Small Grants, Big Impact
Community Projects Supported by Inverclyde Climate Action Network
Sometimes, the best and the brightest community ideas start with the smallest first step. Our seed funding programme, Empowering Communities for Climate Action, is all about helping early ideas grow, giving local groups and organisations the chance to test new projects, try creative approaches, and turn plans into something real.
But it’s not just brand-new ideas that we like to support - we're also really passionate about giving established projects a helping hand to continue their amazing work.
We’re excited to share some of the projects we’ve supported in 2025/26, each of them showing how local action can make meaningful change!
Reducing food waste through volunteer-led redistribution; exploring climate action and sustainable growing through textiles; sparking children’s interest in growing food and cooking; upgrading polytunnels to provide an amazing space for the community to connect...
The projects we support all have one thing in common - they come from local people who know their community best!
So... what is Empowering Communities for Climate Action?
Our seed funding is open to volunteer-led community groups with ideas that support sustainability and local climate action.
We’re especially keen to support projects that focus on themes like sustainable travel, food justice, nature enhancement, and share & repair initiatives. We also really value projects that support marginalised communities, who are often most affected by the impacts of climate change.
Groups can apply for grants of £500, £1,000, or £1,500, helping them trial new projects or build on existing ones. For projects developed in partnership with three or more groups, funding of up to £5,000 is available to support bigger collaborative ideas.
Funding for 2026/27 isn’t open just yet, but we’re hoping to launch the next round soon. Keep an eye out for updates if you’re thinking about applying.
Project Highlights
Read on for a brief summary of just some of the projects we’ve funded so far, and impact that the fantastic work has had on the community!
Kilmacolm Primary Garden Activity Volunteers
Who are they?
The community group, which is associated with Kilmacolm Primary School, is enthusiastic about helping the pupils to understand the origins of food and getting them interested in preparing fresh, healthy and affordable meals. The work of the group centres on outdoor learning, sustainability and practical life skills in a manner that is engaging and accessible to children.
How did ICAN support them?
The group wanted to establish a wildflower meadow alongside the school garden and also plant more fruit trees in order to improve biodiversity and to attract pollinators which in turn support the wider growing space. This also helps to ease the loss of natural habitats locally, creating a small but meaningful space for nature to thrive.
Additionally, they wanted to build on their existing cooking classroom by growing fresh ingredients throughout more of the year. With an awareness that food poverty can sometimes be linked to a lack of knowledge as well as resources, the school wanted to give pupils and their families the chance to experience the full journey of food, from growing to cooking.
By providing a seed funding grant, ICAN helped to support this work by contributing to the preparation of the ground, the purchase of seeds, and the creation of seed and information packs for the pupils to take home. These packs help expand the impact beyond the school, encouraging biodiversity throughout the village.
The funding also supported the cooking classroom, helping the group access additional equipment to expand their activities.
Impact?
During their application, the garden volunteers estimated that the 250 pupils of the school and many of their families, friends and other villagers would benefit from this garden. Today, thanks to their completed impact report, we can relay that pupil knowledge of nature, pollinators and the environment has increased significantly, with classes all through the school learning about these topics with age-appropriate activities.
Shortly, families will reap the benefits too as the wildflower packets are almost ready to be taken home and spread throughout the village. The volunteers put it well when they said:
“Of course, the true beneficiaries are the pollinators and other insects that we are supporting”!
With the focus on involving families and the wider village in the project, there has been opportunity for intergenerational learning and connection, whilst supporting wider community wellbeing and making sustainable food practices more accessible to everyone.
Rig Arts
Who are they?
Rig Arts is a charity that brings professional artists and the local community together through a wide range of arts, film, music, workshops, and training opportunities. Their work is rooted in making a positive difference in people’s lives, with a strong focus on access to the arts, creative regeneration, positive mental health and wellbeing, climate, and heritage.
How did ICAN support them?
Rig Arts established a 12-week partnership programme with the South-West Library in Greenock, inviting the participants to explore climate action and sustainable growing via textiles.
The participants made textile pieces by using donated fabrics and plant-based dyeing methods, combining writing on the topic of the climate, imagery, and creative expression. The project provided a careful and practical means of looking at sustainability, while also encouraging discussion and reflection on climate action.
A seed funding grant from ICAN helped support the delivery of this 12-week project, contributing to the materials and session costs and helping make it possible for the workshops to take place in the community space of the library.
Impact?
As the project is open to all adults in Inverclyde, the programme created a welcoming and inclusive space for people of all backgrounds, abilities and circumstances. Rig Arts’ impact report reveals the largest demographics of the group working on the project has been older adults e.g. 50+, and adults with mental health conditions and/or disabilities.
The workshops gave a space for vulnerable participants to develop their creative abilities and provided them with the chance to connect and learn from one another. For people who were experiencing climate anxiety, seeking a sense of community or who simply wanted to give something new a try, the sessions provided a supportive environment in which creativity and climate action were combined.
Inverclyde Shed
Who are they?
Inverclyde Shed is an organisation which is run by volunteers and provides people with friendly spaces in which they can get together, share knowledge and develop new skills. A major aspect of its work is the reduction of social isolation and loneliness, achieved by offering a range of activities that promote both physical and mental wellbeing.
Together with their community workshop in Greenock, they look after growing areas all over Inverclyde, such as those in Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock, giving local people the opportunity to take part in practical, hands-on environmental experiences.
How did ICAN support them?
A seed funding grant from ICAN was instrumental in helping to carry out the upgrade of two large polytunnels at the Shed's community growing area in Port Glasgow.
The strong polythene covers provide the suitable conditions for propagating plants and for growing summer crops like tomatoes and peppers, since this is more difficult to do in Scotland's severe climate. The funding has enabled improvements and the maintenance of this growing area, thus supporting the ongoing availability of an important local resource for both growing plants and for community interaction.
Impact?
This support will allow the community growing space to continue providing benefits to people in Inverclyde. Although the majority of the volunteer gardeners are retired women over 60, the wider community and school children also take advantage of the events, the visits and the food that is donated by the garden.
Encouraging people to grow their own food can give them an opportunity to spend time outside, acquire new skills, and interact with one another. The project therefore promotes both environmental sustainability and community well-being and thus is valuable in numerous ways.
Inverclyde Community Food Network
Who are they?
The Inverclyde Community Food Network (ICFN) is a charity which supports growing projects and community gardens, and also shares surplus food in order to help alleviate the cost of living. Its activities combine community wellbeing with climate action by addressing food waste, promoting access to healthy food and assisting in the building of local resilience.
How did ICAN support them?
ICFN proposed a three-month pilot of a volunteer-led community driver network, in collaboration with Branchton Community Centre and Parklea Branching Out. This involved collecting surplus supermarket food and redistributing it to local nurseries, community pantries, and community fridges.
The project set out to stop good food from ending up in a landfill, whilst also helping to reduce household living costs, and to strengthen the Inverclyde community’s resilience to climate challenges.
A ICAN seed funding grant helped support the pilot phase of this programme, which began in February and will continue into April. This early support contributed to the set-up of the volunteer network and getting the project running in practice, including coordinating food collections and running cooking sessions with the community.
Impact?
The pilot has already had a positive effect in various parts of the community. Because of it, community fridges and pantries have been able to provide families who are under financial pressure or who are food insecure with more fresh and healthy food choices. Local nurseries have also obtained better access to fruit and vegetables for their children, which in turn has helped promote their growth and well-being.
Elderly people using community fridges and pantries would also benefit from the extra food available, helping them access healthy options whilst easing living costs.
Alongside the redistribution network, ICFN ran “Ready, Steady, Cook” classes, helping participants learn how to turn leftover food into healthy, low-cost meals whilst reducing waste. As well as building practical cooking skills, these sessions created a warm and welcoming social space for people who may be feeling isolated, helping them build confidence, skills and connections with others in the community.
What’s the Common Theme?
Across all these projects, one thing really stands out: sometimes, a small amount of support is all it takes to help a good community idea get started. Testing out food redistribution ideas, an artist with an idea for a creative climate workshop, an upgrade for an existing project to continue to support the community - all these examples show what can happen when local people are given the resources and the chance to start something new.
For us at ICAN, it’s been particularly lovely to see how these ideas connect climate action with everyday community life. Each project has created simple, practical ways for people to come together, get involved, and make a difference. These early stages can also help groups build the confidence and evidence they need to grow their ideas even further in the future!
Thanks for Reading!
We’re always inspired by the ideas and enthusiasm within our Inverclyde community, and we’re excited to continue supporting new projects in the future.
If you have an idea you’d like to try, or a project you'd like to grow, or simply would like to hear more about our seed funding, we’d love to hear from you.
Watch this space for updates - applications for funding for 2026/27 will open soon. Get in touch to find out more or start a conversation about what could be possible!