Funding
From the seed of an idea, nature can grow.
To help you grow nature, there are lots of funds to explore that can help catalyse your community or business projects.
This might include projects like:
- Conversion or restoration of community greenspace to wildlife habitat: community orchards, ponds, wildflower meadows/verges, native hedges, street trees or woodlands
- Environmental improvements to a community centre or village hall grounds: installation of bee bricks, bug hotels, swift boxes, nest boxes, tree planting
- Coastal and marine projects: no anchor zones, initiatives to reduce single use plastics
- Local wildlife training and monitoring schemes
- Schemes to reduce invasive species, litter, noise or light pollution in the environment, including coastal areas and on the water
- Environmental aspects of a heritage restoration scheme
- Initiatives to help local people to connect with their environment.
- Activities which encourage people to grow nature and increase the public understanding and enjoyment of wildlife and heritage.
Crowdfunder and Cornwall Council have come together to support projects and activities that will help Cornwall tackle and respond to climate change and promote nature recovery.
Cornwall Council has previously supported hundreds of fantastic climate and nature causes through various funding opportunities.
By blending four previous funds together, it’s easier than ever to get your project financially supported with the new Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund.
Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants support practical projects which help both people and planet health through funding amounts between £250 and £2,500.
The scheme, which is part of Bupa’s Healthy Cities campaign, is open to all to schools, registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and social housing providers across the UK.
There are a number of organisations that operate Free Tree schemes. There are also other programmes which provide funding for school and community projects. All of these deliver environmental benefits. Check out Forest for Cornwall’s list of available schemes.
The SUEZ Communities Trust aims to support community and environmental improvement projects through the Landfill Communities Fund and Scottish Landfill Communities Fund. A suitable funding zone is defined as being anywhere within a three mile radius of a qualifying SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK waste processing location.
The St. Dennis and Nanpean Community Trust has the responsibility of distributing the funds associated with the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC). Funded by both Cornwall Council and Suez(Sita UK), the Trust receives £200,000 a year during the construction period and around £100,000 per year during the operational life of the CERC. The St. Dennis and Nanpean Community Trust aims to support projects and individuals who live in the area of benefit.
Biffa Award projects make up an eclectic community across the country, with funding provided through its Main Grants Scheme as part of the Landfill Communities Fund to projects near Landfill sites. Under this scheme, Biffa Award provides funding to community projects that fit into four different themes: Rebuilding Biodiversity, Community Buildings, Cultural Facilities & Recreation. To be eligible for funding that could get you between £10,000 – £75,000, your project must work towards one of these themes.
South West Waters Neighbourhood Fund enables community groups to apply for up to £1,000, and registered non-profits for over 1,000 up to £5,000. Its Water-Saving Community Fund also supports community water conservation projects, like drought-tolerant gardens and water butts in community allotments – with funds from £1,000 for community groups to up to £30,000 for non-profits.
The Cornwall AONB’s Environment & Landscape Fund seeks to support local community groups and businesses within the AONB to conserve and enhance the protected landscape. It supports support small scale projects with funding (up to £500) to help get them off the ground.
Government announced a G7 nature legacy project in Cornwall which aims to knit together precious habitats in mid-Cornwall, to help develop Cornwall’s Nature Recovery Network. The project expected to take 5 years to complete, dependent on future funding.
The G7LPNR project is able to deliver farm plans and land management reports free of charge to farmers in the G7 catchment area.
The G7LPNR project aims to connect more people to nature, getting them excited about what their local area has to offer alongside creating opportunities for them to be involved in nature recovery. The project will also support green social prescribing efforts across the project area, tapping into the fantastic benefits that time in nature can have on improving wellbeing.
The Heritage Lottery Fund supports a broad range of projects for nature, with grant schemes for projects between £3,000 and £5m. Nature is a a strong feature of its 2021-22 priorities
Farming in Protected Landscapes is a 4-year programme to 2025, providing grant-funding for Farmers and Landowners within AONBs and nearby areas. It is designed to deliver for People, Place, Nature and Climate – with nature recovery a priority focus. The programme is funded by Defra as part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan, and is delivered locally by our AONBs. Details are available from Cornwall AONB and Tamar Valley AONB.
Government’s new funding regime for farming is phasing out direct payments and creating new Environmental Land Management Schemes. It will include three schemes: the Sustainable Farming Incentive (piloting 2021, launching 2022), Local Nature Recovery (piloting 2022, launching 2024), and Landscape Recovery (piloting 2022, launching 2024). Each will have significant potential to support nature, and the second should link to our Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Horizon funding provides funding for ground breaking research or innovation, on themes including climate, food security, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment. Following EU Exit the UK has remained an associate of Horizon Europe, giving UK applicants access to funding under equivalent terms to EU applicants.
The Aviva Community Fund allocates from a total of £250k every three months, and one of its two priority areas is about preventing, preparing for and protecting against the impacts of climate change.
This fund allocates small grants of up to £2000, and is open to anyone, particularly encourage community groups, educational facilities and start-up companies – with all applications needing to be of a green, ecological or sustainability nature, with the project benefiting the environment.
This fund allocates grants of up to £3,500 every three months to small local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment. Applicants must have an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.
This new fund is available for businesses with a turnover of less than £25m and will offer 1% cashback on loans, starting from £1,0002 to help SMEs invest in green activities. This is the first green offering for small businesses with a cashback proposal in the UK. To qualify for the cashback, evidence must be provided that the use of the loan proceeds meet the criteria for green activities.
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community.
The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.
The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November.
The deadline for applications for the November review is the 28th of October 2022.
The PCF is inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 over two years, for projects that will create a long-term difference in rural communities across the UK.
Applicants must be from properly constituted, non-profit organisations with an income of less than £500,000. Especially welcome are applications from groups and organisations with projects in hamlets, villages and small market towns.
The deadline for applications is the 11th of October 2022.
| As part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Agenda, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly have been allocated £132million to spend on local investment through the Shared Prosperity Fund.
With a focus on green and inclusive growth, the Shared Prosperity Fund provides funding opportunities to projects that are able to demonstrate benefits to the community. |
The Youth Investment Fund (YIF) is made up of £288m capital and up to £80m revenue grants and is funded by the UK Government.
The aim is to deliver grants for up to 300 facilities that:
- represent positive value for money,
- are environmentally sustainable,
- and enable positive activities for young people aged 11 to 18 (up to 25 for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) in eligible places across England, by 2024/25.
The Chestnut Fund is part of TCV’s commitment to support Community Network members. The fund makes grants available to encourage and enable community groups to carry out conservation activities. The applications are considered and administered by TCV Chestnut Fund Committee.
The grants fall into two categories – ‘Start-up’ grants, whereby the maximum grant is £160, and ‘Support’ grants, whereby the maximum grant is £350.
