£1 million Climate Emergency Fund Launched

 We are working with Calderdale Council to distribute £1 million worth of grants over two years to start reducing carbon in Calderdale with the aim of being carbon zero by 2038.

Calderdale Council have made a budget of £500K available to support the implementation of physical carbon reduction measures locally and to be the starting point for Calderdale communities to develop their own schemes to drive change for current and future generations.

As established grant makers, we will manage and distribute the grants. To demonstrate our commitment to this global emergency which affects us all, the Foundation have ring fenced £500K of existing endowment as match funding to generate the income year on year and provide an increase in the total amount of grants we can give out to fund carbon reduction initiatives.

We have a working party and a panel of advisors to maximise the legacy and impact of this fund.

At the moment we are anticipating a mixture of different types of projects, capital based (for example installing solar panels which are easier to measure the reduction in carbon), revenue based (such as projects in the community), and educational (for businesses, not for profit organisations, and residents).

As the concern for our environment is growing, donors have expressed an appetite for being able to donate to this fund and we will be launching a fund raising campaign.