Get involved in the Ouse Valley Climate Action - Community Pitch. Awards of £500-£5,000 are being offered to tackle climate change in the Ouse Valley.
Ouse Valley Climate Action (OVCA) aims to bring the whole community together to help the environment and create a more sustainable planet for future generations.
In partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, Lewes District Council and South Downs National Park Trust, eligible organisations can submit their Community Pitch for sustainable project ideas that meet the Ouse Valley Climate Action initiative themes of reducing carbon usage, supporting nature and enhancing wellbeing, knowledge and skills around climate change.
Shortlisted applications could receive up to £5,000 towards their project costs.
Shortlisted projects will need to provide at least 10% towards their costs by gathering donations. They will be set up with a donations page and given time to raise the remaining funds so that the full funding can be confirmed.
The deadline for applications is 21 February 2025.
How to apply
Read the attached Guidance Notes and fill in the application form, returning by 21 February 2025.
With the application you will need to prepare a Community Pitch and short, 60 second video, that would be used to support a donations page, if shortlisted.
Need Inspiration?
In 2023-24 the Community Pitch supported six projects. These varied from transforming waste ground to a community vegetable garden, improving facilities for cycle parking, offering a sustainable eCargo scheme in Lewes and giving women an option to use #plasticfreeperiod products.
If you’re needing inspiration as to how to do a short film – watch this one from last year that Seaford Environmental Alliance submitted with their application:
More details from the 2023-24 projects that were supported:
- KP Projects – the Living Coast Undersea Experience – an interactive virtual reality film enabling users to explore Beach Head Marine Conservation Zone.
- Seaford Environmental Alliance – empowering the local community to tackle the single use plastics epidemic through #plasticfreeperiods.
- Roots Rising CIC – Peverells Community Garden for volunteers to garden and share home grown produce.
- Love our Ouse CIC – linking people to celebrate, raise the profile of and upscale positive action for the River Ouse.
- Get Bikery – an eCargo Bike project based in Lewes – providing a zero carbon alternative to short journeys that would normally be made by car and van.
- Cycle Lewes – offering cycle parking facilities at Mountfield Road car park, Lewes.
