Help for grassroots groups
Greenpeace offers funding and access to workshop space for grassroots groups working on environmental, racial and social justice. Learn more and apply here.
The Open Workshop: a space to share, build and collaborate
Greenpeace is opening up its workshop in North London to grassroots groups campaigning on a range of connected issues like racial and social justice as well as defending the environment.
Access to space where you can design, plan and build your campaigns is tough to find. Even more so when you need to do something messy that takes up a lot of space, like painting a banner or making a mock oil pipeline for a protest.
Some groups also face more barriers in accessing space and resources due to systemic racism. We are committed to redressing these imbalances and sharing our workshop to help your group create vibrant campaigns that make an impact.
What we offer
The first floor of our workshop in Islington, where we run the majority of our Open Workshop activities, is a big open space with a projector, drop-down screen and chairs for meetings of up to 30 people.
- We have a cosy area with sofas which can be partitioned off for smaller meetings of up to 10 people.
- There’s a kitchen where you can make a cup of tea and grab a biscuit.
- You can also use the space for creative activities like banner-making, we have a magnetic wall and projector for tracing and lots of floor space for painting.
- The space is available for whole days on weekends and in evenings on weekdays.
- We also lend out items that can be handy for campaigning such as high vis vests and megaphones.
Please note: we regret that our meeting space is not wheelchair accessible, there are 26 steps. If you have limited mobility or require wheelchair access please let us know and we will try to accommodate you elsewhere in the building.
If you need a venue outside London, you can apply to the Movement Support Fund.
Who is it for?
The Open Workshop is for groups campaigning for social, racial and environmental justice or any combination of those things. All the groups we work with must practise non-violence.
We have supported groups working on issues like renters rights, racial bias in policing, better working conditions for office cleaners, migrant rights and climate action. We prioritise groups who have historically and currently had less access to resources.
If you’re not sure whether the open workshop is right for you, drop us a line telling us a bit about your group and we’ll help figure it out.
Have any questions? You can reach the Open Workshop at opuk@greenpeace.org.
Movement Support Fund: supporting bold, justice-focused campaigns
The Movement Support Fund provides funding for your project, event, initiative, research or campaign that advocates for social, racial and/or environmental justice through an intersectional lens. It can cover things like:
- Venue costs.
- Equipment rental.
- Fees for guest speakers.
- Materials for an action, investigation or workshop.
We actively work to ensure that groups who have historically and currently not had access to funding are seen, heard, and supported. All groups we fund must practice non-violence.
Please note: we do not fund any voluntourism or initiatives that benefit the organiser(s) more than the communities they seek to serve.
What we fund
- Ideas that offer radical alternatives to the current status quo, and focus on large-scale change (for example, community alternatives to policing initiatives).
- Projects that mobilise and offer resources to underserved communities. This could include activist skillshares, leadership workshops, networking events, climate camps, etc.
- Campaigns that act in solidarity with, build relationships with, and amplify communities and activists in the Global South.
- Resource building, such as equipment purchases and rentals, transportation costs, professional hires for actions, research and campaigns.
- Projects that meet the immediate needs of underserved communities, such as community fridges.
Our funding is not exclusive to environmental groups. We also welcome applications for projects, activities or campaigns that focus on:
- Disability justice
- LGBTQIA+ justice
- Migrant justice
- Racial justice
- Class justice
The fund is open to applicants from grassroots groups, activists, and community organisers. We ask that you are based in the UK and have access to a bank account. Funding for projects are considered on a case by case basis and we may not always be able to fund them fully.
The Movement Support Fund does not fund NGOs, political parties, or government organisations.