Community grants

Our community grants help support local groups and organisations in the coastal regions where we construct and operate our offshore wind farms.

We are committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we construct and operate our offshore wind farms and other projects. Our three Community Benefit Funds — Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund, East Coast Community Fund and Walney Extension Community Fund — have so far awarded over £9.5 million to more than 680 local social and environmental projects along the East and West coasts.

Our funds are administered by independent grant-making charity GrantScape, with decision-making supported by local Advisory Groups made up of community specialists who benefit from a strong and deep understanding of the local community and environment.

Discover more about our funds in our latest newsletter and read the stories where community grants are making a real difference:

Read our Community Benefit Funds newsletter

Our Community Benefit Funds

Explore our Community Benefit Funds and learn how to apply for coastal community funding.

Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund

Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm is located in Liverpool Bay on the UK's west coast.

The fund is worth approximately £225,000 each year for the lifetime of the project and has so far awarded 187 grants across Merseyside and North Wales.

Click on the link below to apply for funding via the GrantScape website:

Apply for Fund

East Coast Community Fund

The East Coast Community Fund is linked to the Hornsea projects and Racebank offshore wind farms and has £465,000 available each year. As many as 245 projects have been supported so far in coastal areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Norfolk.

More than £3.2 million has been awarded to community and environmental projects in the coastal areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and north Norfolk since the Fund launched in 2016.

Click on the link below to apply for funding via the GrantScape website:

Apply for Fund

Walney Extension Community Fund

The Walney Extension Community Fund is linked to the offshore wind farm around 19km off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria and has £600,000 of funding available annually. A total of £100,000 of this is ring fenced for a Skills Fund. To date more than 248 local groups and projects have received support.

Click on the link below to apply for funding via the GrantScape website:

Apply for Fund

What is the community grant application process?

Where do I submit an application to the Ørsted Community Benefit Funds?

Applications are submitted to our fund administrator GrantScape via their application portal.
When can I apply?

The Community Benefit Funds are available for applications all year round, there are two funding rounds per year and therefore grants are donated twice each year. Details of the next submission deadline can be found on GrantScape’s website.
Will my application be eligible?

A full list of eligibility criteria can be found on GrantScape’s website, each application received by the funding round deadline is assessed by Grant Officers at GrantScape to ensure it meets the specific criteria
Who determines the applications?

All eligible applications are then presented to the relevant Advisory Group (AG) that have been established to determine successful applications and how the grants from the relevant Fund will be allocated. Each Fund has its own Advisory Group, which is formed of Ørsted, GrantScape and community representatives.
What is the next step?

Recommendations from the AG are then presented to GrantScape’s Board of Trustees to make final decisions on which applications will receive grants.
When will I know whether I have been successful?

GrantScape will confirm the final decision to applicants following the Fund decision date published on GrantScape’s website.

Images showing the process of how to apply for an Ørsted Community Benefit Fund

Community Benefits of Offshore Wind

Transforming coastal communities

Offshore wind is helping to transform UK coastal communities through investment in local facilities, the creation of high-skilled jobs and the development of competitive, export-orientated local supply chains.

Discover the benefits of offshore wind