If you have an idea for a local project to tackle climate change, there are a wide range of grants available across the UK to help you. Below is a non-exhaustive list of council, local and national funding opportunities.
Council grants
No council grants for climate change initiatives are available at the moment. Check back here in future for updates.
Local grants
- Community Project Support (Lancashire County Council)
Lancashire County Council's community projects team support projects to strengthen communities and improve wellbeing. They are particularly keen to work with organisations who support: health and wellbeing, improvements to green spaces, food-growing and healthy eating projects, training and development support. - Lancashire County Council 4 Community
Lancashire County Council have launched a new, free-to-use online search tool for grants and funding. This includes help and advice on making a funding application. - Lancashire Climate Action Network (Lancs CAN)
Lancs CAN provides a list of local funding opportunities. -
Sustainability Fund; transforming local communities and environments (Veolia)
The Veolia Sustainability Fund provides in-kind resources, cash sponsorship or staff volunteers for community groups and not-for-profit organisations transform their local community. Successful projects will help to achieve one or more of the following: enhanced biodiversity, promotion of sustainable waster behaviours (reduce, reuse, recycle), protection or preservation of resources and the environment and the projects use of reused, recycled or reclaimed materials. Veolia will favour projects that have long term benefits for the community but will also consider them based on merit. Applications open on 22 May to celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity.
National grants
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding (UK Government)
The UK Government is offering funding to help cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler. Fossil fuel heating systems include LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), oil, electric and gas. Funding of £7500 is available towards an air source heat pump or ground source heat pump, and £5000 is available towards a biomass boiler. Check your eligibility to see if you qualify for this grant. - Funding for sports projects which deliver both environmental and physical benefits (Sport England)
Sport England are offering grants of upto £15,000 to support environmental sustainability projects. The projects will support inactive and less active people to get more active, whilst reducing environmental impacts. The key goals of this funding has been separated into 3 areas: reducing energy use, encouraging responsible travel and reducing waste/improving resource efficiency. Funding is available to voluntary community groups, local authorities and charities. There is no deadline, this is an open fund, however 12 weeks notice will be provided if the fund is to close. - Funding to help communities tackle climate change (Climate Action Fund)
Grants of up to £1.5 million are being provided to tackle climate action. This fund is open to organisations who are working in formal partnership across sectors. The partnership should inspire people to take action and influence communities at a regional or national level through linking climate action to everyday life and the interests of local communities. The fund is particularly interested in funding projects involving people, places and communities that are experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage. Applications will be accepted until at least spring 2025. - Forestry Training Fund (UK Government)
£700,000 in funding is available through the government’s Nature for Climate Fund to cover the cost of short, practical forestry training courses. The fund will cover 100% of the funding for eligible courses which is expected to be between £150- £3,000. Applicants should be interested in working towards a career in forestry, those working in land-based sectors or those who work in the forestry sector. The fund is accepting applications until March 2025. - Energy for Tomorrow (Centrica)
This scheme seeks to fund projects making a difference in the community. They support a range of projects, such as installing an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point, through to funding transformational energy tools. - Free Trees for Schools and Communities (Woodland Trust)
The Woodland Trust are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities. Applicants can request up to 420 saplings, with the available tree packs including: hedge, copse, wild harvest, year-round colour, working wood, wild wood, wildlife and urban trees. There are four different pack sizes available: 15, 30, 105, 420. Applicants can request up to four different tree packs as long as the total number of trees does not exceed 420. Applications are expected to close in August 2025 for tree packs to be delivered in November 2025. - Funding to build healthier ecosystems in urban and rural environments (The John Ellerman Foundation)
The John Ellerman Foundation is offering grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 per year for up to 3 years to UK registered charities with an income of between £100,000 and £10m. The funding will prioritise projects that can make a national impact or local initiatives that can be upscaled to a country level. Organisations that are eligible should take an evidence-based approach to improve the natural environment and understand the significance of habitats on both human wellbeing and the impact that people have on nature. There is no deadline to apply for this fund. - Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions (UK Government)
A grant for state-funded education institutes to provide support towards the costs of purchase, infrastructure and installation of electric vehicle chargepoints. Applicants can get 75% off the cost to buy and install chargepoints up to a maximum of £2500 per socket and up to 40 sockets across all sites (this includes any applications made previously through the Workplace Charging Scheme). Funding is confirmed until 31 March 2025. - Grant funding for community projects near landfill sites (Biffa Award)
The Biffa Award has several grant themes Rebuilding Biodiversity, Community Buildings, Recreation and Cultural Facilities. Eligible organisations must be fully constituted, charitable or not-for-profit with no share capital. The application value must be between £10,000 and £75,000. Each theme has its own eligibility criteria and all must benefit the whole community. - Funding for small organisations that will make a big impact on communities, people or the environment (Matthew Good Foundation)
The Grants for Good Fund awards £60,000 per year to 20 charitable organisations. Funding is provided every 3 months, 5 shortlisted projects receiving a share of £15,000. The funding is unrestricted and therefore can go towards any of the organisations running costs. Applicants are welcome to apply year round. - Funding to retrofit buildings with energy-generating or saving technologies (Power to Change)
Community businesses can apply for financial support ranging from £10,000 to £150,000 to help stabilise or reduce energy costs, supporting the transition to more sustainable energy practices. The funding, made available through the Power to Change Energy Resilience Fund, can be used for various projects, including retrofitting buildings with energy-generating or saving technologies. Up to 40% of the total funding can be provided as a grant, with additional energy audit grants available between £500 and £2,500. The grant is available to community businesses in England that own a building or have a long-term lease of 12 years or more. The programme is funded by Power to Change and delivered by the Key Fund. Community organisations in England can apply for a share of £250,000 of funding to reduce energy usage and carbon footprint. - Funding for projects that promote a better understanding of the environment and countryside (Niveveh Charitable Trust)
UK based schools and not for profit organisations can apply for funding to the Nineveh Charitable Trust for a broad range of projects and activities that promote a better understanding of the environment and countryside, whilst facilitating improved access, education and research. Applications can be submitted at any time. - Funding for community-led sustainability projects (Stobart)
The Stobart Sustainability Fund is providing funding to support the transformation of local communities through projects that tackle climate change, reduce emissions or protect and enhance the environment. Applications are welcomed from non-profit organizations, community groups, small businesses and educational facilities. There is no deadline. - Funding for people taking action in marine conservation (Sea Changers)
Sea Changers offer one-off grants to UK based charities and other organisations (this includes schools) who are taking part in marine conservation related activities. The projects which will be funded meet one or more of the following objectives; to address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK, to prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and/or species, to add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK. For main grants between £500 and £2500, there are two grant round per year. The deadline for main grants are 31 March and 30 September. For small grants up to £500, applications are welcome any time. - Heat Network Efficiency Scheme Round 9 open (UK Government)
The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme(HNES) opened to applicants in February 2023. It is a £32 million grant support programme spanning 2023-2024 (Year 1) and 2024-2025 (Year 2). The scheme will provide funding to public, private and third sector applicants in England and Wales to support improvements to existing district heating or communal heating projects that are operating sub-optimally and resulting in poor outcomes for customers and operators. Round 9 is now open to applications and will close on 28 March 2025. - Grants and loans for charities and social enterprises to improve energy efficiency (Social Investment Business)
The Energy Resilience Fund (ERF) is providing a blended funding package of loan (60%) and grant (40%) to improve the energy resilience of eligible charities and social enterprises in England. Incorporated voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations that are looking to install energy saving measures or generation technology to buildings/land, and/or to purchase energy efficient or environmentally friendly vehicles or equipment are invited to apply for the fund. If required, the fund will arrange an energy audit before continuing with the application process. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are unable to access mainstream bank lending for work. -
Funding available for facilities damaged by extreme weather (Sport England)
Sport England's Movement Fund is supporting community organisations that have been affected by the impact of Storms Bert and Conall. Grants of up to £15,000 are available for community organisations to cover costs such as: skip hire to remove sediment and rubbish, minor electrical works to restore power, decontamination works or clearing of blocked drains, cleaning work to get showers and changing rooms back up and running, and securing buildings. Grants are available to not-for-profit organisations, including sports clubs, charities, schools and local authorities. The fund has been open since April 2024 and there is no application deadline. -
New Fund launched for community organisations to enhance energy efficiency (Crowdfunder)
Energy Efficiency Sharematch has been launched to support co-operative Societies, community Benefit Societies and charitable community benefit societies to undertake activities to reduce their energy usage or identify alternative sources of energy that lead to a reduction in the organisation's carbon footprint. The fund can be used fo installations such as: new on-site energy/heating generation measures and energy efficiency measures in a building (eg insulation, LED lighting, double glazing, draft-proofing, improved doors). Organisations can apply for a share of £250,000 to fund the measures. Most grants are expected to be awarded in the range of £10,000-15,000, with the minimum grant being £5,000. The deadline to apply is March 2025. -
Funding available to empower rural communities (The Royal Countryside Fund)
The Royal Countryside Fund's new Supporting Rural Communities grant programme is offering grants of up to £25,000 over two years to projects that enhance resilience and sustainability in isolated rural areas. Not-for-profit, community-led organisations and charities, etc with an annual income under £500,000 can apply. The application process involves two stages: an initial 'Expression of Interest' (EOI) requiring a short video and form submission, followed by a full proposal upon shortlisting. The deadline for EOI submissions is the 21 February 2025, with shortlisted organisations invited to submit full applications by the 22 March 2025. -
Funding for school climate and biodiversity projects (The Royal Society)
The Royal Society's Tomorrow's Climate Scientists Programme, as an extension of their Partnership Grants Programme, is offering grants of up to £3,000 for UK primary and secondary schools with projects tackling climate change and biodiversity. To qualify for the funding, schools must partner with a STEM professional from academia or industry. The grants are primarily intended to cover the cost of necessary equipment for these projects. The grant applications open on the 3 February 2025. The application process for the Partnership Grants scheme involves two stages, with the first stage applications due by the 30 April 2025. -
Funding available to protect water and land environments (The John Ellerman Foundation)
The John Ellerman Foundation's People and Planet funding scheme is offering grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 per year for three years to UK charities and non-profit organisations working to protect, restore, or sustainably manage the natural environment. The scheme prioritises projects that enhance ocean health through stronger marine protected areas, community engagement, and reduced overfishing; build healthier ecosystems on land and in freshwater through sustainable management, habitat restoration, and landscape-scale conservation; and address the impact of human activities like climate change and pollution on air, land, and water. The focus is on the UK and UK waters. However, the Foundation is also keen to support land and marine-based work in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). There are no deadlines and applications can be submitted at any time. -
Funding available for creative youth-led nature projects (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew)
Grants of £500 are available for youth-led projects that celebrate UK native wildflowers, plants and fungi in exciting and engaging ways. The funding is made available through Grow Wild's Youth Grants programme to support young people to deliver a wide range of creative projects that will inspire communities and help people to connect to each other and nature. Grants can be used for anything project-related, from basic materials and equipment to resources or training. Young people aged 16-25 can apply directly as an individual or as a group of up to 6 people, but will need to nominate a youth, community or education-focused organisation to support them with their project. The deadline is 3pm on 19 March 2025. -
Funding available to support vulnerable energy consumers (Ofgem Energy Redress Scheme)
Charities and community energy groups across England, Scotland and Wales can now apply for a share of £40 million in grants to support vulnerable households facing cold homes and high energy bills. The funding also targets projects promoting a just transition to net zero and mitigating the climate impacts of energy consumption. This initiative is part of the Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme, and the funds are sourced from voluntary payments by companies that may have breached Ofgem's regulations. Applications are open until 5pm on 20 March 2025. Organisations not yet registered must do so at least 10 working days before the deadline to allow for eligibility checks. -
£288 million in funding for green heating projects (UK Government)
Public, private and third sector organisations in England can now bid for capital funding to help new and existing heat networks move to low and zero carbon technologies. The funding, which is being made available through the governments £288 million Green Heat Network Fund, will support the rollout of low-carbon technologies like heat pumps, and solar and geothermal energy, to help networks deliver clean heating to homes, offices, commercial and public buildings. Grant levels for individual projects will vary, however, there will be an upper limit of £1 million for commercialisation support. There will be quarterly funding rounds until the scheme closes in 2025. Round 9 is currently open and will close on 11 April 2025. -
National Lottery Grants for Heritage of up to £10 million available (National Lottery Heritage Fund)
Not-for-profit organisations across the UK can now apply for grants between £250,000 and £10 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for projects connecting people and communties to UK heritage. The funding can support a broad range of activities and project costs such as volunteer expenses, capital works, repairs, maintenance, conservation costs, professional fees, events costs and the aquistition of heritage. All projects must consider the long-term environmental sustainability. Partnerships are encouraged. Up to 10% match funding is required. The next closing date for expressions of interest for National Lottery Grants for Heritage is 12pm on 28 May 2025. -
2025 Coastal Fountain Fund (Sea-Changers)
Grants of up to £2500 are available, per applicant towards the cost of the fountain. Applications are welcome from all types of not-for-profit organisations who have identified a need and are well-placed to gain stakeholder involvement to ensure project success. The deadline for applications is Friday 25 April 2025. -
Funding for farmers and land managers in England's Protected Landscapes (UK Government)
The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is part of Defra's Agricultural Transition Plan, offering funding to farmers and land managers in National Landscapes, National Parks and Broads. It will fund projects that support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage and protect or improve the quality and character of the landscape or place. The programme will run until March 2026, applications will close earlier if all funding is allocated.
Useful links
- Find a Grant - a service to help you find government grants and check if you are eligible to apply. You can sign up to get alerts when new grants are available.
- My Community - helps you to search for grants to deliver your projects
- Grant Finder - a funding database in the UK covering local, national and international sources of funding
- Energy Saving Trust - list of grants and loans for saving energy
- Community Energy England - a comprehensive list of updated grants for community energy schemes
- North West Net Zero Hub - free strategic and technical support for local community groups to develop net zero projects.
Check our disclaimer before applying
Please get in touch if you have any funding opportunities you wish to promote, or to inform us if your project has been successful.