Communities Fund has provided £539 of match funding
Shifting Shift
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
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Aim
We’re fundraising to secure the future of Shift Bristol & continue empowering communities to respond to the climate crisis and take action.
SHIFTING SHIFT
Securing Climate Education for the Future
Who we are and what our project is about
For nearly 20 years, Shift Bristol has been equipping people with the skills, knowledge, confidence and community to respond to the climate crisis and create a more resilient future.
Through transformative courses, practical workshops and community programmes, we support people to turn concern about the climate crisis into meaningful action - from regenerative food growing and natural building to strengthening community resilience and personal wellbeing.
Behind Shift is a passionate team of facilitators, tutors, students, alumni and community organisers who believe that education, collaboration and empowerment are essential to addressing the climate and social challenges of our time.
Over the past two decades we’ve supported thousands of people to:
- Develop the confidence to take climate action
- Build stronger local networks and communities
- Gain practical skills for sustainable living
- Create positive change in their workplaces and neighbourhoods
- Empower people to build careers that actively tackle climate change
We know that responding to the climate crisis isn’t just about technology or policy - it’s about people, relationships and resilient communities. Shift strengthens the people and organisations working to create a sustainable future. By investing in the long-term resilience of our organisation now,we can safeguard and expand climate education and community programmes that enable communities to take action for many generations to come. But we need your help.
Why we are crowdfunding
Shift has reached a defining moment in its future. Like many small organisations doing meaningful work with very limited resources, we have achieved a great deal with very little. The only way this has been possible is through people giving extraordinary amounts of themselves.
At times, a small number of individuals have carried the full weight of keeping Shift going — holding leadership, supporting staff and students, making complex decisions, stewarding finances, solving problems as they arise, and guiding the organisation through uncertain and challenging times, including a global pandemic.
They stepped up not out of obligation, but out of deep care for the work and belief in what Shift can bring to the world. Their dedication has allowed the organisation to survive and flourish. But it has also, at times, created cycles of overwhelm and burnout, as a few people carried more than anyone should for too long.
Now it is our responsibility to change that.
So we’re doing something bold — we’re practising what we teach. To care for living systems means designing them to be resilient, balanced and regenerative. Now it’s time to apply those same principles to how Shift is run.
With your support, we want to transition from a traditional leadership structure to a shared governance model that distributes responsibility more widely across our team and community.
This shift will:
- Ensure Shift can continue delivering climate education for decades to come
- Build a stronger and more resilient organisation
- Empower more voices within the organisation
- Create healthier workloads and prevent burnout
- Pay our staff fairly in line with rising living costs
Your support in ‘Shifting Shift’ means we can continue enabling climate action in communities:
- Supporting community-led growing and food projects, including managing a community allotment and green spaces, contributing to Community Supported Agriculture initiatives in Bristol, and connecting local projects with volunteers from our student and alumni network
- Enabling the creation of community projects such as food cooperatives, repair cafés, and seed-sharing networks through advice, mentorship and project incubation
- Working with partners to design and promote nature-based solutions that help communities respond to climate challenges such as urban heat, flooding and water management
- Equip participants with practical skills in soil health, water stewardship, and regenerative land management
- Contributing to local biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, through activities such as wildflower meadow projects, tree planting and community environmental volunteering
- Inspiring and supporting people to foster a deeper connection with nature and take part in practical climate action, through education programmes, volunteering opportunities and community engagement
- Promoting renewable energy adoption including educational sessions delivered with partners such as Bristol Energy Network and supporting community-led initiatives where opportunities arise
- Helping people design resilient homes, gardens, and neighbourhoods that can better respond to climate and ecological change
- Encourage resource sharing and lower-carbon lifestyles such as cycling, public transport use, and reduced consumption
- Fostering networks of repair, reuse, and circular economy practices in local communities
Spanning two decades of work and impact, Shift has empowered thousands of people — through its teaching, projects and growing community – to develop the knowledge, confidence and practical skills needed to respond to the climate crisis and live more sustainably. But for this work to continue, the organisation itself must evolve.
Transitioning to shared governance requires careful design and support. It involves training, facilitation, legal advice and expert guidance to create a structure that is fair, robust, and sustainable.
That’s why this Spring we’re aiming to raise £20,000.
Without this support, we cannot make this transition safely or effectively. And without that transition, Shift will cease to exist – putting at risk the programmes and teachings we’ve spent decades developing, the livelihoods of the tutors and facilitators who deliver them, and the opportunities for new students and changemakers to gain the skills needed to respond to the climate crisis.
With it, we can create a governance model that reflects our values of community, equality, resilience and collaboration - and together we can ensure Shift continues equipping people to respond to the climate crisis.
How we’ll spend the money raised
This funding will support a six-month transition that ensures Shift can continue delivering community climate education and resilience programmes. The following costs focus on the practical capacity, facilitation and infrastructure needed to sustain this work.
Community climate education and engagement (£6,500)
Shift’s courses equip people with practical skills to build resilient communities and respond to environmental challenges. Funding will stabilise and support the continued delivery of these programmes through:
- Additional facilitation capacity (£3,000)
Additional facilitation support will allow existing courses to continue while the core team undertakes the organisational transition. This will maintain programme quality and add approximately 20 additional facilitator days to support climate education delivery
- Pastoral support and accessibility (£2,500)
Climate disruption is increasingly affecting people’s mental health and wellbeing. Funding will provide trauma-informed training for facilitators, access to specialist support and improved pastoral systems to ensure that participants from diverse backgrounds can safely access climate education and resilience-building programmes
- Equipment for course delivery (£1,000)
Replacement of outdated equipment, including a reliable laptop and projector, will improve teaching delivery and the learning experience for students participating in climate education programmes
Community Participation and Outreach (£4,000)
Ensuring that more people can access climate education and become involved in climate action is central to this project:
- Venues and travel (£1,000)
Funding will support meetings, open sessions and travel costs that enable students, alumni and tutors to contribute to shaping Shift’s future
- Recruitment and outreach (£1,000)
This will support outreach materials, social media promotion and recruitment for new directors and team members, helping expand participation in Shift’s programmes
- Website development (£2,000)
Continued development of the website will make it easier for new participants to discover courses, resources and opportunities to engage in climate action and community resilience
Strengthening Community Climate Action Infrastructure (£9,500)
The following investment focuses on the organisational transition needed to secure Shift’s future and ensure these climate education programmes continue for the next generation of learners and changemakers:
- Operational strategy and governance development (£5,500)
To support planning sessions, organisational development facilitation and legal advice to design a sustainable governance structure that enables Shift to continue long-term
- Sociocratic governance training (£4,000)
Training and implementation support will help introduce a collaborative governance system that allows staff, tutors and community members to participate in decision-making and help shape the organisation’s future
What people say about Shift
The true impact of Shift’s work is best understood through the experiences of the people who take part in our programmes:
“Shift changed how I see my role in the world. It gave me the tools, confidence and community to take action.”
“The courses are inspiring, practical and deeply supportive — they reconnect people with what really matters.”
“Shift is a rare space where learning, community and climate action come together.”
How you can help
There are three simple ways you can support this next chapter for Shift.
1. Make a donation
Every contribution brings us closer to our £20,000 goal and helps secure the future of community-led climate education in Bristol. Early support is especially powerful as it builds momentum and encourages others to join in.
2. Spread the word
Share this campaign with friends, family and your networks. Crowdfunding succeeds when communities come together.
3. Volunteer or offer expertise
If you have experience in governance, organisational development, facilitation or implementing sociocracy in CIC’s, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us through the project page using the subject “I want to volunteer my time or expertise.”
Let’s Make This Happen Together
Shift has spent two decades empowering people with the skills, confidence and community needed to respond to the climate crisis and challenges of our modern world. Now we need your help to ensure that work can continue.
Your support will not only enable this transition – it will mean educators, facilitators, students and changemakers who make up the Shift community can continue learning, teaching and building resilience together. Without it, Shift will be forced to close our doors. With it, this work continues to grow and support the communities that need it most.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd July 2026 at 10:14am