7 August, 2026

As communities across the UK grapple with the growing impact of climate change, local councils are increasingly backing residents to act themselves.

Surrey County Council has launched its new Community Resilience Grant, offering community groups a share of £125,000 to fund projects tackling the effects of extreme heat, flooding and wildfires. Town and parish councils, voluntary organisations and faith groups can apply for grants of up to £16,000 to support innovative local solutions.

Further north, Bradford has awarded funding to 17 community-led projects through The Leap’s Climate Action Fund. Recipients, ranging from a musical instrument recycling scheme to youth horticultural programmes, each received up to £1,500 to deliver initiatives designed around the needs of their own communities.

Both programmes are built on a simple idea: the people closest to a challenge are often best placed to solve it. It’s an approach we’ve seen echoed in initiatives we’ve worked on, from Aviva’s Community Fund, which supports local organisations tackling financial and climate challenges, to Suntory Beverage & Food Europe’s Together For Good programme, which empowers employees to support causes that matter in their communities.

When the scale of global challenges can feel overwhelming, it’s easy to wonder whether individual actions really make a difference. But community initiatives like these are an important reminder that meaningful change often starts small.

By Rosie Serlin