New grant-funded projects for a climate-resilient Canberra
14 May 2025
The ACT Government has recently announced the recipients of the Community Zero Emissions Grants and the Nature in the City: Cooling Your Suburb Grants programs.
Together, these grants support projects that will help our community reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
Community Zero Emissions Grants
Community Zero Emissions Grants support projects that help reduce emissions and encourage climate-wise behaviours in the community.
Round 8 of the grants program will provide $150,000 in funding for five community-based projects.
From repair cafes to a short film including extended reality, the projects reflect the diversity of ways we can take action on climate change.
The 5 successful projects in Round 8 are:
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Australian Dance Party (ADP) | "Clothing the Loop" - Weaving community networks to activate circular fashion economies in the ACT Australian Dance Party (ADP) is an award-winning company known for creating powerful dance experiences in Canberra. Their project, “clothing the loop”, will focus on circular economy and sustainability innovations for the ACT community. The project will include ‘repair and repurpose’ textile workshops, clothes swaps and presentations by sustainable fashion industry leaders. Through these activities, ADP aims to engage diverse audiences, foster community connections, and stimulate change on local contemporary issues. |
| SEE Change | Repair Cafe Support across Canberra SEE Change aims to make positive changes to our society by reducing Canberra’s ecological footprint, regenerating ecosystems and improving residents' wellbeing. Their project aims to facilitate the expansion of repair cafés by providing resources to make repair cafes easier to set up and run. They will create an online hub, audit existing resources, and develop new materials to address gaps. SEE Change will create accessible operational, governance, and regulatory documents tailored to the ACT context as well as starter packs with best-practice guidance and templates. Greater access to repair cafes will empower the community to transition to net zero through developing repairing skills and reducing consumption. |
| Canberra Environment Centre (CEC) | Community Bike Care & Repair Program The Canberra Environment Centre aims to empower people to create a more sustainable future for the Canberra community by supporting lifelong behavioural change. This project will provide training courses to volunteers so that they can confidently carry out bike repairs at The ReCyclery, Pedal Power’s Bike Library and SEE Change’s repair cafes. These repair services help the Canberra community by promoting active travel and developing participant skills that lengthen the lifespan of bikes and reduce waste to landfill, while also strengthening community engagement. Grant funding will enable the ReCyclery to open on Saturdays and to provide a service in Canberra’s Southside. |
The Australian Talented Youth Project | "7 Reasons of Why" - a community-centred initiative delving into the connections between cultural identity, environmental awareness and inclusivity. The Australian Talented Youth Project enriches Australian culture by mentoring artists of all abilities, identities, ages, and backgrounds, focusing on cultural equity, accessibility, social inclusion, and sustainability. Their project, "7 Reasons of Why," will explore seven key issues relating to climate change: burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industry, agriculture, transportation, energy consumption, and waste management. It aims to build an inclusive dialogue around sustainability and support the ACT’s journey toward net zero emissions. The project will culminate in a short film combining movement, music, and immersive 360-degree and Extended Reality (XR), highlighting the voices of often overlooked groups, particularly those with disabilities. |
| YWCA Canberra | Biking for Life program - building the resilience of disadvantaged families (focusing on children) with technical skills and safety information on using a bicycle for transport. YWCA's mission is achieving gender equity by strengthening communities and empowering girls and women through their services and advocacy. Their project will incorporate cycling skills and knowledge into their school holiday programs at YWCA in Dickson. The program will include workshops on learning to ride, child-friendly bike repairs and maintenance, and will promote the benefits of cycling to children and their carers. Bikes will be gifted to disadvantaged children upon completing the program, providing a long-term positive impact. |
Find out more about Community Zero Emissions Grants.
Nature in the City Grants
Nature in the City: Cooling Your Suburb Grants aim to make urban areas cooler and more resilient to climate change though nature-based approaches.
The Nature in the City grants fund projects that
- reduce urban heat islands and increase natural shade,
- demonstrate innovative urban cooling, or
- retain or reuse rainwater to sustain vegetation and recharge ground water.
The 4 successful projects in Round 6 are:
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
Canberra City Farm Inc | Creating a Climate Wise Landscape at Canberra City Farm The Canberra City Farm community will create a microforest with berms, mounds, swales, a pond, rainwater tanks, and a gazebo. This will help cool a hot, sparsely vegetated area of land and establish a nature corridor near Dairy Road and the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. The project supports the Farm's mission to educate and empower people in growing food, fibre, and therapeutic plants, fostering a collaborative community. |
Stepping Stone Social Enterprise Limited | Cafe Stepping Stone Living Wall and Re-greening Garden Project Stepping Stone Social Enterprise helps marginalised migrant and refugee women through employment and training. They will construct a full-scale living wall and re-greening garden at their cafe in Dickson, informed by the success of a previous feasibility study and prototype. By integrating native plants and an efficient irrigation system, the living wall will regulate temperatures, reduce heat retention and provide a sustainable solution for urban cooling. This project will demonstrate how nature-based solutions can address environmental challenges and strengthen connections within the community. |
SEE Change | Climate-wise nature strip trail SEE Change aims to make positive changes to our society by reducing Canberra’s ecological footprint, regenerating ecosystems and improving residents' wellbeing. They are developing a nature strip trail with three demonstration verge gardens. These gardens will show different climate-friendly models: a native temperate grassland, a climate-wise garden, and a water-capture garden. Designed by local experts and supported by landowners (Verge Champions), the gardens will inspire the community. They will encourage people to replace hard surfaces with cooling gardens on their own nature strips. |
Regenerate Earth | Rewetting our urban soil sponge to cool Canberra Regenerate Earth aims to improve soil health, build strong communities, and create a sustainable future by helping people and organisations adopt healthy soil-related practices. They will showcase how strategic mowing and soil management can reduce urban heat in trials at the Canberra Environment Centre. By improving soil rewetting capabilities, the project aims to create resilient urban spaces that have a cooling effect and better protect residents during heatwaves. The project's outcomes will include practical guidelines for land managers, comprehensive documentation of successful techniques, and scalable solutions for city-wide implementation. The project will be based on a Finnish study which has been adapted to Australian conditions. |
Find out more about Nature in the City: Cooling your Suburb Grants.
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We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.