Applications for Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) grants up to £150,000 per year are invited now and application deadlines for the next three grant panels in 2013 and 2014 are available on the Climate Challenge Fund website.

Additional support to help disadvantaged communities and ethnic minority communities to get their CCF applications off the ground is available through Development grants of £750. Projects led by young people to reduce the carbon footprint of their community are also supported; the Junior Climate Challenge Fund (JCCF) offers young people £750 Development grants to develop a full JCCF grant application where they could secure funding of up to £150,000 per year.

Since 2008 CCF grants have provided over £46 million in funding for 563 projects run by Scottish community groups. These groups have worked with their communities to run projects that have reduced their carbon footprint, helping to tackle climate change as well as making community improvements and creating employment and training opportunities. These projects include:

• Making community owned buildings more energy efficient   
• Supporting households to  become more energy efficient
• Creating food growing spaces  
• Implementing active travel and lower carbon transport projects 

All groups applying for CCF funding can count on support from a Development Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful who manage the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government.  

For further advice and information please contact Keep Scotland Beautiful. Keep Scotland Beautiful is the independent charity which campaigns, acts and educates on a range of local, national and global environmental issues which affect people’s quality of life.  It is committed to making Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.