Climate Hubs Power Community Action Across Scotland

When it comes to tackling climate change, some of the most powerful action begins around kitchen tables, in community halls, at local playgrounds or in local parks and green spaces. It begins when local people and grassroots groups recognise a problem and then they come together with passion, dedication and the creativity needed to fix it themselves. Climate Action Hubs exist to harness this energy, supporting and equipping communities while also building skills, confidence and connections that can help turn these ideas into reality.

Climate Action Hubs make climate action practical, accessible, and inclusive. They encourage and enable, offering small grants, training, advice and coordination, supporting local people to lead their own responses to climate change. 

Emily Harvey, Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at Forth Environment Link (FEL Scotland): 

"These grants are supporting some really strong examples of community-led climate action in practice. There's a strong focus on building skills, repairing and re-using land and materials, restoring nature, and supporting communities to take ownership locally. 

 

Whether it's turning neglected spaces into gardens, developing reuse enterprises, or running inclusive climate skills programmes, these projects are about strengthening local resilience in ways that make a real difference to everyday life."

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The projects supported are as varied as the communities themselves. Each initiative begins with local people identifying what matters most to them and their neighbours and giving communities the means to act on these priorities, creating meaningful change that impacts everyday life.  

The funding has supported a wide range of projects that combine environmental action with practical community benefits.  For example:

• Blooming Bairns (Falkirk) turned two neglected urban sites into a green corridor, featuring climate-resilient planting, pollution-indicating plants, wildlife habitats, and living walls. The project reduces pollution, supports biodiversity, softens concrete landscapes, and celebrates Polish heritage in the community.
• Fallin Community Voice (Stirling) transformed a local garden, creating accessible raised beds, central communal seating, and a sensory area. The space is inclusive and encourages wellbeing, while also providing opportunities to learn about sustainability and climate awareness.
• Good Green Futures (Stirling) is developing Scotland’s first paint remanufacturing hub. The initiative aims to turn surplus paint into affordable, high-quality products while creating local jobs and training opportunities. A feasibility study is assessing demand, operational costs, and best practices to ensure the project is sustainable, socially inclusive, and environmentally impactful.
• Gorgie Farm/Capella (Edinburgh) repaired and enhanced greenhouses, established productive vegetable and fruit-growing areas, and delivered practical gardening workshops. This project strengthens local food resilience, teaches practical skills, and builds community connections.
• Resleep (Alloa, Clackmannanshire) a mattress-cleaning business that helps turn unwanted mattresses into reusable resources and promote a circular economy – reducing waste while creating local jobs and training opportunities. 
• Polmont Together (Falkirk) reclaimed a neglected public space to create a small garden and memorial, planting for pollinators and increasing biodiversity. It is now a valued communal space that brings residents together while benefiting the local environment.

Beyond individual projects, Climate Action Hubs are about nurturing long-term change. They instil and inspire confidence in communities, showing that they themselves can tackle challenges, make decisions and lead solutions. By providing training, mentoring, and coordination alongside grants, the hubs help communities turn small ideas into inspiring initiatives.

By supporting social enterprises and income-generating initiatives, the hubs also strengthen local resilience - creating new jobs and training opportunities while reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices.

Climate Action Hubs are fostering a cultural shift. Communities are learning they don’t need to wait for someone else to act. With the right support, tools, and encouragement, they are equipped to come together, make change happen and inspire other communities to do the same.

By funding Climate Action Hubs, Foundation Scotland is helping ensure that climate action is not just possible, but sustainable, resilient and lasting. Through this support, local communities are proving the most powerful changes really can begin at home.

For more information visit www.climatehubs.scot