Grant Directories

The HS2 Woodland Fund offers financial support to projects focused on native woodland creation and restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) within a 25-mile zone of the HS2 route. Although currently closed for new applications, the fund has a significant budget to support these environmental efforts.  The funding scheme operates on a first-come, first-served basis and targets specific areas within the designated corridor along the HS2 Phase One route.

A total of £1 million is available to support community groups and schools in deprived areas of the UK to protect and restore nature in their local area. The Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund is a crowdfunding initiative that will give £2 for every £1 raised by each project. A wide range of nature projects can be supported. This can include restoring and protecting local habitats, promoting pro-environmental behaviours at the community level and connecting local communities to nature and each other. Applications can be made at any time until all funding has been allocated.

The International Tree Foundation (ITF) was founded in Kenya in 1924 as ‘Watu wa Miti’ (People of the Trees), by Richard St Barbe Baker and 50 volunteers. ITF’s mission is to plant, protect and promote trees in partnership with local communities. The UK Community Tree Planting Programme aims to support community projects that will: Create and conserve indigenous trees and woodlands, forests, habitats and associated biodiversity; Foster community engagement in tree planting to promote reforestation and to increase awareness of the importance of trees and forests to environmental and human well-being; Encourage social cohesion and inclusion.

Rewilding Britain's Challenge Fund offers £100,000 yearly for rewilding projects in England, Scotland and Wales. The fund supports initiatives aimed at restoring natural woodland and habitats and promoting the benefits of rewilding to communities and biodiversity. The fund supports innovative projects that have potential for upscaling rewilding efforts.

The Swire Charitable Trust makes grants to charities supporting some of the UK’s most vulnerable people to overcome barriers and realise their potential, and to charities who are protecting the  environment and heritage.

The Somerset Community Foundation was established in 2002. The Foundation's aim is to provide funding that will address the needs of Somerset's most vulnerable people and communities by tackling disadvantage, transforming people's lives and strengthening local communities. Through the Mendip Hills Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £2,000 to support projects that benefit communities and the environment of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) and the area defined by the Mendip Hills National Character Area (NCA 141).

The Devon Community Foundation aims to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged people in the community by investing and distributing funds to community-based voluntary groups on behalf of a wide range of donors. Through the Community Grants fund the foundation provides grants of up to £2,000 to enable small, local, grassroots organisations across Devon to support, encourage and develop thriving communities. The following funding themes will be considered: Assisting Families in need; Bringing people together; Developing life skills; Enabling disabled people; Encouraging safety and resilience; Helping people find and keep a home; Keeping people safe and well; Offering training and work opportunities; Promoting access to arts, culture and nature.

Sea Changers is a UK charity, through the Innovation Fund Sea Changers provides up to £30,000 of funding to support ideas that are new and/or experimental solutions in the field of marine conservation. This includes any innovation that may: Address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK; Prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and/or species;  Add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK and ways to overcome them.

The Temporary Infrastructure Forestry Innovation Fund is part of the Governments Nature for Climate Fund.  The aim of the fund is to facilitate temporary vehicular access to improve neglected, under managed or degraded woodland.  This can include, buts is not limited to, transportable, reusable, roading, transportable bridges to facilitate access across water courses and log chutes for use on steep terrain.

The Regional Woodland Restoration Innovation Fund is part of the Governments Nature for Climate Fund and aims to improve woodland habitat and increase their resilience to pests, diseases and climate change. The Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds are aimed at forestry businesses and conservation organisations in England who are in a position to help owners better manage their existing woodlands. There will be a number of funds based in the regions of England.

The Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) was first developed in response to the Government’s commitment to provide £10 million for planting both large and small trees in and around England’s towns and cities. The fund is part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund and aims to support the planting of 44,000 large ‘standard’ trees over a two-year period. Urban and peri-urban planting will require public access unless there is a strong rationale against this, such as planting on school grounds.  The funding can be used both for planting and maintaining trees.

England Woodland Creation Offer is one of a suite of Forestry Commission initiatives to support woodland creation and tree planting across England. Landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply to the England Woodland Creation Offer for support to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation, on areas as small as 1 hectare. The grant will cover standard capital costs for tree planting (up to a per hectare cap), as well as rewarding farmers and landowners for providing public and/or wider environmental benefits.

The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) is a grant making organisation which aims to transform lives and build sustainable communities across the UK by funding a wide range of good causes within their core funding themes: Heritage & Conservation, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Social Inclusion, Environment and Countryside. Through the Small Grants Programme, the PWCF will award grants of up to £5,000 to not-for-profit organisations with an income of up to £1 million. The average award is £1,500. Priority will be given to organisations of which HRH The Prince of Wales is Patron. Applications can be made at any time and will be considered by the Small Grant committee at their quarterly meetings.

The Exmoor National Park Authority exists to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks and promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Parks by the public. Through the Partnership Fund the authority has made grants of up to £2,500 available to community groups, businesses, charities, individuals and other organisations. The funds focus is the achievement of National Park purposes and the fulfilment of Partnership Plan ambitions that make a difference for People, Place and Prosperity on Exmoor. 

The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust was originally created by the late Sir David Wills MBE. The Trust is an independent grant-making charity that supports general, environmental and wildlife charities. Through the Martin Wills Wildlife Maintenance grant programme the charity provides grants of between £1,000 and £2,000 to support the conservation and maintenance for the benefit of the public of the natural environment and its indigenous woodland flora and fauna with particular reference to the conservation and maintenance of the character and amenity of rural areas.

Sea Changers is a UK charity that aims to provide grants of up to £500 to UK based, marine conservation charities and not for profit organisations. The projects funded will achieve one or more of the following objectives: To address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK; To prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and / or species; To add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK. Sea-Changers is particularly interested in supporting grassroots projects which galvanise community action and in projects which increase the number of people taking action for marine conservation.  

The John Spedan Lewis Foundation supports UK registered charities with natural history, wildlife conservation, entomology, ornithology and horticulture among their stated charitable aims. The Foundation awards small grants at their bi-annual meetings.

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust was established in for the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement.   Through the Environment programme the Trust aims to protect the countryside, species and habitats as well as well as the UKs heritage and rural crafts and skills.

The Dulverton Trust is an independent grant-making charity that supports UK charities and Charitable incorporated Organisations tackling a range of social issues, protecting the natural world, and preserving heritage crafts.  Through its Conservation funding strand, the Trust supports a small number of charities working to support the general conservation and preservation of wildlife habitats in the UK; protect, plant, and sympathetically manage trees and native woodlands; and protect coastal and marine environments.

The Ernest Cook Trust is an educational charity who aim to help the nation better understand the environment. The Outdoor Learning Officer Grant programme will provide funding of up to £15,000 per year (estimated as 50% of a full time salary) to charities and non-profit organisations that want to employ learning officers/outdoor educators who can: encourage others to create deep lasting connections with the natural environment; Engage people to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature; Educate communities; Enable society to understand the damaging effects of activities that harm the environment; Extend participation to hard to reach groups; Embed an understanding of environmental issues and promote sustainable behaviour.

Grants of up to £200,000 are available from the National Grid to help reduce the visual impact of high voltage power lines in the 30 Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB’s) and the National Parks.  The funding can be used to reducing the visual impact at public viewpoints through localised tree planting; gapping up and/or changes in management of hedgerows or other field boundaries; changes to trails, cyclepaths, footpaths, riding routes or other access routes;  and enhancing landscape around pylons, transmission lines and substations through enhance biodiversity by improved management of existing habitats or by creation or restoration of habitats.

The Veolia Environmental Trust is a Distributive Environmental Body that awards grants as part of the Landfill Communities Fund. Constituted, not-for-profit groups within the vicinity of a qualifying Veolia site, can apply for grants for projects that support the natural, social and built environment. The type of activities that can be supported include Community buildings and rooms: such as community centres, village halls, community spaces within religious buildings, Scout/Guide buildings; Outdoor Spaces: e.g. public parks, nature reserves, community gardens, footpaths, or cycle-paths; Play and recreation: e.g. play areas, skate-parks, sports facilities.The maximum grant is £75,000 for projects with a total cost of under £250,000.

Under this scheme, Biffa look to award grants to projects that provide or improve biodiversity, community spaces, cultural facilities, and places for outdoor recreation. The type of activities that could be funded could be to improve community buildings; site-based projects to protect and enhance a species or habitat; improving an open space such as a park, play area or woodland that needs transforming to benefit local people of all ages.  Between £10,000 and £75,000 is available for projects of less than £200,000. Ten percent of the award needs to be third party sourced.

Tesco Community Grants support local projects that benefit children, families, and communities, with a focus on food security, education, and play. Eligible applicants include schools, registered charities, and non-profit organisations. Projects that can apply for funding include breakfast clubs, food-growing areas, and after-school clubs, as well as community-based initiatives like food banks and healthy eating programs. Voting for these projects occurs through Tesco's blue token system in stores, with the charity Groundwork UK administering the funds.

The Woodland Trust has free tree packs to give away to schools, community and youth groups. The free tree packs are available for planting on one publicly accessible site. Packs will be awarded on a first come first serve basis. All applicants need to do is find a suitable site and supply the volunteer planters and tree protection. Tree packs for schools and communities offer the perfect opportunity to bring people together to plant trees - encouraging local wildlife, protecting our landscape against tree disease and creating beautiful wooded areas that people can enjoy for years to come.

Artists Project Earth (APE) funds projects that tackle the effects of climate change.  Applications are welcomed from organisations working to prevent the causes of climate change; defend communities and ecosystems against the impacts of climate change; and support and build resilience for communities affected by natural disasters.

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity that advocates the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of all inland waterways for public benefit. In support of its restoration objectives the IWA makes grants from its Restoration Grants Fund to organisations promoting the restoration of navigable or formerly navigable inland waterways in England and Wales. Applications from bodies promoting new navigable waterway routes will also be considered. Grants of up to £5,000 are usually available, although larger grants may be made by the IWA in exceptional cases. Smaller grants of up to £3,000 are usually the norm and grants of up to £2,000 are assessed under a simplified procedure. The IWA will not normally fund 100% of the project costs.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species UK Mammals grant provides funding for voluntary conservation organisations, scientific researchers, individuals and consortia for work that relates to the conservation of mammals in the British Isles and Eire. Individual awards of £10,000 to £20,000 can be provided for a range of work including scientific research, practical habitat management, reintroduction and monitoring programmes and educational projects. Key research themes are: Monitoring mammals - better methods for estimating distribution and abundance; Habitats for mammals - assessing habitat suitability and connectivity, improving and restoring habitats; Human impacts and mitigation - climate change, roads and other infrastructure, toxic chemicals and pollution, habitat fragmentation, modification and loss.

The Chestnut Fund is an independent charity, making grants available to encourage and enable community groups to carry out conservation activities. Groups must be part of the BTCV Community Network to qualify. The grants fall into two categories: Start-up grants - these are for groups who have no money when they are first set up and are available to groups in their first year of existence. The grant will enable them to begin practical work and will cover administrative expenses, e.g. postage, publicity, hire of meeting rooms, telephone bills and/or the first year of BTCV Community Network Membership plus Insurance fees. The maximum grant will be £150, and Support grants - these are for groups who have no money for tools, equipment and training. The maximum grant will be £350. Preference will be given to resources selected from BTCV sources. This grant is available to all BTCV Community Network groups, regardless of how long they have been members.

The Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust provides grants of up to £5,000 to promote horticulture; the conservation of the physical and natural environment by promoting biological diversity; the creation, development, preservation and maintenance of gardens (preference will normally, but not exclusively, be given to gardens accessible to the public); and the advancement of horticultural education. The type of activities funded include restoring gardens of historic interest; developing new gardens for public access and enjoyment; and gardeners' training schemes run by appropriate organisations; etc.

Grants are available to support projects that increase the understanding and appreciation, particularly among young people, of the environmental, social, and economic potential of trees, woodlands and forests and of the link between the tree and everyday wood products. Eligible project costs include hire of people, for example, supply teachers, advice, training hire or purchase of materials, machinery or services and paying for printing and publicity for projects. There is also a special grant for development work. Only Forest Education Initiative Cluster Groups are eligible to apply.

The Foundation is a UK based charity who's main remit is to offer Rufford Small Grants for nature conservation projects in the developing world. The Rufford Small Grants Foundation supports small scale or pilot projects with a nature/biodiversity conservation focus and has a broad scope of interest, as well as the conservation of particular threatened charismatic species, the protection of which is likely to benefit their natural habitat, it is also interested in those often neglected or less well known species. It is also keen to support projects which go beyond a species specific focus to provide habitat protection at a wider scale.

The John Ellerman Foundation's People and Planet funding scheme provides grants to charities that work to promote a healthier environment for both people and nature.  The scheme prioritises projects that enhance ocean health through stronger marine protected areas and on land and in freshwater through sustainable management, habitat restoration, and landscape-scale conservation.  The scheme also aims to address the impact of human activities like climate change and pollution on air, land, and water.