Other Funds & Support
The fund will open in spring 2025 and they are hoping to fund measures to help community organisations reduce their building’s energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It does this by funding the installation of renewable technologies like heat pumps, battery storage, and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, as well as some energy efficiency measures.
The Energy Learning Network’s Communities Fund
This fund is to increase the ability to share knowledge between multiple community energy organisations across a geography of your choice.
Those who receive funding will have one year to spend it, and will need to engage with a brief Energy Learning Network evaluation survey. This is open to community groups acting on energy in the UK.
Deadline is Wednesday 17th September
Safe Deposits Scotland - Community Fund
This year the SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund will award grants up to a maximum value of £5,000 to organisations who commit to deliver a project that meets at least one of five criteria, namely: Sustainability and the environment, Employability and career skills, Social inclusion, Technology and digital inclusion, Improving the local community
They award grants on a quarterly basis. Upcoming dates:
Friday 28th November 2025
Friday 27th February 2026
The deadline for the next funding round is midnight on 29th August 2025.
A living spreadsheet of funding opportunities for environmental fundraisers, maintained by the team at EFN
Action Earth
Volunteering Matters Action Earth nature grants up to £250 to enable groups to run practical environmental activities in green spaces in built-up areas and centres of population. Activities should emphasize local biodiversity improvements. This could include creating or improving community gardens, shared greenspaces, wildflower meadows, ponds, community woodlands and other wildlife homes and habitats.
Environmental Funders Network’s Funding Opportunities Database
Funding Scotland Website
The most comprehensive source of funding opportunities is the Funding Scotland website.
Creative Communities Scotland fund
Creative Communities Scotland is now open for applications.
Funded by the Scottish Government and facilitated by Inspiring Scotland, the Creative Communities Scotland fund will support grassroots community-led organisations across Scotland to develop and deliver projects that harness the power of creativity in supporting the wellbeing of people and communities.
The fund is open to all hands-on, participatory art forms including dance, filmmaking, creative writing, music making, and storytelling
Rewilding Challenge Fund
The Rewilding Challenge Fund is awarded to one project each year and is open for applications until 10 October 2025. It is a major fund of up to £100,000 per year, awarded by Rewilding Britain to the rewilding project that shows the maximum potential to work with others to scale up rewilding our land and seas.
To apply, your project must be:
Based in Britain (England, Wales or Scotland)
Part of/eligible to join our Rewilding Network
At least 1,000ha/10 km² in size (the majority of which is contiguous and proposed for rewilding)
FCC Community Action Fund
The FCC Scottish Action Fund provides grants of between £2,000 and £40,000 to not-for-profit organisations for the following types of projects eligible under Scottish Landfill Communities Fund (SLCF):
- Land Reclamation
- Community Recycling
- Public Amenities and Parks
- Biodiversity
- Historic Buildings
All these grants require applicants to secure a contributing third party (CTP) payment. This funding round opened on 3rd September and closes 19th November 2025.
Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Award
These awards are designed to support community*-led research and can cover eligible costs arising from a defined research project. Funding will be provided to support new and existing research projects that promote the health of individuals through fostering healthy environments and communities, and enabling access to healthy foods.
They are looking to award demonstrator pilot-scale projects led by community-based individuals or organisations, who would each receive an award amount of up to £5,000 to conduct a research project for up to 12 months.
You can apply to up to £5000 and the deadline is 4th December 2025.
Funds for Members
Greenlight Seedgrant
Greenlight is ECCAN’s annual pot of funding for climate action projects by community groups within the City of Edinburgh. In 2024 we gave out £122,805 to 32 local projects.
Greenlight 2025-26 is now closed. Well done to all the Awardees!
Participation Fund
ECCAN members can apply to get financial support that removes participation barriers to our activities.
People’s Postcode Lottery
People's Postcode Trust is next open for funding at 9am on 26th September and closes at 12 noon on 6th October 2025.
This funding is available to registered charities, Community Interest Companies, and Charitable Community Benefit Societies that have been operating for at least 12 months and have an annual income between £10,000 and £1 million. The fund offers flexible, three-year grants of up to £50,000 to support your organization as a whole, rather than a specific project. The amount you can apply for is capped at 75% of your most recent annual income. The total awarded amount will be split over the three-year period, with a maximum of 50% being taken in any single year.
Funding Guides
SCVO Funding Guide
SCVO’s Step by Step guide to finding funding is a good place to start. Read this and then register with their online database of funds, Funding Scotland.
Funding Routemap
SCCAN’s Funding Routemap was written in 2013 but is still very relevant and useful tool for new and established groups.
We highlight new fund opportunities in our monthly members’ newsletter. Join ECCAN to get news on the latest opportunities. If you’d like to let us know about new funds, get in touch here.
More Resources
Find training packages for community groups. With options for both face-to-face and online sessions, you'll find plenty of opportunities to continue your journey towards sustainable change.
Training
Get localized data for your community and start to take evidence-based climate action where it is needed. Discover the tools we love the most.
Climate Data
Other Resources
Discover exciting initiatives and opportunities to further climate action. From Edinburgh Cycleways to the Climate Action Tracker, here is our useful list of resources.