Major new funding awarded to Climate Action Leeds

The efforts of thousands of Leeds locals towards making their city greener, cleaner, and nicer to live in have been rewarded through a major National Lottery grant that will support community action for years to come.

The Climate Action Leeds project has secured close to £500,000 to support initiatives that benefit people’s health, bank balance, connections with neighbours, and the environment.

The new funding arrives thanks to the strength of work done by community groups and charities during the past six years, which saw more than 30,000 people engage with the project.

The money will fund the remodelled Climate Action Leeds Network and the venue Imagine Leeds for at least three more years as they seek to empower, expand, and embed community-led action.

The Network will bring people together for events, workshops, and training sessions covering a range of topics, from growing your own food, to cycling the kids to school safely, to saving money - and the planet - through free clothes swaps and repair cafés.

A core part of Climate Action Leeds is the venue Imagine Leeds, a city centre “climate action hub” which has hosted visitors from every Leeds postcode - as well as Ghana and Germany, among other destinations - for events, exhibitions, and day-to-day co-working.

In addition to a £453,000 grant from the National Lottery, generous funding has also been contributed by Leeds Community Foundation, the University of Leeds, and global distribution firm Bunzl. Local business North Star Coffee Roasters have also committed to fundraising for Climate Action Leeds, and other interested businesses are encouraged to get in touch with the team.

This funding success stems from years of collaboration between members of various organisations, including Hunslet’s Voluntary Action Leeds, community interest company Leeds Love It Share It, and committed volunteers who want to see their city flourish.

Martin Flynn is Climate Action Leeds Network Coordinator at Voluntary Action Leeds, a charity which supports and advocates for non-profit and community groups across the city. He said: “There are loads of people across Leeds doing great things to build knowledge, opportunities, and relationships in their communities.

“They have shown that the things which tend to matter most - dealing with the cost of living, sharing skills, caring for an area, learning new things and meeting new people - can be done in ways which also help the environment we all live in.

“Voluntary Action Leeds is excited to continue working with communities around the city through the Climate Action Leeds Network, supporting their ideas and helping to ensure their efforts have the biggest impact. Our thanks go to the National Lottery players who have made this possible.”

Simon Dixon is Project and Venue Manager at Imagine Leeds, based at 9 Blenheim Terrace (pictured above). He said: “There is a flourishing network of people working and volunteering to make Leeds a fairer and more sustainable city, and it is fantastic to see that recognised by the National Lottery and other organisations through this grant funding.

“Imagine Leeds has proven how vital it is to bring people together in a community space to find ways forward on topics such as clean energy, community-led housing and sustainable travel. Our aim over the next three years is to secure long-term premises for Imagine Leeds in the city, so the venue can continue empowering people for years to come.”

A big focus area for the project is to ensure that a diverse range of people are able to take part, to help make the city of Leeds fairer as well as more environmentally sustainable.

During the next three years Climate Action Leeds will help contribute to achieving the Leeds Ambitions, outlined by Leeds City Council, particularly building a ‘Resilient: Sustainable city’.

Councillor James Gibson, Leeds City Council's executive member for environment, said: “We welcome the announcement of this funding, which will enable Climate Action Leeds to build on their track record and continue to work on our shared ambitions and making a difference in Leeds. Through our Leeds Ambitions we are working towards Leeds becoming the UK's first net zero and nature positive city, and we know that everyone can play a part in making our city more sustainable and resilient.”

Rosa Foster, Director of Leeds Climate Commission, said: “One of the city's key ambitions is to become Resilient to current and future climate impacts, supporting those most affected. 

“Climate Action Leeds play a vital role empowering the community sector and ensuring that they are represented in strategic discussions across the city, both directly and through the work of the Leeds Climate Commission. It is brilliant to see this financial backing being awarded today. I look forward to continuing to work together for a fairer and resilient city.”

The Climate Action Leeds Network is open to any community group or non-profit in Leeds, to help build connections across the city so that resources and expertise can benefit as many people as possible.

It is free to join and offers: promotion for members’ events and ideas; advice on topics like fundraising applications; and regular meet-ups to assist with networking, collaboration, and accessing wider opportunities.

No climate expertise is required to join, so if your youth club, sports team, faith group, or other collection of people would like to be part of it, visit www.climateactionleeds.org.uk or email hello@climateactionleeds.org.uk 

Imagine Leeds, the climate action hub, is currently based at 9 Blenheim Terrace, LS2 9HZ. The venue is available for meetings, events, co-working, and exhibitions, and operates on a sliding scale to be as affordable as possible. For venue enquiries please email the Venue Manager on simon.dixon@ourfutureleeds.org 

The project is now recruiting for a part-time Events Coordinator for Imagine Leeds, with the deadline for applications on 24th June 2026. More details available here: https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/leeds-love-it-share-it-cic/events-coordinator/1069619?tsId=36 

Further information

For interview requests please contact Simon Dixon, Project and Venue Manager, Imagine Leeds, on simon.dixon@ourfutureleeds.org

Climate Action Leeds was originally funded with a £2.5 million grant for five years by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund, from 2020-2025. This new grant of £453,000 has been awarded through the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund and is for three years, from July 2026 to June 2029.