In 2021, CAST launched a competitive open Impact Fund which makes small pots of money available for practitioners, communities, or organisations who want to work closely with CAST researchers to co-develop and deliver low-carbon transformative initiatives.
Our Impact Fund is now closed for applications. To stay up to date on when the Impact Fund reopens, sign up to our newsletter.
Proposals eligible for the fund aim to decarbonise diet, transport and mobility, heating/cooling, and/or material consumption using a social/behavioural approach that sees people as agents of change. Interventions focus on creating change at household, community, and/or organisational levels.
The CAST Impact Fund is open to applications from non-academic organisations that wish to work with one or more CAST researchers, in particular our Early Career Researchers, to either evaluate an existing intervention or co-develop and evaluate a new intervention.
The fund has supported 12 projects, including:
▪ Connecting Chorlton Climate Action Partnership to strengthen climate action in cities. Led by Dr Angela Mae Minas and Dr Sarah Mander, University of Manchester
▪ Creating a Stakeholder Toolkit for Building Engagement with Climate Change in the context of Covid-19. Led by Dr Chris Shaw, Climate Outreach
▪ Co-production of an assessment toolkit to embed assessment of carbon and co-benefits in decision-making. Led by Dr Chris Jones, Tyndall Centre, University of Manchester
▪ Developing practical resources for transformative citizens’ assemblies on climate change. Led by Dr Stuart Capstick, Cardiff University
▪ Co-developing a net zero behaviour change strategy & toolkit for Cornwall Council. Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, University of Bath. Read a summary of the research’s key findings in our blog post.
▪ Designing new intervention pathways to reduce water and energy use in high-use households. Led by Dr Claire Hoolohan, Tyndall Manchester.
▪ Positively influencing the travel choices of live music audiences. Led by Dr Adam Corner, Independent Researcher.
▪ Household behaviour change interventions to meet water efficiency and other pro-environmental organisational objectives. Led by Dr Joanne Swaffield, Cardiff University
▪ Sustaining the political mandate for climate action. Led by Professor Rebecca Willis, Lancaster University.
▪ Impact Partnerships – Engaging Loyal Nationals on taking climate action. Led by David Powell, Climate Outreach.
▪ Fostering Collaborative Climate Solutions for Social Transformations. Led by Dr Angela Mae Minas, University of Manchester.
▪ Evaluating the impact of the ‘Greener & Cleaner’ hub in motivating low carbon behaviours. Led by Mark Wilson, University of Bath.
To stay up to date on the latest news from the Impact Fund and when it will re-open for applications, sign up to our newsletter.