Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone Community Fund
Empowering local communities to grow greener
RWE’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone is working with Norfolk Community Foundation to deliver an exciting funding opportunity to help build sustainable, resilient and “Future Bright” rural communities in Norfolk.
The first discovery round of the fund is now open. This phase will invest £100,000 in grassroots projects to explore key challenges identified by communities, ranging from transport and connectivity to community facilities, nature and gardens.
Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone will bring £15million of funding over its 25-year lifetime for communities across rural Norfolk to help create places where people want to live and thrive now and in the future.
Norfolk Community Foundation has been appointed as community investment steward for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone Community Fund by RWE.
RWE is the leading power generator in the UK, and a leading renewables developer, generating enough power for around 12 million homes, with a diverse portfolio of wind, hydro, biomass and gas.
Once operational, RWE’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone is set to be among the world’s most significant generators of clean, sustainable electricity for millions of homes across the UK each year.
These projects will play a pivotal role in establishing and preserving East Anglia’s status as a leader in the UK’s renewable energy sector, placing the region at the forefront of our country’s shift towards a more sustainable, low-carbon economy. They are expected to create hundreds of jobs locally and will keep supporting local and regional skills development programmes.
Community-led funding
Norfolk Community Foundation and Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone are committed to understanding what communities need and taking action together. We want to ensure communities are in driving seat and supported to build on the assets and strengths that already exist in an area. We want to empower people and organisations rooted in their neighbourhoods to harness opportunities locally and tackle the challenges important to them. Every stage of the fund development has involved input and coproduction from local communities – from identifying community priority areas to deciding how funds will be allocated.
We have invited local people to apply to join the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone Community Panel to help further develop the fund’s strategy and to make decisions on which projects are funded. They will be meeting in January to make decisions on the Discovery Phase of funding.
“This marks the beginning of an incredible new chapter for Norfolk as we continue to empower local people and invest in causes that matter to them. Building on our 20 years of experience as a local funder and community partner, we are delighted to have been appointed stewards of this game-changing community investment opportunity from the forthcoming Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone.”
“For RWE this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver a flexible fund that can support innovative projects that will not only aim to improve community wellbeing and environmental sustainability but also create lasting legacies that future generations across Norfolk can be proud of. Critically this is about local people being in the driving seat and helping to shape their own future.”