Deadline: 28-Feb-23
The Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) Living Water is seeking applications for its Branch Out Fund to enable local communities, land managers, other organisations and individuals to make a difference to the natural environment within Essex & Suffolk Water’s operating area.
For 2022, the Branch Out fund is going to be focussing on Blue Spaces and Canopies to support improvements to the water environment and the Queen’s Green Canopy project. They welcome projects focussing on wetland and woodland habitats (including hedges). Although focussing on these two key habitats for 2022, the fund continues to be for projects that reconnect habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife, building resilience to their region whilst bringing benefits to water, wildlife and communities.
A healthy natural environment is essential for supplying top quality drinking water. Essex & Suffolk Water set up the Branch Out fund in response to the need to build resilience in the region’s natural environment. It aims to help adaptation to the effects of a changing climate whilst bringing benefits to water, wildlife and communities.
Funding Information
- Applications for grants of anywhere between £1 – £25,000 are welcome.
Eligible Projects
- Any potential projects should be aiming to deliver benefits to the criteria listed below. Examples of how this might be achieved are provided:
- Water in the natural environment – through projects that protect drinking water sources, enhance water quality or provide other benefits to wetland habitats
- Wildlife – by linking up habitats, creating new areas for wildlife to use, or finding ways to reconnect people with the natural world around them.
- Community – encouraging local communities to enjoy the benefits of being outside and helping them to become more aware of the importance of the natural world or providing opportunities for Northumbrian Water employees to volunteer to assist with projects in their operating area.
- Sewerage and drainage – protecting vulnerable areas from diffuse pollution, or helping build capacity in the natural environment to help deal with storm events.
- Climate change – Help build capacity in the natural environment to deal with the effects of climate change
- Science – scientific research that would benefit Northumbrian Water
- All projects must provide some benefits to wildlife, and also to at least two of the other criteria listed above. The benefits must include some aspects that are quantifiable and measurable.
Eligibility Criteria
- The fund is open to organisations, community groups or individuals from the public, private, voluntary and education sectors in Essex & Suffolk Water’s operating area.
Criteria
- Submission of an application does not mean automatic entitlement to funding. All applications will be carefully considered by the Branch Out team.
- Applications will be acknowledged within ten working days. Applicants will be informed in writing or via email within five working days of the bi-annual decision meeting on whether their application has been successful, and if so, the amount of grant they have been awarded.
- Applicants may in some instances be asked to provide further assistance to allow a final decision to be made.
- Funding decisions will be made at the end of March and September each year. However these timescales will be subject to change depending on the number of applications received.
For more information, visit NWG Living Water.
