Climate change
Climate change
Climate change
In this programme, we are seeking applications that help the UK to minimise climate change and adapt to its effects.
The Climate Change programme was launched in 2023 in response to the increasing urgency of climate change and its impact on people, systems and places across the UK and internationally.
Through the programme so far, Fellows have explored practical and policy approaches to addressing climate change across a wide range of sectors, including conservation, energy, housing, communications, agriculture and community settings. Their work has highlighted both the need to reduce emissions and the importance of responding to the impacts of a changing climate.
Climate change is already affecting communities, infrastructure, economies and the natural environment. Alongside efforts to reduce its causes, there is a growing need to support adaptation and resilience, particularly in communities most affected by environmental and social change.
This programme recognises that responding to climate change requires action across society. It is not only a technical or environmental challenge, but one that involves systems change, public engagement and collective responsibility.
We will continue to support individuals working closest to these challenges, enabling them to learn from international practice, develop new approaches and share insights that can improve policy, practice and systems in the UK. At the heart of the Fellowship is the expectation that this learning is applied to drive change in the UK.
Climate change is already reshaping how societies function, from infrastructure and public services to local economies and community life. While there is increasing action to address its causes, significant challenges remain in how societies adapt and respond in ways that are fair, effective and sustainable.
There is a continued need for informed, practice-based work that considers:
- how climate change can be addressed through system-wide, not just individual, change
- how communities and services can adapt to the impacts of climate change and build resilience
- how policy, practice and innovation can support more effective climate action
- how climate responses can be delivered in ways that are fair and equitable across society
This programme supports projects that help the UK minimise climate change and adapt to its effects. We are particularly interested in approaches that go beyond individual behaviour change and instead explore how wider systems, policies and practices can shift to enable more effective and equitable responses to climate change.
Projects can come from any area of society, but should fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Reducing climate impact
Developing practical and policy solutions for decarbonising UK economies and society at every level. This includes approaches that reduce emissions and support more sustainable systems, services and ways of living. - Adaptation and resilience
Helping communities, infrastructure and public services prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change. - System-wide and societal change
Exploring how we can encourage behavioural change on an individual, community or national scale, for example through innovative education, communication, participation, or policy initiatives. - Fair and inclusive climate responses
Ensuring that climate action considers inequality, access and differing community experiences, and supports a fair and equitable transition to a carbon-neutral future for all parts of society.
Over the past three years, most applications have proposed visits to the US, Canada, and Australia. While your choice of countries will not affect your application, we welcome project proposals that draw on learning and best practice from a wider range of countries.
When developing your application, we encourage you to:
- identify a clearly defined climate-related challenge or opportunity
- explain how your project addresses both the causes and/or impacts of climate change
- consider how wider systems, policies or practices need to change, not just individual behaviour
- show how your work could contribute to practical change in the UK
We also run a Caring for our Natural Environment programme under our Environment universal theme. You can only apply into one programme, but we recognise that both our Environment-themed programmes are linked, so we welcome applications that straddle both programmes, e.g. nature-based approaches that help communities address the causes and impacts of climate change.
We are looking for people with novel ideas, the passion and potential to make a real difference to their community or professional sector, and we assess on future possibilities, not past achievements. We value both lived and learned experience and prioritise those less likely to receive funding from elsewhere.
We are particularly interested to hear from individuals working directly with climate-related challenges in practice, policy or community settings:
- people working in sectors such as energy, transport, housing, agriculture, planning, education, local government and civil society
- individuals supporting communities to adapt to climate impacts and build resilience
- practitioners and policymakers working on system-wide approaches to climate action
- community groups and individuals with lived experience of climate impacts or climate adaptation challenges
These are the projects supported under this programme. Exploring a similar issue will not count against your application, but we encourage you to consider your unique perspective and approach.
2026
Accelerating deployment of holistic low carbon technologies
Retrofit Economics: Scaling up energy and climate improvements of UK homes
Working Title: Just Enough
The comfort upgrade: helping UK homes feel the benefits of heat pumps
How can regional local authorities develop climate programmes ready for investment?
Towards a New Agriculture: Tree Crops and Agroforestry for Climate Resilience and Food Security
How school food can reduce emissions and help us prepare for the climate crisis
Harnessing the power of mediation for a peaceful energy transition
Engaging and communicating with patients about low carbon healthcare delivery
Bringing People with Us: Legitimacy, Trust and Community Benefit in Net Zero
______________________________________________________________________________
2025
Co-designing fair retrofit for all
How can cooperative structures transform the UK seed movement?
Gridlocked: Decarbonisation and Energy Policy
Protecting people and our natural environment from climate change through law
The implementation of mandatory circular economy policy in UK construction
Craft Corridors - Case Studies to support local practitioners
Advancing the Removal of Nitrogen Fertiliser from UK Farming
Improving development opportunities for creative climate storytelling
Governance, awareness and delivering change for UK urban forests
How to generate local support for community energy projects
UK strategic energy planning: lessons from Australia and New Zealand
______________________________________________________________________________
2024
Exploring grassroots approaches to achieving climate justice
Engaging young people of colour in the environmental sector
Exploring viable alternatives to private car use for family travel
Advocating for the UK's withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty
Boosting participation in circular economy practice
Supporting young people with Eco-anxiety through Higher Education
Could the UK be more sustainable in recycling disability equipment?
Decarbonising power at urban festivals and events
Teach the Teacher
Moving the UK beyond oil and gas
Architectural ceramics to mitigate heat in urban interiors
Sports and sustainability: a symbiotic relationship?
______________________________________________________________________________
2023
Attracting Young People into Forestry Careers
Eco-visualisation: Lowering peak energy demand through behaviour change
Energy use in the ceramic firing process
How to better prepare the UK for increasing extreme heat
Exploring how to Procure Net Zero
Decarbonising the whole visitor journey for rural destinations
Creative climate communication and education
Eating in Extremes: Food Adaptation Stories in Changing Island Climates
Climate change flooding. Animal rescue emergency service response
Growing Cities: The urban agricultural revolution
Prefer a Word document?
Download the full programme briefThis programme is supported by Eddie Goldfinch (CF 1970), who funds one Fellowship each year in this area.
The Climate Change programme was launched in 2023 in response to the increasing urgency of climate change and its impact on people, systems and places across the UK and internationally.
Through the programme so far, Fellows have explored practical and policy approaches to addressing climate change across a wide range of sectors, including conservation, energy, housing, communications, agriculture and community settings. Their work has highlighted both the need to reduce emissions and the importance of responding to the impacts of a changing climate.
Climate change is already affecting communities, infrastructure, economies and the natural environment. Alongside efforts to reduce its causes, there is a growing need to support adaptation and resilience, particularly in communities most affected by environmental and social change.
This programme recognises that responding to climate change requires action across society. It is not only a technical or environmental challenge, but one that involves systems change, public engagement and collective responsibility.
We will continue to support individuals working closest to these challenges, enabling them to learn from international practice, develop new approaches and share insights that can improve policy, practice and systems in the UK. At the heart of the Fellowship is the expectation that this learning is applied to drive change in the UK.
Climate change is already reshaping how societies function, from infrastructure and public services to local economies and community life. While there is increasing action to address its causes, significant challenges remain in how societies adapt and respond in ways that are fair, effective and sustainable.
There is a continued need for informed, practice-based work that considers:
- how climate change can be addressed through system-wide, not just individual, change
- how communities and services can adapt to the impacts of climate change and build resilience
- how policy, practice and innovation can support more effective climate action
- how climate responses can be delivered in ways that are fair and equitable across society
This programme supports projects that help the UK minimise climate change and adapt to its effects. We are particularly interested in approaches that go beyond individual behaviour change and instead explore how wider systems, policies and practices can shift to enable more effective and equitable responses to climate change.
Projects can come from any area of society, but should fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Reducing climate impact
Developing practical and policy solutions for decarbonising UK economies and society at every level. This includes approaches that reduce emissions and support more sustainable systems, services and ways of living. - Adaptation and resilience
Helping communities, infrastructure and public services prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change. - System-wide and societal change
Exploring how we can encourage behavioural change on an individual, community or national scale, for example through innovative education, communication, participation, or policy initiatives. - Fair and inclusive climate responses
Ensuring that climate action considers inequality, access and differing community experiences, and supports a fair and equitable transition to a carbon-neutral future for all parts of society.
Over the past three years, most applications have proposed visits to the US, Canada, and Australia. While your choice of countries will not affect your application, we welcome project proposals that draw on learning and best practice from a wider range of countries.
When developing your application, we encourage you to:
- identify a clearly defined climate-related challenge or opportunity
- explain how your project addresses both the causes and/or impacts of climate change
- consider how wider systems, policies or practices need to change, not just individual behaviour
- show how your work could contribute to practical change in the UK
We also run a Caring for our Natural Environment programme under our Environment universal theme. You can only apply into one programme, but we recognise that both our Environment-themed programmes are linked, so we welcome applications that straddle both programmes, e.g. nature-based approaches that help communities address the causes and impacts of climate change.
We are looking for people with novel ideas, the passion and potential to make a real difference to their community or professional sector, and we assess on future possibilities, not past achievements. We value both lived and learned experience and prioritise those less likely to receive funding from elsewhere.
We are particularly interested to hear from individuals working directly with climate-related challenges in practice, policy or community settings:
- people working in sectors such as energy, transport, housing, agriculture, planning, education, local government and civil society
- individuals supporting communities to adapt to climate impacts and build resilience
- practitioners and policymakers working on system-wide approaches to climate action
- community groups and individuals with lived experience of climate impacts or climate adaptation challenges
These are the projects supported under this programme. Exploring a similar issue will not count against your application, but we encourage you to consider your unique perspective and approach.
2026
Accelerating deployment of holistic low carbon technologies
Retrofit Economics: Scaling up energy and climate improvements of UK homes
Working Title: Just Enough
The comfort upgrade: helping UK homes feel the benefits of heat pumps
How can regional local authorities develop climate programmes ready for investment?
Towards a New Agriculture: Tree Crops and Agroforestry for Climate Resilience and Food Security
How school food can reduce emissions and help us prepare for the climate crisis
Harnessing the power of mediation for a peaceful energy transition
Engaging and communicating with patients about low carbon healthcare delivery
Bringing People with Us: Legitimacy, Trust and Community Benefit in Net Zero
______________________________________________________________________________
2025
Co-designing fair retrofit for all
How can cooperative structures transform the UK seed movement?
Gridlocked: Decarbonisation and Energy Policy
Protecting people and our natural environment from climate change through law
The implementation of mandatory circular economy policy in UK construction
Craft Corridors - Case Studies to support local practitioners
Advancing the Removal of Nitrogen Fertiliser from UK Farming
Improving development opportunities for creative climate storytelling
Governance, awareness and delivering change for UK urban forests
How to generate local support for community energy projects
UK strategic energy planning: lessons from Australia and New Zealand
______________________________________________________________________________
2024
Exploring grassroots approaches to achieving climate justice
Engaging young people of colour in the environmental sector
Exploring viable alternatives to private car use for family travel
Advocating for the UK's withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty
Boosting participation in circular economy practice
Supporting young people with Eco-anxiety through Higher Education
Could the UK be more sustainable in recycling disability equipment?
Decarbonising power at urban festivals and events
Teach the Teacher
Moving the UK beyond oil and gas
Architectural ceramics to mitigate heat in urban interiors
Sports and sustainability: a symbiotic relationship?
______________________________________________________________________________
2023
Attracting Young People into Forestry Careers
Eco-visualisation: Lowering peak energy demand through behaviour change
Energy use in the ceramic firing process
How to better prepare the UK for increasing extreme heat
Exploring how to Procure Net Zero
Decarbonising the whole visitor journey for rural destinations
Creative climate communication and education
Eating in Extremes: Food Adaptation Stories in Changing Island Climates
Climate change flooding. Animal rescue emergency service response
Growing Cities: The urban agricultural revolution
Prefer a Word document?
Download the full programme briefThis programme is supported by Eddie Goldfinch (CF 1970), who funds one Fellowship each year in this area.