COMMUNITY
BENEFIT
Our social, economic and environmental benefit
BWCE is a not-for-profit community business. We reinvest surplus into the BWCE Fund to support local projects reducing carbon emissions and addressing fuel poverty.
We provide employment locally and ensure that as much revenue as possible is retained within the local economy, recirculating and benefiting other local businesses and communities.
Through community engagement, we aim to build awareness of, and involve local people in, our community energy projects. Through the development of local renewables, support for home energy efficiency and funding of community projects, we foster a sense of ownership, control and community resilience at a time when energy security and climate change are critically important.
Key stats
Invested into the Fund
£ 430,000
Projects funded since 2015
111 +
COMMUNITY
FUND
The BWCE Fund is an independent charity. It distributes grants to local community projects that reduce carbon emissions or tackle fuel poverty.
Funded by surplus income from BWCE’s renewable energy projects, the Fund has supported over a hundred community projects since 2015.
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The Fund is set up as an independent Registered Charity (official name The Bath & West Low Carbon Community Fund, charity number 1156710) with its own trustees.
The fund is administered by Quartet Community Foundation.
The amount of funding available is approved by BWCE members at each year’s AGM in September. The fund opens for applications just after the AGM with grants announced in January of the following year.
Who qualifies for funding?
To be eligible for funding, a project must:
Be a community, self-help or voluntary group, a community enterprise or a charity.
Aim to reduce carbon emissions and/or alleviate fuel poverty. Carbon reduction covers a wide range of projects – see examples below.
Be located in the BWCE area of benefit (opposite) or the area close to BWCE’s Crewkerne solar array at TA18 7NX. Applications from projects in the vicinity of existing BWCE generating projects are particularly welcome
Area of benefit
Fund grants are decided by our independent board of trustees
We’re proud to say we’ve funded over 100+ local projects
Fund news
Thinking of applying to the fund?
We’re currently closed for applications but will open again in Autumn 2025. Check out the guidelines and how to apply below (please note that these guidelines may change before the fund next opens).
Earlier this year the BWCE Fund gave a £500 grant to the Hive Community Centre in Peasedown St John to install Cavity Wall Insulation.