The Community Climate Asset Fund will provide grants of up to £100,000 for projects supporting community climate action including those that boost energy efficiency in community buildings, and that enable the purchase of electric bikes and vehicles.

Smaller grants of up to £10,000 will support active travel and waste reduction projects, and enable community groups and schools to purchase tools and equipment for food growing projects.

Applications for the fund are open now, with projects to be completed by the end of March 2021.

Climate change secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Communities across the country are playing a vital role in responding to the pandemic crisis and in maintaining our resilience, our sense of spirit and our local support network.

“They will also play a critical role in supporting our recovery from the pandemic, and in ensuring we work with shared endeavour towards ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change.

“It is clear that we must learn from our experience of lockdown – how we work, how we travel, how we live – and apply this to our approach to becoming a net-zero society.

“In what remains an exceptionally difficult time for us all, this funding will provide fast, tangible support to deliver long-lasting benefits to communities across Scotland.”

The Community Climate Asset Fund will be administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful as part of the Climate Challenge Fund initiative. 

Barry Fisher, chief executive officer of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We welcome the launch of the new Community Climate Asset Fund, which will provide capital funding for community-based organisations to purchase items that will help them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their community.

“We’re delighted to be able to administer this fund, which continues our work to support communities tackling climate change, and we encourage potential applicants to find out more about how the fund can support their green recovery from COVID-19.”