The Community Climate Action Fund phase 2 will open in Autumn 2025
The Community Climate Action Programme is a programme to support small and large, rural and urban communities to take climate action at a local level. The funding is provided by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and administered by Monaghan County Council to help support communities to promote and assist in the scale up of community climate action.
The overall objective of the programme is to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way to contribute to national climate and energy targets.
There are two strands:
Strand 1- Action: Building Low Carbon Communities:
Similar to Phase 1, Monaghan County will be given a per capita allocation for projects under strand 1. Under this scheme communities will carry out projects that have a direct climate action impact.
Strand 1a- Shared Island Community Climate Action:
This strand is to enable communities and local authorities to carry out a cross-border project in partnership with a community in Northern Ireland. Please note phase 2 of Strand 1a will not be launching until a later date.
Project Themes
Projects must demonstrate the delivery of national climate action at a local level for strand 1. There are five programme themes and communities should try to incorporate as many themes as possible.
The themes are:
- Community energy
- Travel
- Food & waste
- Shopping & recycling
- Local climate & environmental action
Successful projects under Phase 1 of Community Climate Action Programme.
A wide range of projects were approved for funding during the first phase such as:
- Replacement windows and doors
- Replacement of lights to upgrade to LEDs
- Insulate Attic and walls
- Install Solar PV and Battery
- Develop or Improve Community Garden
- Planting trees or native hedging, fruit trees or berry bushes
- Develop a Nature space for biodiversity and amenity
- Purchase and install bike parking (including any civil works)
- Purchase and install water bottle fillers/ drinking water fountain (including any civil works)
- Water Harvester
The Community Climate Action Officer is available to answer any queries before the application launch date in Autumn 2025. Contact: 047 61176 or climateaction@monaghancoco.ie
Interested community groups should attend information events hosted by Monaghan County Council to learn more about the fund.
Follow us on social media @Monaghan County Council
Documents and Resources
“Draft Briefing note and Guideline Document of Community Climate Action Fund (PDF)
Examples of Community Climate Action Projects (PDF)
Planning Your Project And Applying For Funding (PDF)
Contact details
Email: climateaction@monaghancoco.ie
Tel: 047 61176
Frequently Asked Questions
What groups are eligible?
Eligible community organizations must:
- Be not for profit
- Located within the boundaries of County Monaghan
- Be registered with the PPN or connected with other collectives such as The Wheel, Tidy Towns or be a community group with Articles of Association, which hold an AGM with appropriately approved minutes.
Projects eligible for funding?
The types of projects within communities which are eligible for funding under the Programme, should seek to demonstrate the delivery of national climate action at local level by:
- a) Reducing or supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
- b) Increasing the production, or use, of renewable energy
- c) Improving energy efficiency
- d) Increasing climate resilience
- e) Identifying nature-based projects that enhance biodiversity and seek to reduce, or increase the removal of, greenhouse gas emissions or support climate resilience in the State
- f) Involving potentially innovative solutions to address the above asks.
Furthermore:
- a) Projects must meet the objective “to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way to contribute to national climate and energy targets.”
- b) Project must address one or more of the five programme themes, as set out below.
- c) Projects must comply with all statutory requirements in relation to planning, building regulations, Health and Safety, and Fire Codes etc., if applicable.
- d) Community groups must be able to demonstrate their ability to carry out the proposed works.
Project funding scales
Funding is available for 100% vouched expenditure of the project and there are three project sizes eligible:
- Small scale projects < €20,000
- Medium scale projects €20,000 to €50,000
- Large scale projects €50,000 to €100,000
How does the programme work?
Several projects will be selected which demonstrate climate action at a local level in Monaghan. Local communities will be selected following an Application phase and will carry-out their direct climate action projects over 18 months. Projects can include a suite of measures, not just one specific action.