The SPARK Grant Funding Programme provided funding and technical support to 13 projects across the North West, helping local and combined authorities with feasibility and development work to advance their Net Zero projects.
Collection
The SPARK Grant Funding Programme, delivered by the North West Net Zero Hub and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), helped local and combined authorities advance Net Zero projects through funding and technical support.
With £350,000 awarded to 13 projects across the North West, the programme supported feasibility and development work, creating a pipeline of 24 investable schemes and helping unlock stalled decarbonisation projects. SPARK also aimed to increase the scale and quality of local Net Zero projects, attract investment, strengthen knowledge sharing, and raise awareness of Net Zero opportunities.
Programme details
Local authorities could use SPARK grant funding to develop proposals to invest in energy projects on public land and buildings. They could also partner with businesses or communities to investigate the opportunity for commercial or community investment that would deliver a social benefit.
Alongside the grant, applicants could access support from the North West Net Zero Hub to build a strong application and project.
There were three types of grants available:
- Technical Feasibility Grant – up to £25,000 per local or combined authority to make tangible progress towards a Net Zero capital project(s).
- Strategic Development Grant – up to £50,000 per application to address or unlock a key barrier or opportunity in the region.
- Project Development Grant – up to £75,000 per application (for both individual authority and consortium proposals, regardless of consortium size) to progress Net Zero capital projects that are demonstrably feasible but have stalled at later stages of development.
Case Study