The National Lottery has opened the first round of bids for part of a Climate Action Fund amounting to £100 million over 10 years.

Initial ideas must be submitted by 5pm Wednesday 18 December 2019.

Full proposals must be submitted by midday Friday 27 March 2020.

Below is a summary of what the National Lottery is looking for in bids to the Climate Action Fund.

It is taken from the bid page.

Summary of National Lottery Climate Action Fund

• High impact: Funding will focus on activities that have the potential to make a meaningful and lasting difference to the carbon footprint of communities. This includes action on sustainable energy, sustainable transport, consumption (food and waste), and the natural environment. To make a real difference, projects might need to have an impact on a number of those areas. 
• Lasting impact: To reduce the impact of climate change, it is important that the changes made are sustainable beyond the funding we might give. Long -term changes in behaviour, ways of working and practices need to be at the core of all local climate action activities. 

• The Climate Action Fund will support community-led partnerships to take action on climate change.

• Involving People: You will have developed your idea by involving the people who will benefit.

• The bid must provide evidence that the partnership has spoken to people and listened to what they have to say.
• The partnership must meaningfully involve the people you’re working with in the development and delivery of your activity.

• Working in partnership: You will be a place-based, community-led partnership that brings together a wide range of people and organisations.
• The partnership must have
  – experience in implementing meaningful action on climate change
  – a deep understanding of local needs
  – a shared vision of what local climate change action should look like
  – shared goals and values between different organisations
  – a joint understanding of the bigger picture.

• Partnership Members: Other than voluntary and community organisations, partnerships could include the environmental sector, schools, statutory services, as well as the private sector. We would expect partnerships to include smaller grassroots groups as well as larger organisations. 

• Partnerships need to engage with people outside of those already taking action on climate change in their local communities, and beyond.

• Partnership Leader: The partnership must be led, either formally or informally, by one of the following types of organisation:
  – Voluntary and community organisation
  – Registered charity or charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
  – School
  – Not for profit company including companies limited by guarantee, community interest companies and community benefit societies with two or more directors.
  Statutory bodies (such as the City Council) can be involved in the partnership but must not be the lead.

• Unincorporated groups might be funded but are expected to use the funding to incorporate and, where appropriate, register as a charity.

• Learning and engagement: The Lottery expect partnerships to produce and share their learning from the start, regularly, and be active participants in a broader movement of change.
• Funding Available: The current round of funding will support up to 15 place-based community-led partnerships to make the changes in their community they believe will have the biggest impact on climate change.
• Two types of funding:
  1) Applicants who need more time to develop their partnership, engage widely or test their approaches can access initial development funding (up to £200,000 over 18 months)
  2) Applicants who might be able to start longer-term plans at an earlier stage can access larger, longer-term awards (up to £2.5m over five years)