The Kingston Community Climate Action Fund was created to support local charities and not‑for‑profit organizations in undertaking projects that reduce greenhouse gas and air emissions, improve energy conservation and efficiency, reduce or divert organic waste, and support climate change adaptation and clean technology innovation.
All donations are matched dollar for dollar up to $13,000 by the City of Kingston, with additional matching on donations made in a KCCU branch of up to $5,000 by Kingston Community Credit Union. Community contributions will have double the impact—supporting greenhouse gas reductions while providing hands-on sustainability education for students across LDSB.
Gifts of $20 and more made at a Kingston Community Credit Union will be eligible to receive a tax receipt, issued by the City of Kingston. Donations can also be made online through CanadaHelps.
To learn more about the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund, click here.
Led by Sustainable Kingston, in partnership with Limestone District School Board (LDSB), this year’s KCCAF project will implement food waste recycling systems in five to seven elementary and secondary schools, diverting organic waste from snacks and lunches away from landfill. In addition to reducing methane emissions, the program will help students better understand sustainability, waste reduction, and the circular economy through real-world learning.
Sustainable Kingston will partner with the LDSB and participating schools to install two to three food waste recyclers per school, along with additional units for the LDSB experiential learning team, which travels between schools. This mobile team will help encourage broader adoption of food waste diversion across the board.
Food waste recyclers grind and dry organic material, killing bacteria and significantly reducing volume. The resulting product is odour-free and can be added to compost, used as fertilizer, or safely stored—dramatically reducing its climate impact even if disposal is required.
To support this year’s project by donation:
Donations are being accepted from February 2nd, 2026 to April 30th, 2026. Learn more here.
Extend A Family Kingston (EAFK) Growability Hydroponic Greenhouse had been selected as the supported project for the 2024/2025 Kingston Community Climate Action Fund.
EAFK’s sustainable hydroponic vertical farming greenhouses are capable of producing 10,000 heads of produce annually. For context, the cultivation of 10,000 heads of lettuce using traditional farming methods results in an estimated 6 metric tons of CO2e emissions. In contrast, hydroponic vertical farming systems are projected to generate between 2 to 3 metric tons of CO2e emissions, reflecting a reduction of approximately 50-60%.
EAFK’s vertical farming systems contribute to sustainability by significantly reducing water consumption, pesticide use, and transportation-related emissions, particularly since the produce is grown locally year-round. The Growability Hydroponic Greenhouse Project aims to enhance and expand the operations of two hydroponic greenhouses, which together have the capacity to produce over 20,000 heads of fresh, locally grown produce annually.
Watch here as our CEO Jon Dessau talks about the Growability Hydroponic Greenhouse.
$30,000 was successfully raised through the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund.
All Our Relations Land Trust project was selected as the focus of the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund (KCCAF) in 2023/2024. The project allowed All Our Relations Land Trust to curb greenhouse gas emissions by installing solar panels and a new rainwater collection structure. All Our Relations Land Trust’s fundraising goal was $27,179.
The project, situated on a 2.86-acre pasture on Hwy 15 in Kingston, will provide essential power and water resources, supporting the Indigenous food sovereignty garden, medicine gardens, a pollinator garden, and little forests. All these initiatives are carefully stewarded by All Our Relations Land Trust, in collaboration with members of the urban Indigenous community, allies, and partner organizations, including Little Forests Kingston.
In 2024, a licensed electrical contractor with a specialty in remote off-grid agricultural sites installed solar panels on a south-facing 300 sq foot shade structure roof and a 60 sq. foot shed roof. The roofs also double as a 3000-litre rainwater collection structure and will have the capacity to increase the volume of water storage.
The panels will provide power for:
• A solar powered irrigation system that will draw from either stored rainwater or from an existing in-ground 100-foot well
• Recharging stations for electric batteries.
• Lighting and other outdoor electric chargers and receptacles
• The system will be 100% grid connection ready
The project site is located on the traditional lands of the Huron Wendat, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples, now known as Kingston, Ontario. All Our Relations Land Trust recognizes the Land as Kin – a beloved relation. The Land Trust will continue to practice good governance, build knowledge, and care for the land in a good way.
To learn more about the project, click here.
Frontenac Club Day Care was seeking support for building retrofits that will create 20 new licensed daycare spaces in Kingston and a new wheelchair-accessible preschool and infant rooms. These building retrofits include the installation of two new heat pump systems in both the coach house and infant house well as spray foam insulation, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Fundraising goal: $59,510
Ongwanada – Purchase of a VanRaam VeloPlus Wheelchair electric bike
Ongwanada was seeking support to purchase an electric wheelchair transport bike that can be used to take the residents of Ongwanada on outdoor excursions in Kingston to help maintain their mental and physical health. The electric bike will provide the necessary support residents need while enjoying the outdoors and staying active. These bikes would reduce Ongwanada’s contribution to GHGs by taking residents out for excursions in an electric-powered bike instead of a fossil fuel-burning van.
Fundraising goal: $19,600
Sustainable Kingston – Purchase of a 2022 compact electric vehicle
Sustainable Kingston was seeking support for the purchase of an electric vehicle that will replace gas-powered vehicle use. This electric vehicle will be used by the Residential Energy Auditors when they perform home energy audits across Kingston, directly reducing GHGs and promoting energy conservation.
Fundraising goal: $33,198
Sustainable Kingston – Rain Gardens
In partnership with The Kingston & Frontenac Housing Corporation, Sustainable Kingston was seeking support to launch its Rain Garden Project. If successful, rain gardens will be added at four affordable housing sites. Over their life cycle, rain gardens produce 30 to 90 percent fewer GHG emissions than conventional stormwater management alternatives. They do this by diverting stormwater from source water (Lake Ontario) that then needs to be processed at a water treatment plant, and by diverting stormwater from combined sewers that lead to wastewater treatment plants.
Fundraising goal: $20,000
Cycle Kingston – Valet Bicycle Parking
Cycle Kingston was seeking support for Bicycle Valet Kingston, which provides valet bicycle parking to residents who cycle to events. By providing safe and secure destination bicycle parking at events and festivals – and increasing awareness of bicycle parking– Cycle Kingston encourages and empowers more people to leave their cars at home and pedal to their destination.
Fundraising goal: $15,250
Extend-A-Family Kingston – Dunya Hydroponic Greenhouse
Extend-A-Family Kingston was asking the community for its help to build a climate-controlled hydroponic greenhouse to provide fruits, herbs, and vegetables to approximately 500 individuals (120 families) year-round. By growing produce locally year-round, this project lowers carbon emissions associated with food transportation while enhancing local food security.
Fundraising goal: $36,000
In 2021, The Kingston Community Climate Action Fund, supported by donations from the community, contributions from the city and KCCU, raised more than $42,000 in 2020 which partially supported Martha’s Table purchase of a $45,000 electric vehicle and a $26,000 project to install four air source heat pumps for a Habitat for Humanity Kingston housing project on Rose Abbey Drive.
“Thanks to the Climate Action Fund, we were able to purchase an electric vehicle. We hope that while we’re out on the roads, we will inspire other people to look for green options,” Ronda Candy, Executive Director of Martha’s Table, said.
“Not only will these pumps help the home’s eventual owners by reducing energy costs, but it will also shrink the environmental footprint of these new builds,” says Cathy Borowec, Executive Director of the local Habitat for Humanity.
KCCU is committed to supporting our local charity’s and not-for-profit’s climate action efforts by continuing to participate in the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund. It is our pleasure to contribute to our community’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral city no later than 2040.
Thinking about your own green home project or vehicle? We can help.
Resources and information from the City of Kingston regarding climate change:
A third party is an individual or entity, other than the account holder or those authorized to give instructions about the account, who directs what happens with the account. For example, if an account were opened in one individual’s name for deposits that are directed by someone else, the other person or entity would be a third party.
