*Grant applications have now closed*

We’re offering grants of up to £5,000 to support community groups in the Highlands and Islands to work with a researcher to run a project on a local climate change issue.

Projects should be based on a climate change issue that matters to your community.

Area: The Highlands and Islands, Scotland, UK

Suitable for: Community groups

Funding size: up to £5,000

Timeframe: Projects running from September 2023 – March 2024

Pictured: Green Hive's Net Zero Nairn Highlands and Islands Climate Change Community Grant project

How could you explore climate change in your community in the Highlands and Islands by connecting with a researcher?

The Highlands and Islands Climate Change Community Grant aims to empower communities to take action against a climate change issue that matters to them, whilst also providing researchers with a greater appreciation of the value of community input.

This scheme aims to develop equitable, collaborative relationships between local communities and researchers.

We are interested to hear from groups located in the Highland and Islands region of Scotland, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented in science, research and innovation, and climate change activity. In particular, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, speakers of minoritised languages (including Gaelic), and people living in communities that face disadvantages including in terms of education and economic opportunities.

Information Webinar

Watch our webinar for more information on the New Voices grant and application process. We highly recommend that you watch the recording before submitting an application for the grant.

WATCH THE THE WEBINAR HERE

For detailed information about applying for a grant, please visit our guidelines and FAQ.

GUIDELINES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you require any further information, or information in different formats, please get in touch at [email protected].

If you are a researcher interested in being involved in the scheme, please visit our researcher information page.

INFORMATION FOR RESEARCHERS

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You can skip to the following sections:

• How to apply
• Who can apply
• The projects we fund

How to apply

*Grant applications have now closed*

All applications should be submitted online via the grant application form by 17.00 on Wednesday 10 May 2023. Please read the full guidelines and FAQ before submitting an application for the grant.

APPLICATION FORM

Deadline for applications - submit form by 17:00	10 May 2023
Grants confirmed	End of May / Early June 2023
Researcher/group ‘matching’	June 2023
Online Community of Practice workshop	Late June 2023
Projects begin	September 2023
In-person Community of Practice workshop	September 2023
Online Community of Practice workshop	December 2023
Online Community of Practice workshop	March 2024
Projects completed	31 March 2024

As you may not have done this type of research project or applied for this type of funding before, and we want this to be an accessible learning experience for the communities and researchers involved, there is support available throughout the whole grant process. This includes the development of applications and the matching with researchers, as well as during the delivery of the project itself.

Who can apply

To be eligible for a grant, the application must come from a representative from a community group (rather than a researcher) and groups must be community-based.

We will prioritise groups that bring ‘new voices’ into our discussions and work around climate change. These include groups that are currently underrepresented in science, research and innovation, and climate change activity, specifically:

• People from an ethnic minority background
• Speakers of minoritised languages (including Gaelic)
• People living in communities which face disadvantages, including in terms of education and economic opportunities.

We recognise that these experiences often intersect with wider underrepresentation and that people can face multiple challenges or barriers to participation. For the purpose of this fund, we are actively looking to hear from groups who identify with the descriptions above, though we also welcome inquiries from groups who self-identify as facing a specific barrier to inclusion.

Communities and activities should be based in the Highlands and Islands – for this grant, we define this as being based in the following council areas: Highland Council, Moray Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands, Argyll and Bute Council, Isle of Arran and Isle of Cumbrae.

We welcome applications led by groups where this may be the first time working with researchers and/or climate change activities, as well as more experienced groups.

The projects we fund

You don’t need a fully formed project at this stage to be able to apply, though your project/activity idea should reflect climate change issues that matter to your community.

We are especially interested in projects that seek to explore adaptations to the expected effects of climate change, or an aspect of climate change that you feel has been under-explored.

Need some inspiration? Find out more about the projects in phase one of the scheme

Types of projects/activities could (but are not required to) link to the following themes:

• How to manage resources and consumption (e.g. the circular economy, right to repair, and rethinking ‘waste’)
• How to travel sustainably (sustainable transport)
• How we grow and eat food (food and farming)
• How to source and use sustainable power (energy, renewables)
• How and where we will live in the future (e.g. housing, de/repopulation, migration)
• How to protect our natural environment and biodiversity (e.g. addressing flooding, water shortage, habitat protection).

For more information please visit:

GUIDELINES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you have any questions or require any assistance, please get in touch at [email protected].

BACK TO HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNITY GRANT HOMEPAGE