With a pot of £15,000 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 Birmingham City Council, to help support people across Birmingham to transform their local environments and communities.
2022 was an incredibly successful year for The Sustainability Fund. With a big funding pot of £15,000 this year, they’re looking to back projects that make a positive, sustainable difference to the local area and 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.
Local 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:
- Acocks Green Village in Bloom, helps residents in social isolation to feel like part of a community project by improving their gardening skills whilst socialising with others. With funding, the group went on to plant flowers and vegetables in displays throughout Acocks Green to help uplift the community spirit. The group also harvested rainwater to protect the earth’s resources.
- It’s Your Neighbourhood, Stechford Village Neighbourhood Forum used its funding to transform derelict land by installing railway sleepers to create raised beds suitable for volunteers using wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. Wide pathways were also installed between the raised beds for ease of access and this gave volunteers the ability to get involved with planting fruit, vegetables and herbs on the grounds at the Stechford Baptist Church.
- Friends of Masefield Community Garden, The Masefield Ecotots have allowed more than 70 children to take part in food growing activities, exploring games to learn about flora and fauna as well as other sensory activities and natural crafts during the 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 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.
Mark Powell, General Manager in Birmingham at Veolia, said: “We’re thrilled to be open for Sustainability Fund applications once again to offer community groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations the opportunity to apply for funding of up to £1,000 each. With a funding pot of £15,000, we are looking to support at least 15 projects in Birmingham this year. As we work towards ecological transformation in collaboration with the communities we work with every day, we can’t wait to see the inspiring and innovative ideas they come up with in 2023.”
Carole O'Boyle, Committee member, of Stechford in Bloom, said: "I would sincerely like to thank Veolia for the funds they provided, enabling us to build the raised beds at the back of All Saints Church. This gave a real feel-good factor to the community and transformed an overgrown wilderness into a worthwhile and much appreciated area which we are sure will go on for many years."