Funding opportunities
Sussex Community Foundation
There are three rounds of grant-giving each year. A priority area for the general funding is climate action. Applications are open and can be made at any time but will only be reviewed after each deadline. The next deadlines for applications are:
- Friday 10 January 2025 (Decisions March 2025)
- Friday 9 May 2025 (Decisions in July 2025)
- Friday 5 September 2025 (Decisions November 2025)
Grow Wild Community Programme
The Glow Wild Youth Grant is open. Are you aged 16–25 and live in the UK? Apply for a £500 Grow Wild grant to bring your nature project to life this summer.
For more funding opportunities please check the East Sussex County Council Community Funding News web page.
The Energy Redress Scheme
£40 million fund opens again for charities and community energy groups for projects which focus on contributing to a just transition to net zero and mitigating the climate change impacts of energy consumption.
The deadline for applications to this funding round is 5pm on 20 March 2025. Organisations not yet registered with the scheme must do so 10 working days before the relevant fund closes to allow time for eligibility checks to take place.
Sea-Changers Coastal Fountain Fund 2025
The purpose of the fund is to reduce the impact of single-use plastic water bottles on coastal habitats by funding communities to purchase water drinking fountains and install them for public use in busy or environmentally important areas.
Grants of up to £2,500 are available, per applicant, towards the cost of a fountain. The closing date for applications is Friday 25th April 2025.
N+P in East Sussex Fund
The N+P in East Sussex Fund has £15,000 each year to donate to community projects. The next round will open on 4 April 2025 and close 27 June 2025.
For more funding opportunities sign up to East Sussex County Council Funding news.
Take Action
The Growing Community Toolkit is a free resource for community groups and volunteers in Sussex. It’s created by community volunteers to provide the accurate and practical information you need to set up and run a community group or community garden. You’ll find everything from getting insurance to growing carrots!
The Toolkit is aimed at groups working outdoors, in public spaces and community gardens and is supported by live events and workshops.
Village and Community Halls: Guide to Surveys
The guidance takes a hall committee through the benefits of obtaining a survey, explains different types of surveys and how to go about engaging a surveyor. The section for surveyors will be useful for hall committees to share when commissioning their surveyor. There is also a comprehensive chapter on energy surveys.
A Community Carbon Calculator, Impact is a free, open-source, online tool providing small communities with easy-to-understand data about where most carbon emissions come from in their local area.

The South East Climate Alliance has a collection of resources and actions that individuals can take to reduce their impact on the climate.

Friends of the Earth local action group has some great resources and is one of the largest environmental campaigning networks in the UK.
Energy Saving Trust has information on changes that you can make to save energy. This includes ‘quick wins’ like understanding your bills to larger projects like boiler replacement or installing solar panels.

Find out more about Wealden's Food Partnership, they're striving to increase food security in our communities.