Bristol businesses and community groups invited to apply for a Sustainable Travel Grant
Businesses and community groups can now apply for a Sustainable Travel Grant of up to £20,000.
These grants are for projects across Bristol that encourage walking, wheeling and cycling, to reduce the environmental impact that transport has on the city.
Fully funded grants of up to £250 or a 50 per cent funded grant of between £250 and £20,000 are available for businesses. Community groups can apply for up to £20,000, either 50 per cent match funded or fully matched through community activity.
From e-cargo bikes to help with business deliveries to community-led walking groups, the grants help to fund a variety of sustainable travel schemes across Bristol.
Councillor Ed Plowden, Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee, said: “These grants are a fantastic way to invest in the health and wellbeing of your workforce or members of your local community, as travelling actively has been shown to have huge benefits for your health and mood.
“With fewer people driving, not only is it good for the environment, but it also reduces congestion so that roads won’t be as clogged up for the people who need to drive.
“For this round of grants, we’re keen to hear from businesses looking to improve their deliveries, operations and staff travel, especially in areas where we’re changing travel routes, such as in Broadmead, south Bristol, Park Street and east Bristol.”
In the last round of funding, the council gave a £20,000 grant to part-fund a new bike shelter at Films@59 – a post-production company.
Catherine Berry from Films@59 said: “This grant has helped us to build a new bike shelter for staff, visiting clients, and visitors to the building. Since opening it, we’ve had 99 different people access it across the company, which we can measure thanks to a secure fob system.
“Giving people this safe and dry bike store means that up to 30 people can use it on any given day, and we’re already seeing it at maximum capacity. This is helping us to reduce car traffic in Cotham where we are based and gives us a potentially healthier workforce too.”
The council gave a £7,000 grant to NICU Support, a registered charity that transports breast milk for premature and very ill babies.
Mike Burns, Founder of NICU Support, said: “We’ve used the grant to set up the new e-bike service, helping our volunteers to collect breast milk from donors and then deliver it, once it has been screened and processed at the milk bank. This is helping us to make our charity greener and more sustainable.
“Donor breast milk is critically important for poorly and premature babies, as it can double their chance of survival if born before 32 weeks.”
The council also gave a £3,000 grant to Steppin Sistas, a Bristol-based grassroots group of Black women and women of colour who organise walks to help motivate women to walk.
Sophia Brown, founder of Steppin Sistas, said: “The funding has enabled me to organise two ‘Walk to Work’ events, which have encouraged hundreds of people in Bristol to walk instead of driving. This has been life-changing for many women in the group, who have become more active, resulting in a huge positive impact on their mental and physical health.”
Community grants can be match funded through community volunteer hours, which could be through leading walks, leading bike rides, or cycle repairs.
Steppin Sistas are doing this through the Windrush Celebrations project. This is a yearly walk led by the community that celebrates the legacy of the Windrush Generation, while fostering community connection. Taking place in St Pauls, it includes a guided walk through the area’s historic sites, murals, and cultural landmarks.
The grants are funded by the council using the government’s Consolidated Active Travel Fund.
The deadline to apply for a grant is by 5pm on Friday 30 January 2026.
Find out more and how to apply.
Further details of the Sustainable Travel Grants
Sustainable Travel Grants are for projects that encourage walking and cycling, reduce car journeys, and decrease the environmental impact that transport has across the city.
Grant on offer:
- Businesses can apply for up to £250 which is 100 per cent funded.
- Businesses can also apply for between £250 and £20,000, which is 50 per cent funded. Applicants need to match fund the grant.
- Community groups can apply for up to £20,000, which can either be 50 per cent match funded by the applicant, or 100 per cent matched through community activity, such as with volunteer hours to lead and deliver a project.
The grant can only pay for costs excluding VAT.
