Hundreds of projects right across the country to receive community climate action funding
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From: Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
- Published on: 9 September 2024
- Last updated on: 16 April 2025
- €27 million Community Climate Action Programme funding, provided to local authorities to partner with community groups, is supporting initiatives like community gardens, solar energy, EV charging, and community composting
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has welcomed announcements of the first tranche of projects right across the country that are receiving funding under the Community Climate Action Programme.
The bumper programme comprises a national Climate Action Fund allocation of €24 million and €3 million provided by the Government’s Shared Island Fund to support cross-border and all-island community climate action initiatives. Together these funds will support a wide variety of organisations, from sports clubs to tidy towns and from local enterprise to arts groups – to pay for climate actions that they feel will improve their communities, save energy and money or support their members.
The fund, which is provided to local authorities to partner with community groups, provides amounts of up to €100,000 to larger local projects over an 18-month period. It is paying for initiatives like the installation of renewable energy systems, the development of community gardens, or the installation of EV chargers, bike racks, water refill stations, composting, lighting upgrades or rainwater harvesting to name just a few of its purposes.
Commenting on the allocations, Minister Ryan said:
"Place-based solutions deliver climate actions that really work because they are developed, and underpinned by local authority leadership and community ownership. I’m really excited to see the first projects under this strand of the Community Climate Action Programme announced and look forward to seeing how their development will make these communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Importantly, we are also enabling community climate action on a cross-border basis, as part of the government's Shared Island initiative.
"In addition to this large-scale funding I have recently launched a community climate engagement fund, to enable organisations to talk about and build greater awareness of actions they are taking and the impact they are having on their community. Every place and every person matters in designing and developing climate solutions that work for communities and make their lives better.
"I'm particularly pleased to see so many of these projects begin their journey during Dublin Climate Action Week, where we can see the true power of community action across a range of events."
The Community Climate Action Programme consists of two strands: Strand 1, which focuses on building low carbon communities in the State; and Strand 1a, which is funded by the government’s Shared Island Fund and supports cross-border and all-island projects that contribute to climate and energy targets on the island of Ireland.
To date, 20 local authorities have moved into delivery under the programme and are beginning to make announcements across the country.
Further details can be found on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website or by contacting your local community climate action officer.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
Government's Climate Action Fund
The Climate Action Fund was established on a statutory basis in 2020 to provide support for projects, initiatives and research that contribute to the achievement of Ireland's climate and energy targets. The fund also supports projects and initiatives in regions of the State, and within sectors of the economy, impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy. The fund is resourced from sources including official flight emissions offset payments and from proceeds from the levy paid to the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) in respect of relevant disposals of petroleum products, after the funding requirements of NORA have been met.
Strand 1: Community Climate Action Programme – Building Low Carbon Communities
Strand 1 is part of the Community Climate Action Programme that launched in 2021 and that will see €61.5 million from the Climate Action Fund invested in community climate action projects and initiatives, as well as capacity building, over a number of years. Strand 1 is part of the first phase that saw €30 million allocated across 2 strands. Strand 2 of the Community Climate Action Programme included €5 million for an open call, managed by Pobal, for education, capacity building and learning by doing projects, and €1 million to Creative Ireland for the Creative Climate Action Programme. Both of these funding streams under strand 2 are now closed and in delivery. €31.5 million has been allocated to the second phase of the programme.
Strand 1a Community Climate Action Programme – Shared Island Fund
Strand 1a 'Shared Island Community Climate Action' – funded by the Government’s Shared Island Fund – addresses the same five themes as Strand 1 (community energy, travel, food and waste, shopping and recycling, and local climate and environmental action) with a clear North/South basis and cross-border partnership approach and impact. This will enable communities and local authorities to take forward a cross-border project in partnership with organisations in Northern Ireland. At least 50% of awarded funding under Strand 1a will be for project delivery in Northern Ireland.
The Shared Island Fund provides ring-fenced resourcing to enable the delivery of the government's all-island investment commitments under the Programme for Government and National Development Plan.
In July 2022, the government allocated €3 million from the Fund for Shared Island Community Climate Action. This will support cross-border or all-island projects that have a clear North/South basis and contribute to climate and energy targets on the island of Ireland.
Projects will include at least one partner in Northern Ireland and at least 50% of awarded funding will be for project delivery in Northern Ireland.
Further information on the government's Shared Island Initiative and Fund is available at: Item was unpublished or removed
All project allocations are subject to final approval before entering into delivery phase.
Climate Actions Work
Climate Actions Work is a national programme of engagement on climate action. It enables people and communities across Ireland to be part of the conversation about climate change.
The Climate Actions Work project includes:
- An expanded programme of engagement activities and events, building on the National Dialogue on Climate Action
- Funding and resources for community groups to support climate communications and engagement at a local level
- An interactive map of regional activities that are happening in your area
- A national communications campaign to tell the story of community climate actions that are already making a difference
The programme builds on and expands the programme of engagement that has been happening over the last number of years as part of the National Dialogue on Climate Action. The programme also utilises research carried out under the Climate Conversations consultation to identify key barriers to climate action in communities across Ireland. This evidence-based approach ensures that the actions undertaken as part of the programme address climate literacy, education and awareness.
Dublin Climate Action Week
Dublin Climate Action Week is an annual one-week programme of online and in-person events, which aims to showcase and inspire climate action across the Dublin region. Dublin Climate Action Week is organised by the four Dublin Local Authorities, the Dublin Climate Action Regional Office (CARO) and Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency, and showcases the Dublin region’s climate action progress, demonstrating the leadership role of the four Dublin local authorities. For more information, see the Dublin Climate Action Week website.