The Fund will help community organisations reduce their building energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding is available for many types of community buildings, including:

• community cafes
• community hubs
• faith buildings
• public halls
• community halls and centres.

CARES supports communities to engage, participate and benefit in the energy transition to net zero. They will support projects that:

• accelerate the uptake of community and locally owned renewable energy, to meet Scotland’s 2030 2GW ambition
• support community involvement in local energy systems that lead to new installations of locally owned renewable energy generation
• support shared ownership projects (where a community group invests in a commercial renewable energy project)
• assist communities to maximise the impact from community benefit funds through community consultation, action planning and good governance.

You must install at least one of the following:

• a heat pump (air source, ground source or water source)
• a connection to heat network
• solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
• solar water heating.

All work related to this funding must be completed and all funding claimed by 28 February 2026.

Geographical areas funded: Scotland

Fund type

Type of funding:

Grant

Type of cost:

Capital

Fund award sizes

Maximum:

£80,000

Notes on award amounts:

Grant funding is available for up to 80% of eligible costs up to a maximum of £80,000.

Who can apply

Applicants must be constituted non-profit distributing community organisations, including organisations with charitable status, that are established and operating across a geographically defined community (‘local community organisations’) or faith groups. The building must be owned or leased by the applicant and must be used by the local community or a charitable organisation.

When to apply

Now open. It will close to applications at the end of October 2025, or when funding is fully allocated, whichever is sooner.

Next deadline: 31 Oct 2025

How to apply

Apply online via the Local Energy Scotland website. You should get an energy audit from Business Energy Scotland, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or a feasibility study to justify your choice of technology. Full details are available in the fund guidelines.

Exclusions

• Measures that do not result in carbon savings, or that would result in carbon increases.
• Intrusive energy efficiency measures
• LED lighting
• Costs related to wider building renovations
• Community buildings with gas, oil, coal or LPG heating where the heating is not being decarbonised as part of the proposed CARES-funded project.
• Retrospective work
• Funding to replace an existing direct electric heating system with a heat pump is not available where the existing system is working effectively, is affordable, controllable and comfortably heats the community building for the intended uses
• New builds.