Nature and Biodiversity Community Grant Scheme - Grants

You can submit your completed application form at any time and it will be assessed at the next available panel meeting.

Applications must be received by midnight on Monday 13 October 2025. 

We recommend that you apply as early as possible and do not wait until the deadline.

All grant offers will be awarded by 30 November 2025, with all projects to be completed, reports with final evidence and claims submitted by 31 May 2026.  

The grant aims to protect and enhance biodiversity through allocating funding to projects which will deliver environmental improvements and initiatives that create green spaces, improve biodiversity or help ecosystems in Herefordshire.

Outcomes to be achieved through the grant scheme are:

1. Contribute to improving an identified high priority habitat (wetland, traditional orchards, woodland, open habitat, for example meadows – for more details refer to the Herefordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy Herefordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)
2. Benefit local wildlife, especially protected species, such as hedgehogs, swifts, owls, bats, newts, butterflies, otters
3. Help to sustain distinctive landscapes
4. Improve public access to nature
5. Provide a range of natural environment volunteering or learning opportunities
6. Help an existing biodiversity project adapt to climate change
7. Include use of sustainable materials, recycled and / or locally sourced materials
8. Enhance native species planting or plants with climate adaptability

Applicants must be a formally constituted non-profit business or organisation based in Herefordshire, such as a registered charity, community interest company or a relevant parish council.

Applications from informal community groups and local organisations are also encouraged providing they partner with an eligible non-profit organisation or business. The lead applicant must be the non-profit organisation and as such will be required to demonstrate an appropriate level of involvement in the project.

All applicants will need to demonstrate their organisational status and have a bank account in the same name.

Private individuals and commercial businesses are not eligible to apply.

If you are unsure whether your organisation can apply please contact biodiversity@fccenvironment.co.uk

Applicants will need to:

• Have a written constitution or mission statement
• Have an elected committee or representative steering group
• Have a bank account in the same name or in the name of a partnered eligible non-profit organisation
• Provide copies of any quotes. You should consider a minimum of two suppliers for anything of an individual value of £250 or more and provide evidence of these as part of your application, for example web links to product, or quotes from supplier and installer. Please also ensure you comply with your organisation's procurement policy, if you have one.

You are able to apply for items that will last more than one year. Therefore, any plants and items applied for must last more than one season.

Examples of what the grant can be used for may include, but are not limited to:

• Tree and hedge planting or management
• Creation of wildlife corridors, for example hedgehog corridors on housing estates
• Support for wildlife such as bird, bat or bug boxes and hedgehog homes
• Protection, rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife
• Planting wildflower areas
• The purchase of equipment for planting and ongoing long-term maintenance
• Wetland / pond creation
• Creation or enhancement of a community nature area

Any new planting should be of species native to the UK and ideally to Herefordshire.

Plants should be locally or UK grown and sourced.

Where necessary schemes should demonstrate they utilise local, professional and experienced advisors and trainers.

Required maintenance and management to sustain the project should be secured for at least 5 years.

For new planting, ensure that adequate water supply and personnel resources are available for sufficient watering to allow plant establishment.

The grant will not fund projects that:

• Do not engage with the public
• Are revenue costs, staffing costs or volunteer time unless an exceptional case can be made
• Are retrospective funding
• Are items that are to be installed as a condition of planning permission for existing projects
• Are anything that promotes political, religious or discriminatory activities

The minimum amount of grant than can be applied for is £500 to a maximum of £10,000 during the lifetime of the grant scheme but applications up to £35,000 will be considered where significant benefits can be demonstrated.

The scheme is open for applications from Monday 18 August to midnight on Monday 13 October 2025. Any applications received after this date will not be considered.

While match funding is not required, applications which can also demonstrate match or in-kind funding support are encouraged.

Download and complete the Nature and Biodiversity Grant application form

Download and complete the project costs spreadsheet

Please email the completed form and projects costs spreadsheet to biodiversity@fccenvironment.co.uk

Electronic versions are preferred, however hard copies can be sent to FCC Waste Services Ltd, Grafton Depot, Ross Road, Hereford, HR2 8BH. If you are posting your application form then please notify us in advance.

If you need any support to complete your application, please email biodiversity@fccenvironment.co.uk

Once received, FCC Environment will acknowledge receipt of your grant application. The grant application will be assessed by a project panel who will make recommendations either for the application to be approved or rejected, or the panel may ask for further information before a decision can be made. This will require approval.

Grant applications are assessed on their individual merit by an independent panel against the grant funding eligibility criteria, the impact of the project and that it demonstrates value for money. All applications are subject to funding availability.

Based on your application and any further information you may have been asked to provide, we will advise you of the decision to either:

• Offer a grant; or
• Offer a grant with some specific conditions; or
• Reject the application detailing the reasons why the application was not accepted.

When to start your project

If your application meets the eligibility criteria and you are offered a grant, you will be asked to provide:

• A copy of your organisation's constitution
• A recent bank statement showing your organisation's name, account number and sort code or bank account of your partner organisation
• Supporting evidence that other funding is in place (where relevant)
• Copies of any relevant licences/permissions or insurances
• A copy of your equality policy (if in existence)

Following this you will receive an offer letter setting out how much grant has been approved and detailing any specific terms and conditions. If you are happy to accept the grant offer and associated conditions, you will need to return a signed copy within 7 working days.

What to do if your project or budget changes

• FCC Environment won't be able to give you more grant money if your costs increase, but will consider variations within the agreed budget as long as these are approved in advance
• You need to notify FCC Environment in writing as soon as you realise that you may need to make some changes to your project or budget in order to deliver your project

When to submit your report

Depending on the nature and length of your project, you will need to complete either an interim, or a final report within six months of claiming your grant, summarising what your project has achieved. Your offer letter will set out the information that you need to collect and provide to FCC Environment.

If you are offered a grant, you will be sent terms and conditions specific to your project.

Key points to consider are:

• You should not start your project until you have signed the acceptance of grant and returned to FCC Environment
• You need to keep all paperwork relating to your project, such as all invoices, receipts and bank statements, as they will need to be submitted as evidence with your claims
• Information relating to user feedback and progress towards the outputs of your project should also be kept
• The grant will only be paid on invoices or receipts that have been paid, and are dated after the offer letter has been agreed by all parties
• Other specific conditions of grant will be included within your offer letter