Funding opportunities
Supporting Rural Communities, UK-wide grant programme
This new differentiated funding aims to support transformative, community-led initiatives across the UK, unlocking the huge potential for positive change in rural communities. Organisations can apply for grants of up to £25,000 over a period of 24 months to deliver activities along the themes of:
- Keeping young people in the countryside
- Powering up rural communities
- Increasing environmental sustainability
- Building emergency resilience in rural areas.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 21 February 2025.
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)
The NatureSave Trust
The environmental charity funded by Nature Insurance. The January – February funding window is now open and the theme is Sustainable and Active Travel. The deadline for this window is 12 noon on 27th February 2025.
The Naturesave Trust will consider applications for specific projects from charities, social enterprises and grassroots community organisations whose activities are based within the UK. The Trust operates funding windows throughout the year.
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.
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.
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The South East Climate Alliance has a collection of resources and actions that individuals can take to reduce their impact on the climate.
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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.
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Find out more about Wealden's Food Partnership, they're striving to increase food security in our communities.