Climate action grant scheme 2025 to 2026

Our ambitious climate change strategy has a focus on partnership working and delivering actions in collaboration with others. With this in mind, we want to involve partners and local organisations in the delivery of our 2025 to 2026 action plan. 

To support this, grants of up to £5,000 are available from our £15,000 climate action grant funding scheme. 

The deadline for applications is Friday 5 December 2025. 

Who can apply

The fund is open to the following organisations:

1. Charities and not-for-profit organisations.
2. Community and faith groups, including sports clubs.
3. Parish and town councils.
4. Schools (there is guidance for schools with extra information).
5. Universities.
6. Businesses (only for activities which provide a community benefit - the grant cannot fund commercial activities).

You must have a bank account registered in your group's name. 

We welcome applications from groups which represent vulnerable or disadvantaged communities. This supports our aim of a fair transition to net zero. 

Requirements

We will only consider projects that:

1. Support our climate change strategy or 2025 to 2026 action plan (see guidance on eligible projects below).
2. Need funding of between £50 and £5,000.
3. Can start by 31 March 2026.
4. Will not take place unless grant funding is provided, and other appropriate funding sources are not available.

The grant cannot fund:

• activities directly delivered by Bracknell Forest Council (but you can contact the climate change team to discuss these separately)
• political or religious activities (activities promoting specific political parties or religious doctrines)
• commercial ventures (offering goods and services on a market - regardless of whether or not your organisation is profit making)
• ongoing operational costs (regular expenses not directly related to the project)
• activity outside Bracknell Forest and which does not relate to Bracknell Forest
• statutory activities (which your organisation is required by law to perform)

You can apply for funding for up to 3 projects. You must apply separately for each one. 

Eligible projects

All proposals which support our strategy or action plan will be considered. 

We have identified specific projects which align with the action plan: 

• feasibility studies for solar installations on community buildings
• targeted engagement with residents on climate change
• climate change workshops or schemes in schools or with young people
• events, schemes or advice to support businesses with climate action
• cooking classes or events to promote healthy and sustainable diets
• creating or expanding community gardens or orchards
• careers events or work experience focusing on green skills
• events or training to promote walking and cycling
• greening projects to reduce runoff or overheating, or support biodiversity

These are described in more detail in appendix 1 below. Detailed briefings for schools and on solar feasibility studies for community energy are available on request. 

We also welcome applications for any other projects which support the strategy or action plan. For example, these could include:

• climate focused research projects
• activities which prepare residents for the impacts of climate change
• investigation or feasibility studies to explore future climate actions
• upskilling your staff to be able to participate in climate collaboration in future

How to apply

To apply for the fund: 

1. Check your project meets the requirements and is eligible for funding.
2. Develop a project brief and plan for implementation.
3. Fill in the application form.
4. Email the completed form to climate.change@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

Deadline

You must apply by 11:59pm on Friday 5 December.

If more funding becomes available we may open a second round of applications in early 2026. This cannot be guaranteed so we strongly recommend applying by the deadline. 

What happens next

Applications will be checked by the climate change team to make sure they are eligible. This will be based on the information in the following sections of the application form: 

• organisation details
• project information
• declaration

If the project does not fall into one of the categories listed in appendix 1, we will use the last question in the project information section to confirm that it supports our strategy or action plan.

Projects which pass this check will be scored by a panel consisting of the head of service and both team leaders in the climate change team. 

Projects will be scored on the following 4 criteria:

1. Delivery - how robust is the plan to deliver the project?
2. Cost - how much funding from the grant fund does it require?
3. Impact - to what extent will it contribute to climate action?
4. Other - does it support innovation, co-delivery or inclusion, or provide other benefits?

Scoring will be based on the matrix in appendix 2:

• the first 2 criteria (delivery and cost) will be scored on the answers in the delivery and budget section of the form
• the last 2 criteria (impact and other) will be scored on the answers to the project impact section of the form

Projects will be awarded funding in descending score order until all available funding is used up. If the remaining funding drops below £5,000, only projects within the remaining budget will be considered. If more funding becomes available, projects from the first round which scored too low to be selected will automatically be considered again. 

We reserve the right to alter any details of the scheme, including requirements and assessment criteria, at any time. We want to fund a range of projects, so may depart from the score order if some types of project are overrepresented. Decisions of the assessment panel are final and not subject to discussion or appeal.

We will respond to all applicants by 5pm on Friday 19 December 2025. If you are unsuccessful, we will provide feedback on your application.

Successful applicants

If you are successful, you will be asked to give your bank details. Once this is done, payment of the full amount approved will be completed within 3 weeks.

As we do not expect the provision of a specific service in return for this grant payment, we consider it to be exempt from VAT. You should do your own due diligence if unsure.

You will need to give a short report on the project by 15 June 2026. If the project isn't completed by this date, you will need to give a further update.

Your report should include:

• what you did and what you consider the impact to be
• how you spent the funding
• photos of your activities

You will be expected to acknowledge the grant in your annual accounts (if applicable).

We welcome the use of our name and logo to highlight our support for the project in any other communications or reporting, but this is not a requirement of the funding.

Appendix 1: Project categories identified as supporting our aims

These project categories have already been identified as supporting the strategy or action plan. 

You should not be put off applying if the impact score is low as we hope to support a range of projects, but you may wish to ask for a smaller amount of funding to compensate.

Appendix 2: Scoring criteria

More information

If you would like to discuss your project with us before applying, please contact us. If you need any help or accessiblity support, please let us know.