Local Places For Nature - Nature Networks Fund

Apply for £50,000-£250,000 to improve and stabilise Wales' protected land and coastal sites – from disappearing grasslands and peat bogs to freshwater and marine habitats under pressure from climate change.

This fund aims to strengthen the resilience of Wales’ network of protected land and marine sites, building capacity to strengthen and upscale future delivery for nature, and actively encouraging community engagement.

Who can apply

The scheme is open to all private landowners and organisations working with natural heritage in Wales. You must demonstrate that you are aware of and have, or be working towards obtaining, the right permissions, licences and consents to undertake activity on the protected site network or surrounding areas. The area you are improving must be in Wales, but you/your organisation can be based anywhere in the UK.

Eligible expenditure

What costs can you apply for?

It is important that you identify which of your project costs are capital and which are revenue. Applications can include any of the following –

Capital costs:

  • the purchase of items associated with land management activities, such as trees, hedge plants, fencing and capital works items required to deliver the outcomes

  • general costs incurred in installing the capital works, which include contractor costs for labour and use of equipment

  • the purchase of machinery and equipment up to the market value of the asset

  • the purchase, design and installation of interpretation panels, including translation costs

  • the acquisition or development of computer software and acquisitions of patents, licenses, copyrights and trademarks

  • consultant and architect fees, other technical design costs, site surveys and professional fees such as fees related to environmental and economic sustainability

  • Planning application fees and costs. Fees incurred for statutory permissions, licences and consents are eligible, provided they are essential for the delivery of the capital project. These can be incurred before the start of the project but must be incurred after March 2024 and must be evidenced in the same way as other expenditure.

  • contingency funding for additional capital costs (we recommend approximately 10% contingency)

  • inflation funding to allow for cost increases in future years of project delivery

Revenue costs:

  • staff time

  • full cost recovery or core organisational costs towards project delivery

  • activity costs (events, refreshments, room hire, etc)

  • evaluation

  • project planning (feasibility studies, ecological surveying or baselining, landowner/community consultation, governance reviews, consultancy advice on green finance)

  • training and apprenticeships costs

  • translation costs

  • contingency funding for additional revenue costs (we recommend approximately 10% contingency)

You may not include future costs for ongoing maintenance or running costs beyond the duration of the project. 

How to apply

You can apply as soon as you’re ready by visiting https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/nature-networks-fund-3. The application deadline is 12 noon on 23 November 2023.

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