Scottish Government Nature Restoration Fund Open for Applications
Capital funding for projects in Scotland that restore wildlife and habitats on land and sea and address the twin crises of biodiversity and climate change.
Running until 2026, the Scottish Government’s £55 million Nature Restoration Fund is largely a capital fund designed to deliver action on the ground.
Managed by NatureScot, the second round of the Nature Restoration Fund is expected to provide at least £12.5 million in 2022-23 with grants of between £25,000 and £250,000. (The Government has also announced it will launch a Competitive Fund with grants exceeding £250,000 later in 2022.)
The current funding is for projects that address the following priorities:
- Habitat and species restoration – management for enhancement and connectivity.
- Freshwater restoration, including restoring natural flows in rural catchments.
- Coastal and marine management to promote restoration and resilience.
- Control of invasive non-native species impacting on nature.
All proposals must demonstrate how the project will help to address climate change and/or its impacts.
The funding can cover a range of capital costs, including but not limited to equipment, resources and materials, training and skills development, staff costs, organisational and overhead costs, project evaluation and irrecoverable VAT relating to project costs and activities.
Applications will be accepted from public, private, and voluntary sector organisations as well as private individuals.
There is a two-stage application process.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 18 February 2022 (noon).
(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)
