Green Recovery Challenge Fund Round 2: Supporting Nature Project with funding upto £ 2 million in England

Deadline: 22-Mar-21

Does your project focus on nature restoration, nature-based solutions and connecting people with nature? Are you an environmental charity or partner located in England? Do you require a grant between £50,000 and £2m? Is your project ready to deliver and are you able to spend the funding by 31 March 2023? If you answered yes to these questions, then the Green Recovery Challenge Fund is for you.

The second round of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund supports nature projects across England with funding upto 250,000 to £2million.

Themes

Projects must deliver against at least one of the fund’s three themes:
- Nature conservation and restoration, including ecosystem restoration and species recovery;
- Nature-based solutions, particularly for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and
- Connecting people with nature.
The fund has been developed by Defra and its Arm’s-Length Bodies, including Natural England, the Forestry Commission, and the Environment Agency. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing and monitoring this government money.

Funding Information

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund will begin accepting applications for two grant levels:
- £50,000 to £250,000.
- £250,000 to £2million
You must contribute at least 5% of your project costs in cash (partnership funding) for all grants over £250,000.

Key Changes to the fund in round 2

Some important changes have been made to the fund since the first round of grants. These include:

A requirement for organisations applying for grants over £250,000 to contribute a minimum of 5% partnership funding in cash.
A reduction in the maximum grant request to £2m.
A limit to the number of applications organisations can submit as the lead applicant: eligible organisations can only submit one application for a grant of £50,000-£250,000 and one application for a grant over £250,000.

Eligible Criteria

Under this programme, they welcome applications from:
- Environmental charities.
- Partnerships involving at least one environmental charity.
For round 2, eligible organisations can submit a maximum of one application for a grant of £50,000-£250,000, and one application for a grant over £250,000, where they are the lead applicant.
Eligible organisations can be partners in multiple projects provided they can demonstrate that they have the capacity and capability to deliver within the time available.
They encourage organisations to apply as partnerships where this is likely to lead to more joined-up projects.
- Environmental charities
  - Your organisation will be a not-for-profit organisation such as a charitable incorporated organisation or company limited by guarantee. The organisation must be registered with the Charity Commission. The organisation’s principal aims (or charitable objectives) will be concerned with the protection and/or improvement of the natural environment.
  - They will ask to see your constitution or governing document as part of your application (see ‘Supporting documents’).
- Partnerships
  - In addition to at least one environmental charity, partnerships can include:
    - Other not-for-profit organisations, including non-environmental charities
    - AONBs, National Park Authorities, local authorities and universities. However, these bodies can only use the grant funding to cover certain costs.
    - For-profit organisations’ (for example utility companies). However, these bodies cannot be the lead applicant or receive any of the grant funding.
  - Partnerships cannot include the following government bodies (although these bodies may contribute funding, land and/or advice/guidance):
    - 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, receive the grant and report on progress.
  - They will need to see a draft of your partnership agreement as part of your application.