Kristen Green, Central Government Senior Account Manager at CCS
Are you struggling to fund public sector net zero and sustainability projects? The new one-stop grants and funding opportunities page on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) website can help.
The UK has cut carbon emissions by more than 40% since 1990. In line with commitments under the Paris Agreement, the UK is the first major economy to pass laws committing to net zero by 2050.
Even though the UK is at the forefront of the fight against climate change, decarbonisation is not happening fast enough. Many public sectors and local government departments are finalising plans on how they will meet their targets and the UK-wide goals set by the government. However, staying on top of emerging net zero obligations and opportunities is challenging.
Barriers include a lack of inter-departmental and stakeholder coordination, lack of access to affordable and readily available energy efficient technologies. Additionally, as many local authorities and communities across England are still building capability and capacity to meet net zero, limited capacity and experience can hinder their ability to gather sufficient information about their energy performance.
Funding net zero ambitions is also a constraint, A green transition requires a significant investment in cleaner technologies. With budgets already stretched, meeting the high up-front costs of net zero projects, such as energy efficiency upgrades and solar PV panels, is an extra burden.
The challenge of finding net zero funding in the public sector
Under pressure to deliver carbon emission targets, public sector sustainability leaders and facilities management professionals need to find reliable funding sources. However, identifying reliable financial support for sustainability projects is cumbersome.
Grant information is often scattered across multiple sites and in various formats. Many organisations lack the time and resources to find and apply for net zero grants.
Even after finding the funding, it’s complicated to apply, often requiring stretched resources to divert time to complete the application. Usually, there is fierce competition to secure them before they are oversubscribed.
One-stop for open net zero grants and funding unlocks net zero barrier
In September, CCS launched a new web page that brings all open CNZ grants and funding opportunities across the government into one place. The CNZ grants and funding page is a game changer. It simplifies the process by bringing everything together in one place. Moreover, CCS will regularly update the listings as new funding becomes available.
“Until now, customers have had no single place to view available funding sources and grants to support CNZ projects and programmes. Our new grants and funding page lets customers quickly see what funding is available, which unlocks a considerable barrier to achieving their net zero aspirations,” says Simon Tse, Chief Executive at Crown Commercial Service.
Get started using the new CNZ grants and funding page
The CNZ grants and funding page lets you review available open funding and providers and identify dates for applications. You can then engage with CCS to understand available routes to market for projects and complementary agreements to help deliver the CNZ solution.
“We have taken the initiative to bring all available CNZ funding sources together in one place. We have also matched our agreements to the funding sources, which is a real time saver for our customers,” says Joe Tilley, Sustainability and Strategic Portfolio Director at Crown Commercial Service.
Don’t let funding deter your net zero ambitions. Start using the new CNZ grants and funding page today.
Supporting your net zero journey
CCS has many solutions that can help you with decarbonisation across your procurement portfolio, from the obvious areas, such as energy and fleet, to areas you might not even consider, such as technology hardware and food and catering in the future.