GrantRadar

Great British Energy

GBE Local Partnerships Grant

A new two-stage pilot grant from Great British Energy for local authorities in England to work with community energy organisations on developing local clean energy projects. Stage 1 (up to £40,000) funds forming the partnership and testing feasibility; Stage 2 (up to £100,000) funds detailed development up to final investment decision. It is revenue funding only and does not pay for construction; the community organisation must end up holding at least 50% ownership of the operational project. The pilot has up to £5 million over 2026 to 2027.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £100,000
Closes in
15 days left
12 November
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Local authorities in England only: county councils, district councils, unitary authorities, metropolitan districts, London boroughs and combined authorities
  • Town and parish councils are not eligible (they can apply to the GBE Community Fund instead)
  • The local authority is the lead applicant and accountable body and receives all payments
  • It must either apply with an existing community partner, with evidence that the partner helped develop the application and has agreed in principle (a letter or email of support, meeting records, draft Heads of Terms or MoU), or set out a clear, time-bound process for finding one during Stage 1, with a written partnership agreement in place by the end of Stage 1
  • Eligible community partners are CIOs, community benefit societies, CICs, co-operative societies, development trusts, pre-commencement societies, incorporated registered charities, registered social landlords and registered societies
  • The partner must have a real role beyond engagement and must hold at least a 50% legal and financial interest in the project once operational
  • Stage 2 needs a completed feasibility report and a formal partnership already in place
  • The planned energy asset must be in England
  • An authority can submit at most one Stage 1 and one Stage 2 application, for separate projects

What it funds

Stage 1, partnership formation and feasibility (up to £40,000):

  • Partnership development, including identifying and selecting a community partner where none is yet in place
  • Feasibility studies
  • Site identification
  • Initial financial modelling
  • Community engagement
  • Legal or governance arrangements, such as developing a Memorandum of Understanding or Heads of Terms
  • Stage 2, development and investment readiness (up to £100,000):
  • Detailed technical and engineering studies
  • Planning and permitting
  • Securing land rights and site agreements
  • Business case development
  • Financial modelling
  • Investment readiness activities

Eligible technologies are anaerobic digestion (electricity generation), biogas and biomass heat networks, hydropower, ground-mounted and rooftop solar, solar thermal and wind power, and heat pumps, heat pump-fed heat networks and battery storage when combined with another eligible technology.

What it will not fund

  • Capital purchases or physical works, such as solar panels, wind turbines or construction labour
  • Operational running costs of services or facilities, or delivering ongoing services to the public
  • Retrospective costs incurred before the grant award
  • Normal local authority salaries or overheads not directly linked to the funded tasks (apart from justified nominal cover for dedicated project coordination)
  • Funds passed to a private sector partner other than in line with the authority's procurement and subsidy control obligations
  • Cross-border projects, or sites outside England
  • Two applications relating to the same project, or duplicate funding of the same activities, outputs or costs through other subsidies
  • Projects in scope of Article 10(1) of the Windsor Framework, unless the funding can be awarded under EU de minimis or GBER rules

How to apply

  1. Read the Partnerships Grant guidance and check the authority and project are eligible
  2. Optionally ask your Local Net Zero Hub for tailored advice and a review of your draft, or tell GBE about the project first through its express your interest form
  3. Complete the separate application form for Stage 1 or Stage 2 on the GBE Local Partnerships application portal: organisation and governance, project scope and activities, community benefit, costs and delivery plan
  4. Submit by 11:55pm on 12 November 2026; late or incomplete applications are not accepted
  5. Applications are checked for eligibility, scored, moderated and ranked, then shortlisted applications go through due diligence before a Grant Funding Agreement is agreed

Each application must score at least 3 out of 5 in every assessment area to be fundable. All grant funding must be spent and claimed by 31 March 2028.

Have ready

  • Evidence of the community partner's involvement and agreement in principle (for example a letter or email of support, meeting records, draft Heads of Terms or MoU), or a plan for selecting one
  • Stage 2 only: a feasibility report showing the project is technically, financially and operationally viable
  • Stage 2 only: formal partnership documentation such as an MoU, Heads of Terms or Partnership Agreement
  • Confirmation that due diligence checks on the community partner have been completed

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.