Edinburgh Community Solar Cooperative has opened its benefit scheme to applications for grant funding from community focused organisations in Edinburgh.

The Coop raises funding to place solar panels on council buildings and pays out dividends to their investors. As well as this the co-op also has funds to allocate to community causes.

Applicants can apply for a minimum of £1000 and a maximum of £5000. Eligible organisations can apply for the full cost of a project or a smaller contribution to a larger project. The average grant is likely to be in the region of £1500.Funds for larger projects will not be released until the applicant can demonstrate that they have the remainder of the funds in place. 

Applications are now open with a closing date of 30 June 2022. Decisions will be made in late August 2022.  

Eligibility:

  1. Schools and Leisure Centres in Edinburgh
  2. Registered charities or community organisations (with a bank account) operating within Edinburgh with a particular focus on:
  • Children and young people
  • The environment and sustainability
  • Outdoor education
  • Sports clubs

Purpose of the grant

  1. Environment/sustainability education
  2. Environmental improvements to buildings used by communities
  3. Health, well-being and inclusion (for example community gardens, healthy eating programmes, or improved access to facilities for people with additional mobility needs)  
  4. Small-scale renewables/activities that reduce carbon
  5. Initiatives that address fuel poverty

Expectations

Successful applicants will be expected to:

  • Provide evidence of spend on the grant as specified in the application (including any variance)
  • Complete a short impact report, which can be used to develop a case study by ECSC for its website, publicity and other communications purposes, including photo images.
Phyllis Stephen
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.