Deadline: 24-Jul-23
Are you an individual or organisation based in England? Do you have a nature recovery project planned, costed and ready to start? Do you require a grant from £250,000 up to £3million? Can you complete your project within two years? If you answered yes to these questions, then the Species Survival Fund is for you.
The Species Survival Fund will support the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats in England. It is open to individuals and organisations working to recover nature.
Projects must deliver against the fund theme of habitat creation and restoration, including ecosystem restoration, to support species abundance at a landscape, catchment or local scale, either within or outside of protected sites.
Funding Information
- They are offering grants of £250,000 to £3m for projects of maximum two years’ duration.
- Applicants can only apply for projects which are fully planned and costed and can start immediately once funding has been awarded. All project activity must take place in England.
Eligible Projects
- They are looking for projects which:
- carry out activities focused on habitat creation and restoration that contribute to species abundance and/or targeted actions for multiple species;
- carry out capital works on wide-ranging habitats, including terrestrial, riparian, coastal and estuarine habitats;
- work in partnership to maximise impact;
- Focus on a wide range of species. They value species in their own right and they also expect that action for wider species and habitats will help drive improvements in the indicator.
- Have considered local priorities for nature recovery wherever possible, for example those emerging through the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) process. This could be either through engagement with Responsible Authorities on emerging LNRS or engagement with groups like Local Nature Partnerships. Applications from areas where there isn’t a draft LNRS won’t be penalised.
- Have considered how a changing climate will affect the ecological outcomes the project is aiming for.
- Habitat creation and restoration
- Projects must create or restore terrestrial, riparian, coastal and estuarine habitats. Works could include:
- enlarging, connecting and improving existing wildlife-rich sites;
- improving degraded habitat;
- creating more sites;
- improving habitats such as scrub habitat mosaics, riparian habitats and grassland that will provide the conditions that species need to thrive and grow;
- targeted actions to halt the decline in species abundance taken as part of wider habitat creation or restoration projects, such as species monitoring or surveys for under-resourced sites.
- Projects will be prioritised if they:
- create more joined-up space for nature on land, including along rivers and streams;
- align with local plans;
- connect people with nature where appropriate, improving access and engagement with nature and benefiting health and wellbeing;
- support climate change adaptation, and where relevant, mitigation benefits, through the use of nature-based solutions that provide multiple benefits for climate, biodiversity and people;
- support green jobs, including apprenticeships, particularly in areas of high unemployment that need economic investment;
- incorporate species monitoring or surveys for sites lacking this information, provided this leads to improvements for biodiversity implemented during the project;
- Species conservation translocations are out of the scope of this programme. This includes population reinforcement as well as the reintroduction of large mammals or apex predators such as beaver, lynx and white-tailed eagle.
- Projects will be prioritised if they:
Eligibility Criteria
- They welcome applications from all individuals and organisations working with landscapes and nature in England. This includes:
- environmental not-for-profit organisations;
- AONBs and National Park Authorities (via their accountable or registered body);
- local authorities;
- farmers and land managers.
- Partnerships
- They encourage organisations to apply as partnerships where this is likely to lead to more joined-up projects.
- Partnerships must be led by one of the eligible organisations. Partnerships can include other not-for-profit and for-profit organisations, providing all works are for public benefit rather than private gain.
- Partnerships cannot include the following government bodies (although these bodies may be represented on steering groups and may contribute funding, land and/or advice):
- non-ministerial departments;
- executive agencies;
- executive or advisory non-departmental public bodies.
- If you are making a joint application, you will need to decide which organisation will be the lead applicant. The lead applicant will fill in the application form and, if you are successful, take receipt of the grant and report on progress.
For more information, visit Heritage Fund.