Sector news
Great British Energy announce Community Fund and the new Partnerships Grant
Community Energy EnglandGreat British Energy is launching £30 million in funding to kick start a community power revolution, designed to support the growth of community energy and strengthen collaboration between community energy organisations and public sector partners.
These are the GBE Community Fund (£20m), the new GBE Partnerships Grant for Local Authorities actively collaborating with their community organisations (£5m), funding for the Scottish Government (£1.8m) and funding for advice services that support local groups with the development of community energy initiatives with up to £2.9 million across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
These funds form part of the government’s Local Power Plan, which committed to invest up to £1 billion in local and community energy by 2030. The £30m package represents a substantial increase on the previous round of the GBE Community Fund for the community energy sector.
More details on how to apply for these funds will follow. Please check our funding page and news pages for more information and analysis over the coming days.
GBE Community Fund
The next round of the GBE Community Fund is now open.
The Community Fund is worth £20million in grant funding to support organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Applications must be submitted directly through the GBE portal (rather than through the Hubs).
For more information, see the GBE Community Fund webpage.
GBE Partnerships Grant
GBE has also launched a new £5 million Partnerships Grant offers grants to support the development of collaborative projects between local authorities and community energy organisations.
Applications to the Partnerships Grant must be submitted by Local Authorities to GBE. Local authorities must demonstrate that a community energy partner is meaningfully engaged in the proposed project.
Community energy organisations should therefore continue to build relationships with their local authorities, promote the value they can bring, and encourage the development of a strong pipeline of collaborative projects.
Your regional Net Zero Hub can also support conversations with local authorities and help strengthen partnerships.
For more information, see the GBE Partnerships Grant webpage.
Our Chief Executive, Dr Matt Vickers said:
Community Energy England welcomes the GBE Community Fund as the first step in the £1bn investment in community and local energy in the Local Power Plan. This will enable community enterprises across the country to deliver projects which will reduce bills, create a more resilient and cleaner energy system and most importantly keep the benefits of energy in the communities where it’s generated.
We’ve long advocated for the new Partnership Fund so councils and community enterprises can work together to transform places.
Don’t forget other sources of development funding
As you develop your projects, continue to explore other sources of development funding through our Funding pages
In particular, keep an eye on the quarterly funding cycles from the Energy Redress Scheme, including:
- the Carbon Reduction Fund
- the Innovation Fund
- the Just Transition Fund (which is specifically designed to support development of community renewable energy)
Each funding round makes several million pounds available to support community energy businesses and projects. See our dedicated page on the Energy Redress Fund
The Energy Redress Main Fund (which represents 75% of the total funding available) is now open to community businesses following CEE advocacy. This fund supports projects that target vulnerable energy consumers.