We award Sustainable City Grants to help local groups to deliver activities in Cambridge. The activities must contribute to our Climate Change Strategy objectives.

Voluntary and community groups can apply for up to £10,000 per year. You can apply for funding for multiple projects, but the total must not exceed £10,000.

The application window for 2024/25 funding closed on 2 October 2023. We will accept applications next year for future funding.

Eligibility criteria

Your organisation must:

• be a voluntary or community organisation
• have a bank account
• have a governing document, such as a constitution

Your project must:

• take place in Cambridge
• be completed by 31 March 2025
• benefit residents or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cambridge

Your application must:

• address one of the funding priorities:
  • Reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from homes and businesses in Cambridge
  • Reducing consumption of resources, waste and increasing recycling by residents and businesses in Cambridge
  • Reducing emissions from transport in Cambridge by promoting sustainable transport and encouraging behaviour change
  • Increasing the provision of sustainable food in Cambridge
  • Supporting residents and businesses of Cambridge to adapt to the impacts of climate change
• achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
  • Reduction of carbon emissions from homes and businesses, including through the promotion and implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources
  • Increased reuse and recycling and reduction of general waste produced by residents or businesses
  • Increased use of sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing
  • Increased access to sustainably produced food for residents, visitors and those who work in Cambridge
  • Residents, particularly the vulnerable, supported to prepare and respond to the impacts of climate change, such as heatwaves, flooding or water shortages
• show how the project will enable the following to take part, or benefit, in the activities and support to be provided:
  • City residents with the most need, including those on low incomes, or
  • SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and less than €43m turnover or €37m balance sheet total

Previous projects

Projects that we have funded in previous years include:

• Cambridge Carbon Footprint’s Open Eco Homes project, which helped people create low-energy homes
• Co-Farm in Abbey, which supports more than 200 people to run their own community farm
• Cambridge Sustainable Food’s work to:
  • support the Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance
  • support nine community food hubs
• Papworth Trust’s project to repair and refurbish bicycles for low-income residents