Kildare County Council Launches the Climate Innovation Fund 2026
Kildare County Council is pleased to announce the launch of the Climate Innovation Fund 2026, a grant programme designed to support innovative projects that address climate challenges and inspire new approaches to climate action across County Kildare.
The fund will be open to community groups, voluntary organisations, businesses, social enterprises, individual applicants and other eligible organisations that live, work or study in the Clane - Maynooth, Celbridge - Leixlip, Athy or Naas Municipal District.
Funded by Kildare County Council through Local Property Tax (LPT) funding, the Climate Innovation Fund aims to encourage creative thinking, pilot projects, new partnerships, and innovative ways of delivering climate action that can be replicated, adapted or scaled elsewhere. The Council is particularly interested in projects that test new ideas, trial innovative technologies, explore new methods of community engagement, or demonstrate novel approaches to addressing climate challenges.
A key objective of the Climate Innovation Fund is to support projects that not only deliver climate benefits, generate learning and provide examples that can inform and inspire future action elsewhere. The fund recognises that innovation does not have to be highly technical; it can also involve applying existing ideas in new ways, creating new partnerships, or developing creative responses to local climate challenges.
Applications will be assessed across four criteria:
- Innovation, creativity and transferability (40%)
- Climate and community impact (25%)
- Feasibility and deliverability (20%)
- Value for money and funding need (15%)
Grant awards will range from €1,000 to €25,000. The Climate Innovation Fund is accepting applications until Sunday, 2 August 2026.
Speaking about the launch of the fund, Paula O’Rourke, Climate Action Coordinator, Kildare County Council said; “The Climate Innovation Fund represents an exciting opportunity to support new ideas and fresh approaches to climate action across County Kildare. While climate action is now a central priority for all communities and organisations, many of the solutions needed will come from innovation, experimentation and collaboration. This fund has been developed to support projects that are willing to try something different, share learning, and demonstrate approaches that others can build upon. We look forward to seeing ambitious and creative proposals from communities, organisations, businesses, social enterprises and individuals across the county.”
Application forms and guidance documents are available at: https://kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/ClimateAction/ClimateInnovationFund/
