The Great British Energy Community Fund is now open

Updated 17.09.2026

The Great British Energy Community Fund is a government programme which specifically funds community energy projects to do feasibility and development.

This page will provide you with tools and resources to help you craft a successful application to the fund and will keep you updated on developments and updates, as we hear about them. 

You can return to the our Funding Page to see sections on other sources of development funding.

Great British Energy (GBE) has announced two new funding opportunities 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 worth £20million: offers grant funding to help community organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to test, develop and build community-owned clean energy assets. Projects supported by this fund must demonstrate that the community will hold a defined legal and financial interest in the project, and that a defined share of project benefits will be retained for, or delivered to, the local community. 
• The new GBE Partnerships Grant for Local Authorities actively collaborating with their community organisations. This fund is worth £5million.

Please contact your regional hub to discuss your projects and eligibility

How to apply for the Great British Energy Community Fund

All applications will be made to GBE, while the Net Zero Hubs continue to provide the specialist support, advice and local expertise that community energy organisations need to develop strong applications and deliver successful projects.

The application window is open for 8 weeks, the deadline is 12 November

The Community Fund is worth £20million. You can apply if you are a community organisation set up to run energy projects for local benefit. You must be a legally constituted, incorporated community organisation based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Your project must be designed to be at least 50% community owned when operational.

Funding is available at three stages:

o   Stage 1: Feasibility. Up to £40,000 to test whether your project idea is viable.

o   Stage 2: Development. Up to £100,000 to turn a viable idea into an investment-ready project.

o   Stage 3: Capital. Up to £3 million, or 50% of total project value, to help a construction-ready project bridge remaining funding gaps.

See the Great British Energy website for full details and how to apply.

Please connect with your regional Net Zero Hub as early as possible in your project to get support in applying to GBE. Those who engaged early had the best success rate in previous rounds.

How to apply for the Great British Energy Partnerships Grant

The application window is open for 8 weeks, the deadline is 12 November

You must be a local authority in England, applying with a community energy group that provides a letter of support.

Community organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply to the GBE Community Fund. In Scotland, Great British Energy is supporting community energy through investment in CARES programmes delivered by Local Energy Scotland.

• Applications to the Partnership Fund 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 local Hub can also support conversations with local authorities and help strengthen partnerships.

Funding is available at two stages:

o   Stage 1: Partnership formation and feasibility. Up to £40,000 to form your partnership and test whether a project is viable.

o   Stage 2: Development. Up to £100,000 to take a project that has proven feasible into detailed development.

See the Great British Energy website for full details and how to apply.

Please connect with your regional Net Zero Hub as early as possible in your project to get support in applying to GBE. Those who engaged early had the best success rate in previous rounds.