Oxfordshire County Council issues climate action grants

More than 50 community projects will receive climate action grants after a summer of heatwaves.

Oxfordshire County Council awarded funding to help kickstart 54 projects tackling the impacts of extreme weather.

The grants range from £85 to £3,000 and will be used by 31 Oxfordshire organisations exploring climate action in the face of high temperatures, floods, droughts and storms.

The funds are part of an expanded community resilience grants programme, administered by Community Action Groups Oxfordshire (CAG) and funded by £44,724 from Oxfordshire County Council.

This year saw a significant increase in grants awarded, with 11 groups receiving a total of £12,000 in 2025.

The grants will go towards projects exploring practical solutions including planting trees, growing food and harvesting rainwater, the council said.

Projects will also look at the impacts extreme weather has on health and wellbeing, taking action like creating cooler community spaces, making homes more comfortable during heatwaves and tackling climate anxiety.

Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for environment and economy, Laura Gordon, said: "The increase in funding allocated for these grants this year shows how important we believe it is to support communities in carrying out these projects. They are the experts and know their own areas better than anyone.

"This summer's heatwaves were not one-off occurrences, but the new reality for the UK and we all need to adapt."

Among the grant recipients was Cherwell Collective, which successfully applied in all three categories – heat-safe homes, community resilience and climate anxiety.

Programme manager Victoria Russell said: "The funds are going to help us tackle climate anxiety within Oxfordshire."