Apply now for the Community Climate Action Programme

883k available for Community Climate Action Programme

• Community Climate Action Programme will support projects with direct climate impact

Community Groups in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have been invited to make applications to the Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP). Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has been allocated €883,000 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to fund projects with a direct climate action impact.

Projects selected for funding under the programmes will have to contribute to national climate and energy targets across the following five themes:

• community energy;
• travel;
• food and waste;
• shopping and recycling; and
• local climate and environmental action.

Applications are now open for community and voluntary groups who want to do more in their communities to step up climate action in partnership with their local authorities. The programme will enable these groups to take direct climate action through varied levels of funding to support a variety of projects, from small to larger projects, worth up to €100,000 over an 18-month period.

An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Councillor Denis O'Callaghan said:

“The Community Climate Action Programme will facilitate projects under the themes of community energy, travel, food and waste, shopping and recycling and local climate and environmental action. I look forward to seeing first-hand the types of innovative projects that will be implemented in our County with support and funding from the Programme".

Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, emphasised the importance of taking local climate action. He said,

“As we all know, climate change is not just an issue at the global and national level; it is also a pressing concern within our local area. It is becoming increasingly urgent for us to take action and the Community Climate Action Programme will assist communities to lead out on projects that will have a direct climate action impact.”

Speaking about the Community Climate Action Plan, Minister Ryan said

“I have been visiting local authorities and local climate action groups across the country for the past 18 months and in these visits it is clear that local communities are the real drivers of creative and inclusive climate action across Ireland. With climate action, place is everything.  What works and what’s needed for a coastal community will be different to what works and what’s needed for a midlands community, for example. The beauty of this fund is that the projects funded will come from the ground up, from the people and organisations that know what’s best for their own area.”

Find out more and how you can apply here.