Climate Change Grant

Community Asset Fund
Not-for-profit, charitable community groups and organisations can apply to the Community Asset Fund for a grant of up to £25,000. Applicants can apply for up to 50% of the cost of a project to provide new or enhance existing community assets and facilities.

For more information visit Community Asset Fund | Test Valley Borough Council

Councillor Community Grant Scheme
Not-for-profit, charitable community groups and organisations can apply to the Councillor Community Grant Scheme for a grant up to two-thirds of the cost of their project or activity, up to a maximum of £1,000.

For more information visit Councillors Community Grant Scheme | Test Valley Borough Council

There are a number of grants available from other organisations that may be relevant for projects. Some of these can be for specific funding rounds and subject to change. Some of these are available to view via the Test Valley 4 Community Portal.

Grants from Hampshire County Council can be accessed from: Grants and funding | Hampshire County Council

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)

• Powering Communities to Net Zero fund: This grant aims to support communities during​ prolonged power interruptions caused by storms, aid their ability​ to cope in periods of severe weather, and also support​ the adoption of new low-carbon technologies. For more information visit: Powering Communities to Net Zero fund - SSEN

This grant is specifically for applicants looking to reduce their carbon emissions or improve the resilience of their community to climate change. Although other grants such as CAF have an element within their scoring system relating to the ‘environment’, this grant look specifically for projects relating to climate change.

If you change supplier/contractor once the funding has been awarded, due to unforeseen circumstances, then this would be to be raised and discussed with the council.

TVBC will only release funding once the applicant had provided the invoices for the works undertaken. TVBC will not pay the supplier directly and invoices should be addressed to the applicant organisation and dated after the date of approval of any grant. There will therefore be a gap between awarding the grant and the funding being provided. If your project requires deposit or phased payments, this will need to be agreed in advance of payment. For information, if the applicant is a Parish or Town Council, or another organisation that is VAT registered, the VAT element of a project will be excluded from any grant support.

We advise looking at Trustmark in regard to suitable trade people for different technologies. Additionally, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MSC) can be used to look for accredited technologies for renewable and low carbon energy. There are also additional accreditation and certification schemes for different types of project.

A grant will only be issued when the lease has been completed. Please ensure you have consent from your landlord to undertake the project.

The specifics of a project and where it is located will influence whether planning permission and other consents are needed. Some projects, such as installing LED lighting within a building, are unlikely to require planning permission. Works to the outside of a building may be permitted development, may need a prior notification application, or could require a full planning application. Some initial advice on common projects can be accessed from the Planning Portal but please make sure you check the position for the project you have in mind. If a prior notification application or full planning application is needed, please bear in mind the timescales for determining any such application when you are considering whether to apply for this grant. If planning permission is needed, it would be expected that this is in place before a grant application is made. 

If you are proposing works to a listed building, listed building consent may need to be applied for. This could relate to internal or external works. 

Additionally, applications may be required under the Building Regulations depending on the work proposed. Initial information is available on the Council’s website. Some projects can comply with Building Regulations through self-certification schemes.

You will be asked to provide information to enable some high level checks on whether planning permission is likely to be required for your project. This will feed into the processing time of the application so you will need to think about this during the initial application process. Examples of projects that will potentially require planning permissions include:

• Solar Panels
• Battery installation external to the building
• Replacement windows