Impact Partner: BizGive

Impact Partner: BizGive

Over the past four years, ORIT has partnered with BizGive to identify and support charities and organisations that promote the ‘Just Transition’. The BizGive platform connects organisations like ORIT to external impact partners, facilitating funding, engagement and impact in line with its impact goals:

• Support new and innovative approaches to tackling environmental challenges
• Support new and innovative approaches to tackling social challenges as part of the Just Transition
• Support initiatives that help to alleviate fuel poverty

This partnership provides a tool for ORIT to engage with a wider group of beneficiaries than previously possible, accessing opportunities beyond ORIT’s own assets. Whilst the platform acts as a gateway to many new possible initiatives, ORIT’s impact programme is tailored to specifically attract projects in line with ORIT’s impact goals.

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2024

In 2024,ORIT provided £49,908 to five projects to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency and develop the skills needed for a greener future. As the world accelerates its transition to Net Zero, initiatives targeting schools, households, and local governments are playing a critical role in holistically building sustainable communities.

Energy Sparks - £10,000, 1,500 students benefited

Energy Sparks is an interactive energy management and education platform designed to help UK schools track, reduce, and optimise their energy use. Schools make up over half of local authority carbon emissions, yet staff often lack the time and expertise to manage energy consumption effectively. With ORIT’s support, Energy Sparks will provide real-time energy data to 20 schools in the UK. The initiative also gives the schools personalised recommendations, and training for school staff and students. Schools using the platform typically achieve a 10% energy reduction within a year, lowering bills while integrating climate education into the curriculum.

EcoCode STEM - £10,000, 600 students benefited

EcoCode STEM integrates coding and climate action, equipping young people - particularly girls - with the skills to develop sustainable solutions. Across eight schools, students will use the micro:bit, a small programmable device, to create engineering innovations such as renewable energy systems, early warning sensors, and energy-saving technologies. This initiative enhances digital literacy while demonstrating practical applications of coding in tackling environmental challenges. Through teacher training and curriculum integration, EcoCode STEM is ensuring that climate-focused computing skills become a mainstream part of STEM education.

Durham Energy Friends - £10,000, 200 households benefited

Durham Energy Friends is an innovative community-led programme that provides free energy efficiency advice and fuel debt support to households experiencing fuel poverty in Rural County Durham. Trained volunteers offer home visits, digital guidance via the Fairer Warmth App, and drop-in sessions to help households lower energy bills, access grants, and adopt simple efficiency measures. The initiative is expected to support 200 households, save £50,000 annually and reduce CO₂ emissions by 250 tonnes.

Community Coproduction Toward Net Zero Living -£10,000, estimated 2,300 households benefited

Blackpool has one of the highest levels of fuel poverty in the UK, with 20.2% of households struggling with energy bills. Blackpool Council’s “Eco-Hub” provides one-to-one energy advice, home assessments, and practical support for residents. With ORIT’s backing, it’s scaling its impact through free online educational materials including videos, mini-guide books, and peer-led storytelling resources. These will help residents across Blackpool and beyond to understand, use, and benefit from home decarbonisation solutions—reducing both emissions and financial hardship.

Council Climate Action Scorecards - £9,908, 150+ council areas benefited

Local authorities play a crucial role in achieving Net Zero, yet progress varies significantly across the UK. ORIT is supporting the “Council Climate Action Scorecards” initiative, an independent evaluation of councils’ efforts across 94 climate actions.

Through a volunteer-led assessment process, the scorecards benchmark councils on policy, renewable energy adoption, community engagement, and net-zero strategies. Councils receive data-driven insights, recommendations, and public accountability, empowering local leaders, residents, and campaigners to drive faster, more equitable climate action.

 By highlighting best practices and gaps, this initiative is strengthening local governance, ensuring councils play a proactive role in tackling climate change

“The impact of your investment extends well beyond the numbers: we've built a community of informed and empowered volunteers, created valuable connections between councils across the UK, and equipped both residents and decision-makers with practical tools for climate action. The knowledge sharing fostered through this work—from volunteer marking sessions to the Local Climate Academy to cross-council learning events—is already influencing local climate policies and strategies.” Climate Emergency UK, Council Climate Action Scoreboards

2023

ORIT granted a total of £46,821 to seven charities and community interest groups in2023. Projects supported STEM learning to over 7000 students, re-skilling individuals into green jobs, climate action, and local energy-efficiency initiatives.

Selsey Care Shop Debt Advice to Alleviate Fuel Poverty: £3,600, 100 benefited

Expand staff hours and train additional volunteers to provide debt advice and counselling, helping alleviate fuel poverty and deliver coordinated, secure services to the local community.

Portsmouth Library Of Things and Repair Cafe: £1,500

Create a community space where residents can borrow tools, repair household items, and learn practical skills to reduce carbon, save money, and build connections through workshops and volunteering.

Inclusive Recruitment into Retrofit: £10,000

Design an inclusive recruitment pathway into retrofit jobs and skills for underemployed and unemployed people in Oxfordshire.

Cambridge Hands On Science Summer Roadshow: £5,821, 7300 students

Renewal of campaign equipment to support a 7-week student-led summer roadshow bringing hands-on STEM activities, including renewable energy and biodiversity, to children in areas with low higher education participation.

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‍“This project has been transformative for all involved, from all the volunteers who learnt more about science communication, to the young participants who got to experience hands-on experiments. The support of the ORIT impact fund has been essential for obtaining much needed equipment, without which our summer roadshow would not have been a success.”

‍2022

Building on its success, ORIT launched its second impact fund in 2022, providing £50k across nine projects. The fund’s impact goals were expanded to incorporate initiatives mitigating fuel poverty. Below are some highlights:

Diversifying Climate Leadership: £10,000, 45 community leaders trained

Train civil society organisations to support a diverse generation of climate justice leaders, enabling local people to run community-led campaigns on fuel poverty, home retrofit, and environmental challenges.

Generation Retrofit Advisor Training Bootcamps: £10,000, 16 graduates

Deliver bootcamps to train and place unemployed and disadvantaged people as Retrofit Advisors, supporting home energy efficiency, reducing fuel poverty and building a diverse green workforce.

Ashden City Region Network: £10,000, 47 participants

Support the delivery of a national network linking sustainability leads across England’s city regions and combined authorities, enabling them to share best practice, build political support, and accelerate local climate action -including work on green skills and low-carbon policy.

Home Energy for New Scots: £9,524, 76+ households benefited

Provide energy advice and support to New Scots, including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, in Edinburgh. Support included setting up new energy accounts and communicating with suppliers, understanding energy bills and tariffs, applying for warm home discounts and advice on how to use energy efficiently.

2021

ORIT’s first bespoke impact fund of £20k attracted applications for funding from a wide range of charities and community interest groups across the whole of the UK. A total of four projects were supported.

Women’s Environmental Network’s “Climate Sisters” Project: £5,000, 250 women and migrants benefited

Amplifying women’s voices in grassroots workshops that aim to explore women’s ideas, thoughts, concerns and solutions around the green recovery and for these to be shared with policy makers.

Girls Into Coding’s “Empowering Girls Through Tech for Good” Project: £7,100 girls benefited

Develop, produce and deliver a unique and hands-on robotics and IoT workshop for girls, focusing on renewable energy and climate change.

“Blythe Turbine Vawt” Project: £2,000, 1 secondary school

Installation of a hybrid wind and solar turbine into a local school for both clean energy and educational purposes.

The Upper Eden Renewable Energy Programme: £1,951

Facilitate five community-led viable renewable energy schemes being proposed in the region of Upper Eden, Cumbria.

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‍“Through the talks given at the event by females in tech, we have inspired and motivated individuals to understand how tech can be used for good. By providing a supportive and inclusive environment, we have helped girls overcome their fears or insecurities related to technology.”

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ORIT launched the Saunamaa and Suolakangas Wind Farms Community Benefit Fund on BizGive in 2024, committing €30,000 annually to support the communities hosting its Saunamaa and Suolakangas Wind Farms in Ostrobothnia, southwest Finland.

The fund aims to support social and environmental projects that improve the lives of those living in the municipalities of Kauhajoki, Teuva and Kurikka. Decisions are made by a local panel of representatives, ensuring that funding is directed to initiatives that genuinely reflect community priorities and deliver meaningful local benefits.

2025

ORIT awarded a further €15,000 to seven projects in early 2025, supporting initiatives such as raising local environmental awareness, running children’s woodworking clubs, preserving cultural heritage through dance and community events, organizing a children’s concert and developing new orienteering maps of the local area.

Kurikka Nature Association Event Tent: €500

Provide a portable tent to expand public events across Kurikka, enabling the association to raise awareness of invasive species, promote local nature education, and support biodiversity through interactive activities and community engagement.

“A tent has been purchased and we have planned three events for the summer, where we will provide information about invasive species and other environmental issues to the public. These events will be held in all three parts of the municipality of Kurikka, meaning that geographically we cover the entire municipality.”

Children’s Concert: €2,100

Organized an affordable, professional children’s concert to provide families with a joyful, meaningful experience that boosts well-being, strengthens community connections, and supports children’s cultural engagement.

2024

ORIT ran the first tranche of funding in two rounds. The first round awarded €15,000 to nine projects that include improving local nature trails, purchasing equipment and materials for nature and orienteering events, the installation of an air source heat pump at a lodge next to the Lauhanvuori National Park, renovations to the beach area in Nummijärvellä and the purchase of digital equipment for the Jalasjarvi museum. Below are a couple of highlights.

Lake Nummijärvi Beach Restoration: €2,800

Renovation of the shore area of Lake Nummijärvi, restoring an overgrown area to improve access, camping space and the setting for events like the Nummirock Festival. The project also enhanced the historic Nummijärvi school site, supporting outdoor recreation while protecting the area’s cultural and natural heritage.

Jalasjärvi Museum: €2,000

Creating interactive nature and culture activities, including trail signs, children’s workshops, and role-playing tours led by employed local young people. The project engaged over600 children and boosted community participation, strengthening cultural heritage education and raising the museum’s profile as a family-friendly destination.

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‍“The project introduced children and young people to local culture and history. For example, during Midsummer week, children were able to watch how willow whistles and sauna whistles, which are part of Finnish cultural heritage, are made.” - Jalasjärvi Museum

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                                         France Impact Fund -YTD

In 2025, ORIT launched its annual impact fund in France, to support communities around its 15 solar and wind projects in the country. The €48,000 fund has supported two projects to date and remains open for applications. The fund supports the same impact goals as ORIT’s UK fund:

• Support new and innovative approaches to tackling environmental challenges
• Support new and innovative approaches to tackle social challenges as part of the Just Transition
• Support initiatives that help to alleviate fuel poverty

The fund has awarded two projects €10,000 each. Below is a summary of the supported projects, which will be implemented in 2026.

Mobilisation Citoyenne Pour La Transition Energétique (Citizen Mobilization for the Energy Transition)

Supporting citizen-governed ‘Village Power Plants’ in southern France - locally owned cooperatives that develop, finance, and operate small-scale renewable energy projects. The project will help four of these cooperatives strengthen their internal structures, professionalize operations, engage local communities, and expand initiatives such as solar energy donations to vulnerable populations, using training, seminars, and expert guidance.

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‍Les Intrépides de La Tech - AteliersNumérique et Environnement (The Tech Intrepids - Digital and Environmental Workshops)

Supporting the delivery of 24 digital and environmental workshops for 700 middle and high school students. The project aims to raise students’ awareness of the environmental impact of digital technology, teach practical ways to reduce their digital carbon footprint, and introduce Tech for Good career opportunities. It primarily targets students in under-resourced schools and also provides resources for teachers, families, and companies to extend learning and promote responsible digital practices.

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