With £4,000 available, you could make a lasting impact on your local community and environment
Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, is launching this year's Sustainability Fund, in partnership with Southend City Council, ahead of World Earth Day (22 April 2023) to help support people across Southend to transform their local environments and communities.
2022 was an incredibly successful year for The Sustainability Fund, supporting 5 grassroots projects with £4,000 in funding, they’re looking to back projects that make a positive, sustainable difference to the local area and to deliver long-term social and environmental benefits.
With funding as well as in-kind resources and volunteers available, Veolia aims to empower people to take positive action in their local area and deliver ecological transformation.
Projects are encouraged to apply at veolia.co.uk/Sustainability-Fund.
Applications open 21 April, just in time to celebrate World Earth Day 2023. On this day, every year, global residents are encouraged to act, innovate and implement and Veolia is investing in our planet by championing the innovations of local activists.
If you’re unsure whether your project fits the criteria, here are some examples of previous projects that were successful in previous years:
- Wildlife, not Wasteland-Alleyway Nature Regeneration is a community project where local residents have adopted a disused alleyway. They hold litter clearances, removing vast amounts of fly-tipping. The aim is to turn the alleyway into a safe, cared-for area that will give shelter to a variety of local wildlife while discouraging people from using the area to fly-tip.
Funding has helped the project procure gardening tools and equipment required to transform the alleyway.
- Community Little Free Libraries received funding to help build library boxes being crafted and placed in public areas, in a bid to get the community reading more and sharing books. The project now has a community workshop where they are created by volunteers and painted by local artists.
- Warm Cafe has been set up by Trust Links Westcliff. It will use ingredients that would be wasted in local supermarkets thereby reducing food waste, and providing a hot meal and a warm space for people from the local community that would benefit from it over the winter months. The funding has been used to support staff in the organisation and delivery of sessions.
Veolia’s Sustainability Fund is open to not-for-profit organisations, community groups or individuals in areas where the company partners with the local authority to deliver waste and cleansing services for the community.
Applications can be made via Veolia’s website veolia.co.uk/Sustainability-Fund or via Spacehive spacehive.com/movement/veoliauk, Veolia’s crowdfunding partner until Friday 29th September.
Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter @VeoliaUK to discover other projects that may inspire you or that you can get involved with in your local community.
All applications will be considered, but projects should aim to fulfil at least one of the following criteria; enhancing biodiversity, promoting sustainable behaviours (reduce, reuse and/or recycle), protecting or preserving resources and the environment and using recycled, reused or reclaimed materials.
Stuart Atkinson, Senior Contracts Manager at Veolia said:
"Launching the Sustainability Fund was one of our greatest successes of 2021 and we’re so thrilled to be able to offer this funding opportunity to the City’s residents for the third year running. As we work towards ecological transformation in collaboration with our communities, we can’t wait to see the inspiring and innovative ideas they come up with in 2023.”
Christine Gostling, Community Little Free Libraries said:
"‘As well as funding new Little Free Libraries, the grant from Veolia helped us develop our network of Little Free Pantries which are being installed in the most vulnerable areas where people can access basic food without fear of feeling embarrassed or vulnerable. If you have an idea which could improve your local community I strongly encourage you to apply to this fund!”