Circular Life Skills Grant
What is the Circular Life Skills Grant?
The Circular Life Skills Grant is designed to equip communities with the skills that support a circular economy. These circular life skills include but are not limiting to: reusing, sharing, repairing and repurposing. By developing circular life skills, we can keep items in circulation for longer and as a result help our communities reduce waste and save money.
The aim of the grant is to address the throw-away culture, increase circular economy awareness and enable long-term behaviour change by making circular life skills like reusing, repairing and sharing the norm.
A grant of up to £1000 is available to community groups and organisations to deliver a project that increases circular life skills within their community.
What could a project look like?
There are several ways in which this grant can be delivered, for example by; hosting a series of workshops utilising skills available in your community; an intergenerational collaboration; creating hands-on learning experiences; setting up a community club or running a circular economy event.
A few project ideas:
- Classroom-style sessions with hands-on activities
- Partnering with local Men's Sheds for training sessions
- Workshops on furniture repair or reupholstery
- Bike maintenance skills training
- Basic tech repair sessions
We recommend collaborating with local groups with circular life skills expertise such as Men’s Sheds, pre-loved shops, repair cafes and sharing libraries.
What have other projects delivered?
Setting up a hands-on workshop?
Stitch the Gap CIC (Kirkintilloch, Glasgow) is a social enterprise focused on closing the sewing machine skills gap, using donated fabric to teach repair, reuse, and repurposing skills. They offer workshops, a sewing machine library, and a mobile service.
Setting up a community club that supports skill development?
The Edinburgh Remakery is an environmental social enterprise that provides workshops and training opportunities focused on repairing, reusing, and upcycling to reduce waste and prevent items from going to landfill. They run a community club, hosted by an environmental social enterprise, which provides a safe space for people to learn repair skills, upcycle, and engage in social activities.
Setting up a repair project?
Reboot Stirling is a community-focused tech refurbishment project aiming to reduce e-waste and improving digital inclusion.
By refurbishing old laptops and devices, they work to reduce both the environmental and financial cost of technology; supporting people in their community who need access to digital tools.
They create hands-on volunteering and skills development opportunities, helping people gain experience in tech refurbishment, data security, and sustainability.
What can the funding be used for?
What can the funding be used for?
The grant may be used for costs for materials and expenses to deliver your project. This may include, but is not limited to:
- Costs incurred by an expert practitioner i.e. teaching hours
- Equipment required to deliver training
- Event costs
- Materials
You may not use the funding for:
- Costs already incurred
- Items or equipment of a personal nature
- Repairs or improvements to premises or land not owned by or leased to, the organisation applying.
The project must be completed by 31 March 2027.
Who can apply?
Constituted community groups and organisations based in, and working in, Lanarkshire. Applications will only be accepted from non-profit-distributing groups and organisations with bank accounts.
Groups and organisations who are already delivering circular life skills projects are advised to either apply for a new project or support a new underrepresented audience group to maximise impact.
If you are from a school or learning institution, we would advise working with a community group on your proposal to maximise the impact in your community. Schools or learning institutions are ineligible to apply on their own.
How will the Lanarkshire Climate Action Hub support you?
We are available on
We will support you throughout the project; we will check in regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly, help troubleshoot any challenges, and connect you to further training or funding opportunities where relevant. We’ll also support you in capturing your learning and sharing your story to inspire others.
When to apply?
Applications are open now and will be reviewed monthly around the 20th of each month until funding is fully subscribed.
Questions?
Email the Hub on
Ready to apply?
To apply, read the grant guidance and complete the online application form and submit the application form, ensuring to upload a copy of your group/organisation’s constitution and a copy of your group/organisation’s bank statement dated within the last 3 months. If you would like a copy of the application form as a Word document, please email us on
Accessibility
If you need assistance with accessing the Application Form or have any queries regarding accessibility, please email
