Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Community Climate Change Fund will boost climate emergency fight across the District

In November, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet agreed to establish a Stratford-on-Avon Community Climate Change Fund.

The District Council's new Community Climate Change Fund (CCCF) will invest in work to tackle the climate emergency and allow the District Council to formally invest in initiatives proposed by either community groups and charities or Town and Parish Councils to enhance local climate change agendas.

£100,000 is to be awarded across two phases, with the first phase opening for expressions of interest for £50,000 from Monday 22 January 2024.

The CCCF will provide grant funding to projects which meet one of the following criteria:

• Projects which result in a direct reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• Projects which build resilience to the impacts of climate change
• Projects which will result in research enabling access to more significant funding applications

The first phase for expressions of interest will be used to establish what projects are needed by communities throughout the District to address the climate crisis.

Cllr Susan Juned, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: "I'm thrilled that with this funding we can support local projects seeking to address the climate emergency across Stratford-on-Avon District.  We know that many community groups in the District are already leading the way on climate action, and we want to support this important work through our Community Climate Change Fund.

"We are now able to launch the application process and want to hear from local groups with plans which will support the District's Climate Emergency, supporting community work or developing ideas which will benefit our environment.

"Our role is to help not-for-profit organisations or Town and Parish Councils to deliver their valuable work in the community, enabling everyone to respond to the climate emergency. If you have project that could fit our criteria, then we would like you to see if you can apply for a grant to help your work.  Support is available to groups looking to submit an application to develop their project ideas.

"Collective action is needed if we are to meet our District wide climate ambitions, and that's why it's vital that we also empower local people and groups to take environmental action within their own communities."

To register an initial expression of interest for your project, to check that your project is eligible or if you are developing an idea and need some advice please visit our Community Climate Change Fund website, which can be found at: Stratford-on-Avon Community Climate Change Fund | Stratford-on-Avon District Council

Organisations that submit an Expression of Interest which fulfils the eligibility criteria will be asked to submit a full application in due course.

The District Council will also be hosting a Community Engagement Event in March to provide interested parties with the opportunity to formulate project ideas - more details on this to follow in due course.