East Hampshire District Council has reopened its Community Climate Action Fund, with grants of up to £10,000 for not-for-profit groups. Horndean and Clanfield organisations have won awards in previous rounds — but applications close at 11.59am, not midnight.
What is on offer
East Hampshire District Council has opened the fifth round of its Community Climate Action Fund (CCAF), making £129,000 available to local not-for-profit organisations.
Grants of up to £10,000 are on offer for new projects that enable climate action, benefit the wider community and encourage education on the response to climate change. Applications close at 11.59am on Monday 5 October 2026 — a morning deadline rather than the midnight cut-off many grant applicants assume.
The council says the scheme has allocated more than £350,000 to 40 projects across the district since 2023. Projects funded in this round should be completed by November 2027.
Who has won money locally
Groups in the PO8 area have featured in earlier rounds. In the results the council lists for round four (October 2025), 1st Horndean Scout Group received £4,730 for a battery storage system, Clanfield Junior School received £8,735 for a nature recovery area, and Communities First Wessex received £11,000 for battery storage at the Clanfield Centre.
In the round before that, published in August 2024, Horndean Parish Council received £12,000 towards the Horndean Green Trail and Heritage Network, creating a network of footpaths and trails around the parish to encourage walking and cycling.
One important limit: the CCAF is an East Hampshire District Council scheme, covering its own district. That includes Horndean and Clanfield, but Waterlooville, Cowplain and Purbrook sit in Havant borough and are not part of this fund.
What the council is looking for
The fund lists four objectives: green communities and resilience; travel and transport; energy; and the natural environment. Previously supported work has included solar panels and battery storage, LED lighting, nature gardens and pond preservation, water butts, bike shelters, irrigation systems and double glazing.
Applicants are asked to provide evidence of how a project will reduce carbon emissions and improve resilience in line with the council's Climate and Environment Strategy 2024–29, plus a letter of support from a district councillor and evidence of landowner or leaseholder permission.
The council also warns that where planning permission is needed, it is expected to be in place before a grant application is made — a point that catches out solar panel, external battery and replacement window schemes in particular.
Before you apply
The council strongly recommends reading the guidance notes, sample application form, scoring matrix and FAQ documents in full before applying, all of which are published alongside the online application form.
Councillor Robert Mocatta, the council's portfolio holder for Regeneration and Prosperity, said local action to protect the environment and adapt to a changing climate is “a vital element of protecting this beautiful district for future generations”.
Full details, guidance documents and the application form are on the council's Community Climate Action Fund page, announced in its £129,000 available for climate projects big and small news item.