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Freshwater Community Grant Fund
The Freshwater Community Grant Fund supports community initiatives to restore freshwater habitats at five locations in England. In partnership with Defra's Species Survival Fund, the scheme aims to award a total of £75,000 to local initiatives.
The application window for funding is now open. Community groups are invited to suggest projects that will boost biodiversity and create opportunities to connect with nature at freshwater sites. We hope the work will have a cascading impact on wider ecosystems. We also want to build skills within communities, so they can look after these special habitats and species long term.
The Freshwater Community Grant Fund is available for community organisations within a 20-mile radius of:
- Dunham Massey, Woodhouse Lane, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4SJ (the Bollin project)
- The Blickling Estate, Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6NF (the Bure project)
- The Holnicote Estate, near Minehead, Somerset TA24 8TJ (Holnicote project)
- Arlington Court, near Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4LP (North Devon project)
- Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, near Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1SP; or the town of Cockermouth, Western Lakes, Cumbria (Cumbria project).
Grants of £500 to £5,000 are available for initiatives that create, look after or improve local freshwater habitats and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature.
Projects must be completed by 31 December 2025.
Who can apply
The Freshwater Community Grant Fund particularly welcomes applications from organisations who seek to deliver activities with, and for, people who are under-represented in conservation, for example:
- People with disabilities, people with a long-term health need – including mental health – and those experiencing loneliness or isolation
- Diverse and minority ethnic communities
- People who identify as LGBTQ+
- People experiencing a disadvantage due to low income
- Young people, especially those who are not in education, employment, or training.
The following groups are eligible to apply:
- Community or voluntary groups/organisations in the project areas
- Registered charities and other non-profit making organisations (for example, a social enterprise/CIC)
- Schools, town councils and parish councils (where their project demonstrates wider community involvement and benefit).
How to apply
The application process will be the same for all applications and will be done via the submission of a completed application form. Representatives of our staff and invited external panellists will assess applications on a rolling basis.
The application window will remain open until all funds have been allocated, or until the end of the funding window on 31 December 2025.
What the grant covers
Community groups can apply for costs relating to anything in the list below.
- Events, activities or training and development, including fees for professionals that lead to local communities creating, looking after or improving freshwater habitats
- Capital works (for example, contractor costs, equipment or materials) that support habitat creation and improvement, including access and interpretation improvements
- Any materials and equipment, educational or interpretation resources, refreshments and the reimbursement of travel and other reasonable expenses
- Requests by applicants to work with/at the places in our care.
The community grant fund is unable to support the day-to-day running costs of an organisation or group.
UK subsidy control
The grant will be awarded on the basis that it will not give the recipient an economic advantage ('profit'). If this is likely to be the case, you'll be asked to confirm that the award will not mean you've received more than £325,000 of aid qualifying as ‘Minimal Financial Assistance’ over a period covering the current and past two financial years.
Frequently asked questions
Find out more about the Freshwater Community Grant Fund, including what the grant does not cover.
About our Freshwater Renaissance Programme
The grants are part of the Freshwater Renaissance Programme, which sits at the heart of our vision for the future of freshwater.
It's a two-year, multi-catchment programme of work aiming to restore a functioning network of biodiverse and climate-resilient freshwater habitats.
The work will focus on small and undervalued headwater streams, ponds, flushes and ditches. Much of the work will be low-tech, low-cost and low-maintenance – for example installing leaky dams to slow the flow of water and creating ponds and scrapes. The restored freshwater habitats will support many species from eels to brown trout, curlews to kingfishers, dragonflies to lizards and newts to otters.
Activities and events
Freshwater Renaissance will also offer a series of activities and events for community groups. Many will include children and young people, inspiring the next generation to love our rivers.
Volunteering opportunities will be available for local communities too, so they can get involved with practical action, citizen science and monitoring. These activities will lay the groundwork for the future care of the habitats and species at the places we look after.
Overall, the programme will allow a wider range of people to engage with, feel connected to and take action for nature, in particular our freshwater habitats and species.
It is part of our ongoing Riverlands programme.
About our funders
The Freshwater Renaissance Programme is funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its arm's-length bodies. It's being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
Our funders
A short-term programme to create and restore habitats and reverse the decline of species across England, delivered on behalf of Defra.
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