Museums, libraries and historic environment organisations in Scotland can now apply for grants of up to £1,000 from the #COP26Conversations Fund to host community-focussed events and activities before and during November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow.
These organisations hold the “knowledge, skills and resources to tell Scotland’s climate story in a way that engages and can inspire climate action”, according to Ewan Hyslop, head of technical research and science at Historic Environment Scotland.
“To get Scotland to net-zero, we need transformative change, and our cultural heritage has the power to do this through telling new stories about who we are in order to shape our future.”
Project partnering Scotland’s cultural and environmental sectors launches ahead of COP26
The Fund has been conceived as a way to ensure Scottish cultural and heritage hubs are central to discussions around local answers to the global problem of climate change, with the traction created by the COP26 summit seen as the perfect opportunity to raise awareness.
Rachael Rowley, head of resources at Museums Galleries Scotland, says the initiative represents a “fantastic opportunity for cultural and historic environment organisations to engage with their local area in a fun and creative way”.
The issue of climate change, she adds, is “something we all need to participate in and connecting with culture and our heritage offers an invaluable way of bringing empathy and understanding to the challenges we are all facing as a result of the human impacts of climate change and the opportunities we have as a sector to create positive change”.
Applications can be submitted until 5pm on Friday 30th July. More information on the #COP26Conversations Fund can be found here.
