[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-253515-105":53,"doc-detail-253515-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","community-energy-fund-stage-1-guidance-v20","Community Energy Fund - Stage 1 Guidance - V2.0","","Community Energy Fund (CEF) Stage 1 guidance explains the purpose and aims of a £10m grant scheme supporting community-led renewable and low carbon energy projects. It details applicant and project eligibility, funding limits, and the Stage 1 expression of interest route. The guidance clarifies what CEF can support (feasibility, engagement, planning and business model development) versus what it cannot fund (capital works or costs before a grant offer), and outlines expectations for feasible, investable schemes benefiting local communities.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":11,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/community-energy-fund-stage-1-guidance-v20/253515/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/community-energy-fund-stage-1-guidance-v20/253515.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Liam","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-09-13",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":30},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What is the Community Energy Fund (CEF) and what does it aim to achieve?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"The CEF is a £10m grant scheme supporting urban and rural communities to develop community energy projects. It aims to increase community-owned renewable and low carbon assets, help reduce energy costs or generate income locally, and promote jobs and volunteering while removing barriers to investment.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What can applicants use Stage 1 funding for?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"Stage 1 funding supports professional support to scope project feasibility, including technical feasibility (including grid connection), landowner Heads of Terms, community engagement, stakeholder engagement, planning and permits scoping, finance and business model development, project management, and sharing learning with other community applicants.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What are key requirements before applying for Stage 1?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"Applicants must already be incorporated as an eligible organisation, have undertaken initial community engagement, have a specific eligible technology in mind (and site(s) for asset-based projects), and have secured at least three quotes for the work or explain why this is not possible. If relevant, an initial conversation with the Local Planning Authority is also expected.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},253515,1791382685,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":8,"category_name":11,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":30,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":30,"language":135,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":139,"read_time":140},8796095461564,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Community Energy Fund – Stage 1 Guidance  \nThis Community Energy Fund (CEF) guidance provides an overview of the fund and its purpose, as well as providing specific guidance on questions in the Stage 1 form.  \nYou are strongly encouraged to complete an Expression of Interest form and take advantage of the support that is available for applicants. The CEF Support team can help you to develop your project idea to get to a stage where it is ready for funding. We can help you to identify what support you need in respect of technical, community engagement, finance and legal work and to prepare an effective invitation to quote to obtain prices for this work. Applications that have not taken engaged with the CEF support team have been less successful in obtaining funding in previous rounds.  \nGo straight to Stage 1 form guidance  \nAbout the Community Energy Fund  \nContents:  \nOverview  \nApplicant eligibility Project eligibility Assessment process Timescales Contact  \nOverview  \nThe Community Energy Fund (CEF) is a £10m grant scheme for urban and rural communities to develop community energy projects, including local renewable and low carbon energy projects (such as wind farms, hydro power and rural heat networks, community electric vehicle projects (such as electric vehicle charging points and electric car clubs) and energy efficiency retrofit and advice projects (where there is local need anda gap in existing services and where there is a business model for a sustainable service) .  \nThe CEF funds are for community-based organisations, which are developing projects for the benefit of the local community. Funding is for the development of projects from concept to investable scheme, including the launching approaches to community fund raising. It cannot provide capital funding for the installation of projects themselves.  \nTo be eligible to apply to the CEF, applications must be from eligible organisations and projects proposals should ensure at least 50% community ownership and must benefit the local community in their final project.  \nThe aims of the fund are to:  \n1. Increase the level of community and locally owned renewable and low carbon energy assets to make progress towards the Government’s net-zero carbon emissions targets.  \n2. Support communities by helping them to reduce energy costs or generate income through community owned energy assets, reinvesting income locally, or services to reduce energy demand.  \n3. Promote growth through the creation of jobs and volunteering opportunities in the communities where projects are located.  \nThe fund will achieve its aims by removing barriers to investment that are currently preventing the development of community-scale projects.  \nProjects are encouraged to demonstrate that they will look at identifying opportunities that consider:  \n􀁸 Innovation: as defined by Energy Systems Catapult, to innovate net zero through“new technologies, new ways of deploying existing technologies, new business models, new consumer offerings, and new policy, regulation and market design,”e.g. , using new combinations of technologies to optimise the value of the project.  \n􀁸 Ambition: to capitalise the scheme commercially to leverage private investment (from a commercial partner or from the community itself) .  \n􀁸 Share learnings: to share learnings on process and outputs such as legal documents with other communities across the region. Peer-to-peer mentoring will be supported by the Local Net Zero Hubs (‘the Hubs’) . The cost of sharing learning can be covered through the Stage 1 grant. Grant recipients for Stage 2 must agree to share their learnings and should cover this cost internally.  \nWe are seeking well-informed project concepts that are community-led and for community benefit, and of a sufficient scale to generate impact and value for money.  \nWhat we can support  \nCEF grants are not available for capital works, equipment or service delivery, and cannot be used to cover costs incurred prior to the","cbCaimQoxhsESrJO","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimQoxhsESrJO","pdf",466439,"English","# Overview\n## Applicant eligibility\n## Project eligibility\n## Assessment process\n## Timescales\n## Contact\n# What we can support\n## Stage 1 – up to £40,000 grant funding\n## Before applying\n## What Stage 1 grants can pay for\n## End of Stage 1 grant delivery","[{\"question\":\"What is the Community Energy Fund (CEF) and what does it aim to achieve?\",\"answer\":\"The CEF is a £10m grant scheme supporting urban and rural communities to develop community energy projects. It aims to increase community-owned renewable and low carbon assets, help reduce energy costs or generate income locally, and promote jobs and volunteering while removing barriers to investment.\"},{\"question\":\"What can applicants use Stage 1 funding for?\",\"answer\":\"Stage 1 funding supports professional support to scope project feasibility, including technical feasibility (including grid connection), landowner Heads of Terms, community engagement, stakeholder engagement, planning and permits scoping, finance and business model development, project management, and sharing learning with other community applicants.\"},{\"question\":\"What are key requirements before applying for Stage 1?\",\"answer\":\"Applicants must already be incorporated as an eligible organisation, have undertaken initial community engagement, have a specific eligible technology in mind (and site(s) for asset-based projects), and have secured at least three quotes for the work or explain why this is not possible. If relevant, an initial conversation with the Local Planning Authority is also expected.\"}]","Community Energy Fund - Stage 1 Guidance - V2.0 | PDF",1789266537,6]