Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director, updates on our commitment to supporting communities to be more environmentally sustainable and awarding funding to projects in Northern Ireland with an environmental focus.  

Our Sustainable Community Buildings programme is increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs, by providing professional advice, training and support, alongside capital grants for improvements such as solar panels and insulation.  

It was great to see the first set of grants announced last week, demonstrating significant reductions in emissions as well as thousands of pounds of cost savings. See our grant announcement press release for more information.  

We’re now looking at what comes next. 

Since launching the programme in early 2024, we’ve been told by the sector that the criteria limited applications from some organisations, such as those with an income over £500,000. 

We have listened to this and want to ensure we make a greater impact. 

Therefore, across NI the programme will open again from Wed 12 March to Wed 23 April 2025. There will no longer be restrictions on organisational income, building age or previous environmental improvements. See webpages on Sustainable Community Buildings for full details.  

This will not only reduce carbon emissions, but also help groups of all sizes who own or long-term lease a well-used building, to save money for many years, at a time when many are finding it hard to keep the doors open. 

The first 38 grants are saving groups between £600 and £7,606 each year on energy bills, that’s a total saving of over £110,000 and at least £2.2 million over the next 20 years. Further savings will be made as more grants are awarded over the next 12 months. 

That’s more money helping deliver services in local communities.  

So far, CO2 emissions have been cut by the equivalent of 38 diesel cars or charging 13 million smart phones.  

Over 120 volunteers and sector leaders have been accredited through carbon literacy training and worked with energy experts, bringing useful learning back to their community.  

One group who have seen the long-term benefit of solar panels recently told me about the conversation starter in the foyer, a screen which shows savings in ‘real time.’ For ten years they’ve been producing 30% of their electricity and receiving £1,000 from the grid each year. Other groups using their building have seen the benefit and this has helped share learning wider in their community.  

It really is a case of small steps making a big difference.  

We’re also starting to see the impact of projects from our UK wide Climate Action Fund, such as Artitude by The Playhouse in Derry/Londonderry. They’ve created a movement to change attitudes and behaviours towards waste, consumption and climate.  

But we need more of this widespread action. 

Grants from £500,000 are available now to those working in partnership that can link climate action to everyday lives and influence communities. Take a look: Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future | The National Lottery Community Fund. 

Every day we see depressing news headlines about rising energy costs or disasters caused by climate change. The recent storms really brought home how vulnerable we are to extreme weather.  

Sustainable Community Buildings is only a first step in our environmental ambitions outlined in our strategy to 2030, called It starts with community. We continue to use learning and will be engaging with the sector on future plans. 

We want all groups applying to any programme to consider the impact of their project on the environment. More details can be found on our website: Reduce your environmental footprint | The National Lottery Community Fund. 

We share this planet, so all live with the responsibility.  

If you have an idea for a project or want advice about one of our funding programmes, speak to your funding officer or contact our enquiries team.