Deadline: 2-Mar-25
The Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is seeking applications for the Community Climate Change and Nature Fund to provide small grants to community-based organisations taking measures locally to tackle the climate and nature emergency.
The aim is to mobilise local communities, encourage people to work together in a voluntary capacity and empower individuals and communities to take actions which: reduce local CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions; increase the ability of nature to absorb and store greenhouse gas emission; and build resilience in nature to mitigate the impact of climate change and support biodiversity.
Funding Information
- Grants will usually be between £400 and £1000.
- This can fund 100% of the costs identified or be used as match funding.
What will the Scheme fund?
- Items that they can fund:
- Capital costs such as building work; buying and installing new equipment; materials including plants and trees.
- Revenue costs for projects rather than ongoing costs e.g., marketing and promotion of a new activity; training; room hire; refreshments; hiring of a marque; minibus hire; feasibility study or business planning.
- Items they cannot fund:
- Recoverable VAT (if you are not VAT registered, then VAT can be included in the eligible costs)
- Retrospective costs (costs incurred or committed to before receiving a Grant Offer Letter)
- Costs for activities that are entirely or mainly set up to promote religious or political beliefs.
- Projects involving activities that are a statutory responsibility.
- Projects that are not benefiting the Staffordshire Moorlands community
- Projects that are deemed not to contribute towards the SMDC Climate Change Action Plan and/or Plan for Nature
- An applicant can only apply once in each round.
Expected Results
- Projects must be focused on achieving one or more of the following results:
- A more energy efficient building
- Greater awareness of energy efficiency measures and/or how to reduce energy costs
- A contribution to active travel such as a new walking group or footpath improvements
- Practical support for electric vehicles such as a community EV charge point
- A new renewable energy project
- More trees or a community orchard
- Definable nature improvement including new conservation measures and/ or enhanced
- biodiversity and or/nature-based solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change.
- Greater reduction, reuse or recycling of products that would otherwise go to waste.
- A completed feasibility study or business plan for a project that meets one of the above criteria.
- Citizen science or engagement projects for nature and climate change
Who can apply?
- You can apply to the scheme if you are:
- An Unincorporated Association (a group set up with a constitution)
- A Registered Charity
- A CIC
- A CIO
- A new group (not yet constituted)
- And if you are operating in, or benefiting, people or places within the local authority district of the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Who cannot apply?
- The following cannot apply for a community grant:
- Individuals
- Private Businesses
- Parish or Town Councils
- Any organisation that has political activity as one of its stated purposes i.e., as defined by the
- Charity Commission for England and Wales: any purpose directed at furthering the interests of any
- political party; or securing, or opposing, any change in the law or in the policy or decisions of
- central government, local authorities, or other public bodies, whether in this country or abroad.
For more information, visit Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.