Wicklow Uplands Council is receiving funding from the Climate Actions Work Engagement fund to support the collaborative work with East Wicklow Rivers Trust to bring people together and share information on landscape scale climate action.

The fund is focused on climate engagement, awareness and communications - helping communities to reach new audiences in their locality.

It will also provide opportunities for community groups to promote their work and spread the message of community-led climate action. 

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Darragh O’Brien, and Minister of State for the circular economy Alan Dillon announced €500,000 worth of grants nationally under the Climate Actions Work Engagement fund.

The grants, ranging from €2,500 to €10,000, will be distributed to 96 community groups and organisations across 23 counties.

It is estimated that 30,000 people will benefit from the activities generated through this fund with the support of over 2,000 volunteers.

The fund is administered by Community Foundation Ireland which, as part of its mission of Equality For All in Thriving Communities, has been empowering local groups, researchers and advocates to take action on climate and nature since 2000.

The foundation's work is informed by 25 years' experience of partnering with 5,000 voluntary, community and charitable groups as a philanthropic hub.

Announcing the grantees, Minister O’Brien said: “Our local communities are delivering great work on climate action, much of which often goes unseen.

"From workshops to events to content creation, this fund is really targeted at storytelling – helping people to tell their stories about climate action."

Minister Dillon added: “Climate change affects different communities in different ways. The impacts we feel in the west of Ireland are different to those in Dublin, or the midlands.

"This fund helps to shine a light on specific local responses to climate change. From developing engaging social media content to supporting local environmental collectives, this funding will provide valuable assistance to promote the work of community groups, many of whom are working tirelessly on a voluntary basis."

Congratulating Wicklow Uplands Council, chief executive of Community Foundation Ireland, Denise Charlton said: “Partnership is key to meeting the climate challenge. At Community Foundation we are proud to have contributed knowledge and insights from our network of local community groups to inform and deliver this government initiative.

"A network which underpins all our work as a philanthropic hub. We look forward to seeing the impact of these imaginative projects.”

The fund is a core component of the Climate Actions Work Programme. This programme has built on engagement with community groups through the National Dialogue on Climate Action over the last few years.

The engagement showed that many community groups and organisations are supported through volunteers who often have to give up nights and days to undertake engagement and communications activities.

The fund is intended to provide support to promote the work already underway, and to encourage new participation. The fund supports groups to work with audiences who have not previously engaged in climate action at a local level or beyond.

Wicklow Uplands Council is an independent voluntary organisation established in 1997 to represent the diverse interests of its member connected to the Wicklow and Dublin Uplands.

Its core mission is to support the sustainable use of these upland areas through consensus and partnership among those who live, work, and engage in recreation there.

East Wicklow Rivers Trust focuses on protecting, conserving, and improving Wicklow's surface water bodies.