COMMUNITY groups are being invited to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to fund a climate action project to reduce carbon emissions, encourage greener travel and lifestyles, reduce food waste or increase biodiversity.

Groups are being asked to contribute to the district-wide efforts to tackle climate change by setting up local projects - complementing existing work on low-emissions transport, tree planting and reducing energy consumption, and giving local residents a chance to do more to care for the planet on their own doorsteps.

Bradford Council is sharing £360,000 between its five area offices – Bradford East, Bradford South, Bradford West, Keighley and Shipley – as part of its investment in climate action initiatives to drive the district towards net zero carbon emissions by 2038. The money is to form a Climate Change Grant.

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Local organisations are being invited to apply for a share of the fund if they have a project which meets one or more of the following objectives:

• To promote, support and encourage positive behaviour changes within the community e.g. reducing car usage, reducing waste, sourcing seasonal or locally grown foods or reducing energy consumption.

• To educate and raise awareness of climate emergency

• To secure environmental improvements that help build local resilience and adaptability to climate change, e.g. energy efficiency of community buildings, producing onsite energy or renewable energy or more efficient heating systems.

• To respect and protect green spaces by supporting the retention and/or renewal of natural habitats or encouraging biodiversity and environmental stewardship.

Grants will be up to £5,000, but applications for larger amounts will be considered.

More detailed guidance for applications can be found here

The fund is open for applications from today and the closing date is Friday, April 23. Contact your local area office for an application form:

BRADFORD EAST

bradfordeastinformation@bradford.gov.uk

01274 431066

BRADFORD SOUTH

BradfordSouthAreaOffice@bradford.gov.uk

01274 431155

BRADFORD WEST

bradfordwestinfo@bradford.gov.uk

01274 432597

KEIGHLEY

keighleyareacoordinatorsoffice@bradford.gov.uk

01535 618008

SHIPLEY

shipleyareaneighbourhoodforums@bradford.gov.uk

01274 437146

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places, said: “This fund is a great opportunity to engage local communities in climate action and get them involved in making positive changes. We would encourage groups to apply if they strongly believe that their projects can make a very real and lasting difference to their local carbon footprint.”

The grants are part of a £1m funding pot of climate action initiatives allocated by the Council last year. Its launch has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.