Community organisations across Bath and the surrounding area are being invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help tackle fuel poverty, reduce energy costs and support projects that benefit local families.
The Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) Fund grant programme has opened for its 13th year, with applications welcomed until Thursday 29 October 2026.
Among the organisations to benefit from the fund earlier this year was Bath-based Mentoring Plus (pictured above), which received £5,000 towards replacing outdated fluorescent lighting at Riverside Youth Hub with more energy-efficient LEDs. The improvements are helping to make outside areas safer and more welcoming for children, young people and families using the centre in the evenings, while also cutting energy use and running costs.
Ruth Keily, CEO of Mentoring Plus, said, “The new LED lighting is reducing the building’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. This will help lower our running costs over the long term, meaning more of our resources can be focused on supporting children and young people facing challenges, rather than inefficient lighting costs.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received from the Bath and West Community Energy Fund.”
Eight projects in or near Bath and North East Somerset shared £33,962 in grants earlier this year.
They included FoodCycle, supporting community meals made using surplus food; Lux Youth Project, which is creating a garden where young people can grow food; and Genesis Trust, which received support to provide essential items for people affected by fuel poverty.
Other grants supported energy improvements to community buildings, environmental education through Bath Share & Repair and practical school-based tree nursery sessions delivered by More Trees BANES.
The BWCE Fund is supported by Bath and West Community Energy, which develops community-owned renewable energy projects and distributes surplus income for community benefit. The grants are administered by Quartet Community Foundation.
Jane Wildblood, Chair of Trustees for the BWCE Fund, said local action remained an important part of helping communities respond to both rising costs and climate change.
“Taking action at the local level to tackle the climate emergency has never been more important and it’s always exciting to see new projects coming forward each year,” she said. “We are very proud of all the local organisations we have funded so far and of the clear community benefit they deliver.”
She added that the fund would particularly welcome projects providing warm or cool spaces for vulnerable people, as well as schemes helping rural households move away from oil heating towards lower-carbon alternatives.
Quartet Community Foundation Philanthropy Manager Angela Emms said the grants could support a wide range of projects, not simply traditional energy schemes.
“Carbon reduction does not just relate to energy projects,” she said. “It might include local food, sustainable transport or waste reduction, or indeed any activity that reduces carbon emissions.”
Applications to the BWCE Fund must be submitted by 1pm on Thursday 29 October 2026.
Find out more and apply at quartetcf.org.uk/grants/bath-west-community-energy-fund/.
