Review of the Climate Challenge Fund

The Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) is a Scottish Government scheme that supports communities to take action on climate change. Projects funded by the CCF are community-led and focus on fostering behaviours that reduce carbon emissions. This report presents the results of a review of the CCF and was undertaken by Changeworks on behalf of the Scottish Government. The review focused specifically on the third phase of the CCF (CCF3) which has run since 2012. CCF3 included a ‘refresh’ approach aimed at broadening access to the CCF, deepening projects to embed more profound change and exploring new approaches. Specific research aims were to review: a) how CCF3 has delivered on its ‘refresh’ themes?; and b) how can the CCF, or any successor scheme, best enable communities to contribute to the climate change objectives and targets? This review demonstrates that the CCF is succeeding in supporting communities to address climate change. Communities want to engage in climate change, are willing to develop their projects towards this agenda, and projects make a difference on many levels. Any successor fund can further enhance and enable communities to take a key role in tackling climate change through closer alignment to Scottish Government policy areas and activities, whilst retaining the scope for communities to develop their own projects.