Yorkshire Water Biodiversity Enhancement Programme
Yorkshire Water have launcherd their 2026 call for projects for their Biodiversity Enhancement Programme.
This is a programme of funding to enable action to improve biodiversity across the region and across the function of YW operations. Previous projects during their last business cycle have ranged from supporting training programmes, to small community group projects to large-scale landscape restoration. During the last 5 years, through working across 28 main projects with 165 stakeholders, close to 700 hectares of habitat have been conserved or enhanced, with over 400 public events run. An incredible 35,000 hours of volunteer time was committed, and close to £1.9m of match funding was unlocked.
Yorkshire Water are anticipating funding several projects up to a maximum value of £50,000, though they encourage applications for any value below this and there is no minimum value. The application deadline is 1700 on the 6th March 2026.
To receive an application pack with more information about the fund, or for any questions, please email biodiversity@yorkshirewater.co.uk
Grow Wild Community Programme
The Grow Wild Community Programme supports groups to transform urban spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife.
They are seeking 23 groups from across the UK to join the programme in 2026. Is your community group ready to...
- Connect local people with nature?
- Transform an urban space with planting?
- Learn more about UK native plants and fungi?
Deadline for applications is 4th February 2026.
Rewilding Innovation Fund
Rewilding Britain is accepting applications for the first 2026 funding round of the Rewilding Innovation Fund.
Grants of up to £15,000 are available to support rewilding projects at a scale of more than 40 hectares across England, Wales, and Scotland, which could potentially unlock further funding or move a project in scale, whether at the early planning stage or scaling up a pre-existing project, and that adheres to Rewilding Britain’s rewilding principles.
Funding can be used to cover costs such as:
- Business plans and strategies.
- Community engagement activities or co-design.
- Feasibility studies.
- Technological innovations.
Funding can cover costs such as direct interventions or any expertise that a project requires. Grants of up to £15,000 will be considered but is expected that the majority of grants awarded will be less than £10,000.
There are typically two funding rounds per year, in the new year and in the summer. Groups must be members of the Rewilding Network to apply.
The next deadline for applications is 28 February 2026.
The new SFI offer for 2026
The new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer will launch this year. It will continue to support sustainable farming in England and help encourage growth.
In response to feedback, Defra are improving the new SFI offer to:
- make it simpler and more focused
- improve fairness and accessibility
- provide certainty and transparency
These changes will deliver an SFI that is simpler and fairer, so farmers can plan with confidence.
Defra will work with stakeholders now to get these changes right before the new SFI offer launches, and will publish full scheme details before the first application window opens.
There will be two SFI application windows this year:
| |
Opens |
Who can apply |
| First window |
June |
Those with small farms
Those without existing environmental land management agreements
|
| Second window |
September |
All farmers. This includes those with small farms and those without an existing ELM agreement who did not apply in the first window |
Naturesave Trust Marine Conservation Fund
The Naturesave Trust offers funding to support projects which specifically address the needs set out in the Trust's latest funding window and fall under the broad objective of promoting and implementing sustainable development.
The theme for the current (January to February 2026) funding round is marine conservation.
Charities, community groups, and organisations working to protect and restore marine environments can apply for grants of up to £5,000 for projects focused on:
- Marine habitat restoration.
- Marine litter and plastic pollution prevention.
- Education and ocean literacy.
- Community-led coastal and marine surveys.
- Seagrass, saltmarsh and kelp projects.
- Sustainable coastal and marine management.
- Influencing local and national marine policy.
- Species protection and recovery.
- Marine conservation volunteering.
- Citizen science and monitoring.
There is a funding pot of around £25,000–30,000 for each application window. Typically, between five and ten projects receive a grant.
Applications are accepted from a range of UK based organisations, including charities, social enterprises, community interest companies (CICs), voluntary organisations, small grassroots community groups and businesses.
Priority is given to small, grassroots and community-led organisations, often run by volunteers or with a small number of paid staff. While there is no strict income limit, most of the groups funded have an annual income of under £250,000, and many are much smaller than that.
The deadline for applications is 26 February 2026 (12 noon).
Heritage Crafts Association Endangered Crafts Fund
Craft practitioners, voluntary groups and community organisations across the United Kingdom can apply for support to help preserve traditional craft skills that are at risk of being lost. The funding is administered by the Heritage Crafts Association and aims to sustain practices listed as endangered or critically endangered on the Red List of Endangered Crafts.
Individual grants of up to £2,500 are available. The money can be used to support activities that improve the long-term viability of heritage crafts, such as developing new approaches, investing in efficient machinery, exploring alternative sustainable materials or establishing new routes to market. It can also fund skills transfer, including taking on trainees, creating teaching materials, producing online resources or purchasing specialist tools. Professional development costs, such as advanced craft training or small business skills, are also eligible.
Applications are accepted from individuals and organisations working with endangered craft skills.
National Lottery Community Fund Climate Action Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) is inviting applications to its new Climate Action Fund – Food Systems programme.
Partnerships consisting of not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of between £2.5 million and £7 million for projects running between five and seven years. Up to 10 projects are likely to be funded in the first year of the programme.
The funding is intended to support ambitious, long-term projects that strengthen food systems, tackle the root causes of food insecurity and work with nature to create lasting change.
Projects must work towards systems change in the way that:
- Community organisations grow and produce food – using agroecological methods
- Food gets distributed – aiming for equitable access to healthy, affordable food for all
- Offers people and communities different food options – especially those experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination.
The funding is for work that leads to transformational change (the kind that lasts, not just short-term support) and ways to do this include:
- Addressing the root cause of long-term problems, not just the symptoms
- Helping prevent problems before they happen
- Changing rules, habits or ways of working
- Giving communities more control over decisions and resources
- Helping people and organisations work together differently
- Challenging what is seen as important or possible
- Developing a project that is scalable or could work elsewhere
Applications will be considered from partnerships and organisations that already have the skills, relationships and infrastructure to work at scale to lead transition to food systems that are fairer, more resilient and better for people, climate and nature.
The funding can be used for a range of costs, including staff costs, organisational development, transport, utilities and running costs, equipment, volunteer expenses and some capital costs.
NLCF will hold a webinar on 17 February 2026 (13:00 to 14:15). Spaces are limited to one place per organisation. Registration is required via the link below.
Applications are currently open. There is no closing date.
Groundwork Grassroots Grant
Groundwork is working with People’s Postcode Lottery for a third year to deliver Grassroots Grants.
This year, the programme will provide unrestricted funding of up to £2,000 to 700 small, local organisations in England that are making a positive difference in their communities.
Changes for 2026 – key information:
- Applications may be submitted at any time between January and September
- Eligible to organisations whose income is up to £25,000 in the last financial year
- Applicants will receive a decision within 10 weeks of submission
- Successful organisations awarded up to £2,000 will have 12 months to spend the grant
- The programme will not fund sports or physical activities-based projects. Further details of an alternative programme can be found below.
If you would like to learn more about the Grassroots Grants programme and how to apply, we are holding a webinar session at 12.30pm on Thursday 12 February. Deadline for signups is by 5pm on Wednesday 11 February.
Sea-Changers Innovation Fund
Sea-Changers is offering grants of up to £10,000 for UK-based organisations to deliver new and innovative approaches and solutions to the UK’s marine conservation challenges.
The Innovation Fund will support charities, companies (including community interest companies), universities, schools, and community groups to develop new ideas and experimental, innovative marine conservation solutions 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.
Eligible projects include:
- Research - for example, innovative citizen-science projects, and new ways to measure and monitor marine environmental issues.
- Direct action - for example, innovative approaches to coastal clean-up, and new solutions to reduce pollution.
- Species protection - for example, projects that support, replenish, or protect threatened marine species in new ways.
- Education and community engagement - for example, projects that educate and involve people, businesses, or communities in marine conservation in ways that are previously untested.
Projects can be in the very early stages, be a developed idea that needs piloting to gather evidence of its efficacy, or be an idea that, while tested in other parts of the world, is a new solution for the UK marine environment and needs to be tested here.
The deadline for applications is 30 April 2026.
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