Climate Emergency Grants now open
Published on 11 April 2025
The Surf Coast Shire Council’s Climate Emergency Grants expressions of interest period is now open for passionate individuals and community groups looking to develop projects that help tackle our climate emergency.
Now in their fourth year, the Climate Emergency Grants have helped local groups to implement climate action in their community and work with other like-minded organisations to reach more people.
“These grants are a chance for Council to support the community in implementing simple but really effective opportunities and ideas aimed at climate action,” said Cr Libby Stapleton.
“There’s $20,000 on offer to help get community projects off the ground.”
“Our community is passionate about taking climate action, and we know small projects can help deliver big changes over time.”
Project ideas can be creative and take different forms but must:
- reduce emissions, or
- build resilience to our changing climate, or
- mobilise our community to act.
A total of $20,000 is available for this grant round, broken into $5,000 or $10,000 grants, that will be awarded to the individuals and/or groups with the highest number of votes, via an online community voting process.
“The unique thing about these grants is they are voted on by the community. After the initial expression of interest process, the projects are then opened to community voting to determine who receives the grants,” Cr Stapleton said.
A collaboration between Common Ground Project and Lorne P-12 College, that received a grant in 2024, has seen all Lorne P-12 students attend Common Ground Project to learn more about regenerative farming.
The “School for Climate: Regeneration and Climate Action in the Garden and Farm” provides a tangible example of regeneration and sustainable farming and food system in the face of climate crisis.
“This program has not only introduced the school children to regenerative farming but we have found previously disengaged kids are engaged again and loving learning about farming”, said Lachlan Mackenzie from Common Ground Project.
“Without the grant this project wouldn’t have been possible. The grant allowed a crazy idea to become a reality and has allowed all the students at Lorne P-12 College to learn about regenerative farming,” he said.
Expressions of interest for the Climate Emergency Grants are open until Sunday 11 May. Community voting will take place online from Monday 26 May to Wednesday 4 June 2025.
These grants meet goal five of Council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan 2021-2031: ‘Our organisation empowers community-led responses to the climate emergency’.
Find out more and apply for Climate Emergency Grants at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/CEGrants
Media inquiries:
media@surfcoast.vic.gov.au