West Midlands mayor Richard Parker is offering grants of up to £5,000 from the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Circular Economy Call to Action Fund for locally led projects to find new ways of repairing and reusing products and materials to keep them out of landfill.

These could include repair sessions, swap shops or libraries of things, school workshops, and awareness campaigns.

And there’s a dedicated pot for young people, with the Youth Climate Action Fund, set up by the Mayor and the WMCA in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, with grants of up to £2,500 for initiatives led by 15 to 24-year-olds.

Projects need to have a focus on improving air quality, helping communities adapt to climate change or restoring nature.

The two new funds double the amount of money put directly in the hands of local people over the past year to improve the environment and residents’ quality of life.

The mayor said: “There are so many brilliant things happening in our communities to make them greener, healthier and more resilient. From planting trees and encouraging people to walk and cycle, to repairing rather than throwing things away.

“These may seem like small things, but they are making a big difference to people’s lives and helping to create a real sense of pride in these neighbourhoods. I’m all for that, so I’m getting behind these community groups with the funding and expertise they need to get more great ideas off the ground and widen their impact.”

The WMCA has backed 53 local projects with £55,000 through the Nature Call to Action Campaign, the Clean Air Small Sparks Fund and the Community Environment Network’s Small Sparks Fund.

That money has funded almost 100 events involving thousands of people who have learned new practical skills, contributed to better air quality, and volunteered their time to create or restore over 5,000sqm of green space – the size of four Olympic swimming pools.

The WMCA’s growing Community Environment Network connects grassroots groups working to protect and improve the environment so they can share ideas, maximise their impact, and inspire more people to get involved. The network has almost 300 members.

Groups can join the Community Environment Network and apply for this new funding on the WMCA website.