Hot Poets, one of the UK’s leading climate and literature organisations, has been awarded a major Arts Council England grant of £120,000 to deliver an ambitious national programme using poetry to empower young people, educators, and communities in the face of climate change.

The 18-month project, titled HOT POETS 🔥 IGNITE, will launch in June 2025, and is supported by a wide-reaching coalition of partners, including Michael Rosen, National Poetry Day, the Met Office, WOMAD, and the Southbank Centre.

This investment — awarded through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants – represents a significant show of faith in the role of poetry and creative education in responding to the climate crisis. At a time when funding for the arts is increasingly competitive and uncertain, Hot Poets is incredibly grateful to receive this support and recognises the responsibility it carries.

‘I am hugely grateful and excited to be able to put these plans into action. Liv and I have seen time after time how poetry and storytelling can change the way people feel about the environment, the changing climate and our place within it. If we engage with stories and creative activities of positive change, we feel inspired to take action, to contribute to a future we want, rather than sleepwalking into one we fear.’ – Chris Redmond, Hot Poets

The project will include:

• 🧠 A three-day residential at Hawkwood College, training over 20 world-class poets alongside Michael Rosen and leading climate scientists.
• 🏫 A UK-wide creative education programme reaching 1 million children and teachers, integrating climate science and poetry into classrooms.
• 🎤 Shows and live performance at major culture houses across the UK
• 📖 A new Hot Poets children’s poetry collection, transforming existing adult poems into accessible, inspiring children’s work – shared through film, book, and live performance.
• 🌍 A global-facing strand placing poets in residence at major climate conferences and events, giving voice to science through the power of poetic storytelling.

This is the organisation’s first successful major grant, following two previously funded project grants. The grant process took eight months and forms one part of a much larger ecosystem of funding and collaboration that will help Hot Poets reach even more young people and adults.

“HOT POETS 🔥 IGNITE is about creating a new kind of climate conversation — one that sparks action through art. We are so excited to lead this with the support of the Arts Council and so many brilliant poets, artists and partners.” – Liv Torc, Hot Poets