Deadline: 31-Oct-22
Do you love the Mendip Hills and need money to get your project off the ground? The Mendip Hills Fund is now open for applications.
The fund is supported by ‘visitor-giving’ schemes such as local campsites, outdoor activity centres and event organisers making a donation. Potential applicants are reminded that the fund can also award grants for social projects not just environmental ones.
Grants will be awarded to support community and voluntary group projects that:
- Conserve and enhance the landscape
- Increase awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the area
- Support social and economic initiatives including enhancing community facilities or support for start-up of social enterprises, e.g. local food initiatives.
Funding Information
Grants of up to £2000 are available for projects in the Mendip Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and through East Mendip to Frome.
Funding Criteria
- Conservation and enhancement of the landscape
- Activities could include landscape conservation grants to community groups and, in exceptional circumstances, landowners or land managers for:
- Conserving and enhancing the special qualities of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (as identified in the Mendip Hills AONB Management Plan) and the Mendip Hills NCA
- Maintenance and management of natural features including coppicing, tree and hedgerow planting, pond restoration, grassland and wetland management and heathland conservation
- Maintenance and management of historic features including viewpoints, former industrial sites, dry stone walls and historic settlements or buildings
- Equipment to undertake conservation activities
- Activities could include landscape conservation grants to community groups and, in exceptional circumstances, landowners or land managers for:
- Promoting public understanding and enjoyment of the Mendip Hills
- Including:
- Education visits and activities
- Information and interpretation projects, eg notice boards, walking leaflets, websites, public transport promotion etc
- Outreach projects, eg targeting disadvantaged groups
- Including:
- Supporting the social and economic wellbeing of the Mendip Hills
- Including:
- Enhancing community facilities, eg village halls
- Start-up costs for new social enterprises, eg farm shops, local food initiatives
- Community enterprises, eg village shops, village play schemes
- Including:
Eligibility Criteria
- You can only apply if you work or volunteer for a group that:
- operates within the Mendip Hills AONB character area
- is run by a committee or board of at least 3 unrelated people
- has a governing document or set of rules
- has an appropriate level of free reserves. If this is more than 12 months running costs, then you should have a policy explaining why
- has a safeguarding policy that meets their expectations
- has a bank account in its name, which requires at least two unrelated signatories.
- They welcome applications from groups that exist to support people in their local community. They can award money to groups that are not registered charities, but the purpose of the funding must be charitable. This means they can give a grant to:
- community groups
- registered charities
- community amateur sports clubs
- community interest companies (CIC) limited by guarantee that have a clear asset lock benefitting local communities
- companies limited by guarantee that are not-for-profit with all surpluses re-invested back into the organisation
- faith organisations, but not for the promotion of religion
- community benefit societies
- local statutory organisations, like parish councils or schools.
For more information, visit https://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/2022/10/10/mendip-hills-fund-opens-for-community-and-environmental-grants/
