Dundee Climate Fund

City Councillors are to hear about the progress made during the three rounds of the Dundee Climate Fund which saw over £750,000 allocated to twenty-seven city-based projects.

The initiative saw Dundee City Council act as the first local authority in Scotland to use a community choices participatory budgeting model to identify and involve citizens to decide directly on local climate change spend.

Through the process, members of the public chose which local community projects acting on climate change, reducing carbon emissions and engaging with communities, to allocate funding to.

Climate, Environment & Biodiversity Committee Convener Cllr Heather Anderson said: “The Climate Fund has been really empowering for local community organisations involved in the process, all of which put forward their projects and ideas on how to deliver worthwhile community causes in a sustainable way.

“With the decision-making process being directly driven by local citizens, it ensured the funding was given to projects most valued by the public and with the process now being adopted elsewhere in Scotland for climate-focused action as well.

“As the third round of the Fund was allocated earlier this year, the positive impacts which have taken place and are currently carrying on into the future are very encouraging.

“This vital investment has been important in the Council’s steps to mobilise community action on climate change.”

Lynsey Penny, Managing Director of Transition Dundee, said: “With the help of the Dundee Climate Fund we managed to pilot a new initiative, The Gleaning Project. 

“The fund allowed us to build relationships with local farmers, build a team of volunteers keen to get outdoors and learn more about local farming, save a large amount of farm surplus food from going to waste and most importantly to share that produce with over 40 other community food projects around the city. 

“We subsequently got continuation funding, so are very grateful to DCF for allowing us to test and implement such an impactful project.”

The Dundee Climate Fund has served as an educational process raising awareness of climate change and supporting communities to identify and vote on local projects aimed at delivering on:

• Energy: reducing consumption, promoting energy efficiency, use of renewables;

• Transport: encouraging active travel, decarbonising transport;

• Waste: reducing waste, recycling, reusing resources;

• Resilience: improving greenspaces, biodiversity, local food growing; and

• Building capacity: increasing awareness, engaging communities and young people in climate change.

The report will go to the Council’s Climate, Environment & Biodiversity Committee on Monday 22^nd September 2025 and can be viewed in full on the Dundee City Council website.