport, food and the natural environment.

Additionally, we expect to commit over £75 million to support communities on cost-of-living through the next year, factoring in commitments to date and added flexibility in grant making. If your project does not quite fit with the criteria of this funding, there may be other funding programmes within The National Lottery Community Fund for you.

To find out more about our new focus on energy and climate, visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/climate-action-fund-energy