£500,000 in funding from Foundation Scotland is to be shared between five Community Action Hubs – Forth Valley, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and East Dunbartonshire – to support community-led initiatives tackling climate change and its effects.
The East Lothian Climate Hub is delighted to announce the commitment of an additional half a million pounds for its work at sites across central Scotland, which includes £95,000 in funding for a multi-hub initiative for work in traditionally disadvantaged communities.
East Lothian Climate Hub Manager Bobby Pembleton, who spends part of his time supporting national Climate Action Hub Programme priorities and worked with Foundation Scotland to develop this fund, said “a benefit of an interconnected network of Climate Action Hubs covering every corner of Scotland is our ability to be agile with opportunities. We are a group built around collaboration and incentivised to help each other. It has been a pleasure working with Foundation Scotland and a number of Hubs to co-create a fund that matches mutual expectations, fills gaps that we have identified as a network of networks, and can be delivered effectively by appropriate place-based organisations in their contexts. I am hopeful that this is the first of more funds that find the Climate Action Hub Programme an appropriate distribution mechanism for turning available moneys into real, quick, strategic, long-term impact.”
This additional funding from Foundation Scotland supports five hubs chosen from across central and urban areas.
This supports an initial Scottish Government grant of £5.5m shared between a nation-wide network of 24 hubs across 2024-2025. The network was created as a local resource for supporting grass-roots climate action and meeting local needs of communities facing the climate emergency.
Already established within their local communities, Foundation Scotland’s funding will support a transition from short-term project cycles to making the hubs a resource for long-term climate resilience in the communities they serve.
Individual awards by Foundation Scotland:
- Edinburgh: £110,000 to Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network (ECCAN)
- Glasgow: £110,000 to the Glasgow Climate Action Hub partnership
- Forth Valley: £80,000 to Forth Environment Link (FEL Scotland)
- East Dunbartonshire: £50,000 to Twechar Community Action, for an outreach officer employed until March 2027
- Dundee: £55,000 to Dundee Changemakers Hub
- £95,000 for a multi-hub adaptation programme delivered in traditionally disadvantaged communities across central Scotland, coordinated by FEL
Rachel Searle, Head of Communities and Impact at Foundation Scotland said:
“We know that in face of the continuing climate emergency we all need to take action to increase resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change. That’s why Growing Climate Action and Sustainable Natural Environments is one of Foundation Scotland’s impact themes. Providing this funding to five of central Scotland’s climate hubs will enhance their ability to respond to increasing demand and interest from communities to take action to tackle climate change locally. We’re looking forward to hearing how this funding helps with that.”
Clara Walker, Executive Director at FEL Scotland said:
“We are grateful to Foundation Scotland for this investment, which complements existing Scottish Government funding and supports a crucial step forward for a number of Climate Action Hubs in central Scotland. Importantly, this funding enables us to explore and share learning across the wider network of 24 hubs, helping us understand how community funding can be scaled to create the most positive impact – particularly for the communities that need it most.”
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said:
“Established by the Scottish Government, Scotland’s Climate Hubs play an influential role in their local communities, and provide valuable support and inspiration for people looking to take climate action. This funding from Foundation Scotland will support grassroot activity through five of our hubs – making a huge difference to people who want to make a positive change in their communities. It is a fantastic endorsement of the work carried out by Climate Hubs across the country and their ability to support and drive local change.”
