Ealing community and faith groups can bid for up to £10,000 for solar panels, insulation or shutters. £100,000 is on offer and bids close 15 November.
Community and faith groups in Ealing can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to make their buildings cheaper to run. The council’s Better Spaces Fund has £100,000 to share this year, and applications close on Sunday 15 November.
The money pays for things like solar panels, insulation, double glazing and heat pumps. For the first time it also covers work that keeps a building cool in a heatwave or cuts flood risk, such as shutters and awnings. That is set out in the council’s application guide, which says the fund has doubled in size.
If more groups apply than the money can cover, bids from Greenford, Northolt and Southall go to the front of the queue. The guide says this is because some parts of the borough have applied more than others in past rounds.
Who can apply
According to the guide, your organisation must:
- be a not-for-profit community or faith group
- work for the benefit of local people
- be based in, or mainly work within, the London Borough of Ealing
- want to cut energy use, or adapt its building to heat or flooding
- have a group bank account, a way of approving spending, and a treasurer or equivalent
If you rent your premises, you need your landlord’s permission for the work.
The grant cannot pay running costs. Rent, bills, administration and staff costs are all ruled out.
What it can pay for
The Better Spaces page gives these examples:
- solar panels
- double glazing or insulation
- LED lighting upgrades
- heat pumps
- shutters, awnings and solar film on windows
The guide adds light sensors, smart meters, ventilation, and tree planting and greening. Groups with a different idea can check it is eligible by emailing climateaction@ealing.gov.uk.
How the bids are judged
The council’s climate team scores each project on one of two tests. The first is energy and carbon saved, and cutting gas use scores higher than cutting electricity. The second is how well the project protects the building against heat or heavy rain.
Every bid is also marked on three things:
- community involvement: how you will show local people what the project does and why
- delivery: projects need to be ready to start in early 2027
- value for money: a competitive quote, and whether the group is putting in money too
What earlier grants paid for
The scheme used to be called Community Climate Grants. The council says it has awarded more than £165,000 so far, and groups have added more than £100,000 of their own money.
Two Acton projects feature in the council’s announcement on 9 October:
- West Acton Community Centre in Churchill Gardens received £4,488 to replace old windows with double glazing. The centre told the council it “feels much warmer” and its heating bills have gone down.
- Acton Baptist Church fitted 18 solar panels to its roof. The church told the council the project should pay for itself in three years and last more than 15.
The church also said the application “required no outside help”.
What it means for you
If you run or use a community hall, church, mosque, gurdwara, temple or club building in the borough, this is worth a look before 15 November. To apply:
- Read the application guide.
- Get one quote for the work.
- Send the form, the quote and proof of your lease or ownership to climateaction@ealing.gov.uk.
The council also links an online application form from its Better Spaces page.
Successful groups should hear in mid December, and the guide says payment follows in February 2027. Groups that miss out get feedback so they can try again in the next round.
Groups in Greenford, Northolt and Southall have the best odds if the fund is oversubscribed. For other council help close to home, the borough’s community hubs run in eight libraries.
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