 Grant Guidance for the Forest of Bowland Community Nature Fund Introduction This new grant fund aims to support projects led by communities and focussing on nature. Nature is in crisis, so making more space for nature in our communities, villages and open spaces is one great way in which we can all help. In the Forest of Bowland the key elements of nature we need to protect, look after, and increase are woodlands, trees, hedgerows and scrub; grasslands rich in species; rivers, streams and wetlands; and our Champion Species which include curlew, globeflower, juniper, bilberry bumblebee and more. Grant funds are also available to support projects which enable people to connect with nature, either by improving physical access or by providing opportunity for people to learn more, enjoy and benefit from being close to nature. Applications for grants will be open from 29th June until 3rd August 2026. You can read more about nature recovery in Bowland here: https://www.forestofbowland.com/nature-recovery To be eligible for funds, your project must: 1. Require funds in the region of £2500 to £5000, which need to be spent by 1st March 2027 2. Be located within, or demonstrate clear links to, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (you can see our boundary on Google Maps) 3. Meet one or more of our priorities: a. Improve the condition of nature b. Provide new spaces for nature and/or our Champion Species c. Increase peoples understanding of nature d. Provide opportunity for people to connect with nature to benefit their physical or mental health and wellbeing e. Improve access to nature 4. Support one or more of our management plan outcomes (see page 4 below) 5. NOT be a profit making or commercial project 6. Demonstrate clear public benefit and have the backing of communities that you want to support 7. Seek to be sustainable by utilising locally sourced or re-purposed materials, seeds and plants; work with local contractors wherever possible; utilise traditional skills; provide good value for money; minimise greenhouse gas emissions 8. Secure some form of match funding as either cash or volunteer time 9. Have the permission of the landowner if taking place on land the applicant does not own 10. Have plans that are financially realistic and achievable in the time given What we can't fund · Staffed organisations – please come and talk to us about other ways we (and other funds) can support nature recovery projects · Political and religious activity, although political and religious groups may apply for funding for community activities · Research · Projects or activities that run contrary to county council policies or are unlawful · Community buildings, play areas or maintenance of buildings and grounds (apart from for nature) FUNDING AND APPLICATION DETAILS We strongly advise that you speak to us before you apply so that we can offer you any advice and guidance or put you in touch with others who may be able to support or fund your project idea. We cannot help you to work up an idea into a project plan or make the application for you. Please contact [email protected] 07891 537835 or [email protected] 01200 448000 Your project must have access to a bank account, and if you are a formal group we will need to see a copy of your constitution or terms of reference. We welcome applications from voluntary, faith-based or community groups and 'not-for-profit' organisations and businesses. Parish councils, schools and colleges and businesses may apply where the project can be accounted for separately from the main organisation activity and is of public benefit. By 'public benefit' we mean fully accessible to the public and freely available. By a 'project' we mean work or activity that will be in addition to the normal everyday work of the applicant organisation, which has specific aims and a schedule for completion. We will not fund more than one project from the same organisation in a year. We can fund capital costs for projects and a small amount of revenue costs: · By 'capital' we mean equipment, materials, contractor costs · 'Revenue' items include training, promotion, venue hire and transport costs · We cannot pay for staff costs You are required to provide some match funds to the project, either as cash (this may be another grant) or in volunteer time. Volunteer time is valued at £50/day for unskilled labour, £150/day for skilled labour and £250/day for professional input. You will be asked to record all volunteer time. 'Gifts in kind' might be equipment, materials or services offered to your project for free, but with a cash value that you can evidence. If you are relying on other cash 'match funds' you will need to provide evidence that this is secured before your project can start spending our grant Our grant is paid 100% upfront. You will need to provide us with a full list of receipts and expenditure at the end of the project and to return any unspent grant. You will also be required to complete a simple report at the end of your project together with evidence of expenditure (receipts)and of match funds (including volunteer time), and any images and/or publicity material. As the application form states, we may want to share any images and information about your project publicly and with our funders, so please make sure all required permissions are in place. Please note all projects need to be completed by 1st March 2027 Safeguarding If you or members of your group will be working with unsupervised children or vulnerable adults as part of your project, you should ensure that you undertake a risk assessment and check that you have considered the implications for child protection and safety. You will need to develop a child protection policy and undertake enhanced Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) checks for any staff or volunteers working unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults. If you require any help in this area please contact us prior to sending in your application Health and Safety Please note that applicants receiving a grant from the Forest of Bowland Community Nature Fund must accept responsibility for the health and safety of their project, assessing risks to the public and participants, both during the project's development, delivery, and on its completion. Applicants should ensure that they have sufficient liability insurance to cover their project. Further, Lancashire County Council accepts no liability for the actions or omissions of any scheme to which it has provided funding under this Community Fund. GRANT PROCESSES Applications for grants will be open from 29th June until 3rd August 2026. Applications will be dealt with on a first come first served basis. Submitted applications will normally be acknowledged within 5 working days, and we will assess and make a decision about your application within about two weeks after receiving it. Applicants may in some instances be asked to provide further information to allow a decision to be made. This may delay your application, so please contact us in advance of applying to check you have covered everything or you need some advice and guidance about your project. Applicants will be informed as soon as possible about how much grant they have been offered. This will be followed up with a formal grant offer letter, which you will need to sign and return before starting the project. All grants will come with certain standard conditions. These will include:
· The grant will only be used to support the project specified in the application from. · The offer of grant is accepted in writing within a certain period, and the project is completed and the grant claimed within a specified time. · You will need to provide evidence that you have adequate insurance for your project and a safeguarding policy if required. · The grant is offered and paid to you as a percentage of total project costs, so ALL project costs must be evidenced to us in your final report, including any volunteer time · You must keep us informed of progress and any delays. You will be given an interim review date to clarify this, and at this point your grant may be reduced or withdrawn if we assess the project is unlikely to complete by the 1st March 2027. · The Forest of Bowland National Landscape must be acknowledged in a manner to be agreed in all associated publicity, annual accounts, publications etc. as appropriate · You will be asked to record project activity such as numbers of people involved, length of hedge planted or number of nest boxes installed. If you have any further enquiries, please contact either [email protected] or [email protected] 07891 537835 or 01200 448000 Comments are closed.
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