Herefordshire Nature and Biodiversity Community Grant Scheme 2026: Up to £10,000 for Local Projects

Herefordshire Nature and Biodiversity Community Grant Scheme 2026: Up to £10,000 for Local Projects

The Nature and Biodiversity Community Grant Scheme is an open 2026 funding opportunity for groups that want to improve the natural environment in Herefordshire. The scheme is delivered by FCC Environment in partnership with Herefordshire Council and supports practical, community-led work: planting trees and hedges, creating ponds or wetlands, establishing wildflower areas, improving wildlife corridors, installing habitat boxes, and making nature easier for local people to reach and enjoy.

Applications for the 2026 round must be submitted by midnight on 31 August 2026. The council says grant offers will be made by 31 October 2026, and funded projects must be completed with reports and final evidence submitted by 31 March 2027. Awards normally range from £500 to £10,000. Applications of up to £35,000 may be considered where the applicant can demonstrate significant environmental benefits, but the higher amount is exceptional rather than the standard award.

This is a good fit for a constituted charity, community interest company, parish council, or similar local non-profit organisation with a defined site, a practical delivery plan, and a credible way to maintain the work for at least five years. Informal groups can still take part if they partner with an eligible organisation that becomes the lead applicant. Individuals and commercial businesses cannot apply, and the grant is not intended to reimburse work that has already started.

Key details

The published dates matter because the delivery period is short. A proposal submitted in August should be ready to start after the grant offer and acceptance process, not dependent on months of additional design work. Build the schedule around the decision date, procurement, seasonal constraints, installation, community activity, and evidence collection.

What the grant is designed to achieve

The scheme is intended to produce visible environmental improvements and stronger public connection with nature. The council identifies several possible outcomes. A project may improve a priority habitat such as wetland, traditional orchard, woodland, or open habitat including meadows. It may benefit local wildlife, including protected or declining species such as hedgehogs, swifts, owls, bats, newts, butterflies, and otters. It may also sustain distinctive Herefordshire landscapes, improve access to nature, or provide volunteering and learning opportunities.

Climate adaptation is another eligible angle. An existing biodiversity project may need different planting, water management, shade, habitat design, or maintenance arrangements as weather patterns change. The application should explain the local risk and the practical adaptation response. A general statement that climate change is important will be weaker than a clear account of what is exposed, what will change, and how the funded work will improve resilience.

The scheme also encourages sustainable materials, recycled materials, locally sourced materials, and native planting. For new planting, the guidance says species should be native to the UK and ideally to Herefordshire. Plants should be locally or UK grown and sourced. These requirements are useful prompts for the specification and procurement section of the application: name the intended species or habitat type, describe the source, and explain how the choice supports the site rather than merely adding decoration.

Examples of eligible activity include tree or hedge planting and management, wildlife corridors such as hedgehog corridors on housing estates, bird, bat, or insect boxes, hedgehog homes, wildlife rescue or rehabilitation, wildflower areas, equipment for planting and long-term maintenance, ponds or wetlands, and new or improved community nature areas. The examples are not an exhaustive list, but any proposal should connect its requested items to a published outcome.

Who can apply

The lead applicant must be a formally constituted non-profit business or organisation based in Herefordshire. The council gives registered charities, community interest companies, and relevant parish councils as examples. The organisation must be able to demonstrate its status and hold a bank account in the same name. The published requirements also ask applicants to have a written constitution or mission statement and an elected committee or representative steering group.

An informal community group is not automatically excluded. It can apply with an eligible non-profit organisation or business as partner and lead applicant. The lead organisation must demonstrate an appropriate level of involvement, hold or control the grant account as required, and accept responsibility for delivery and evidence. This arrangement should be agreed before submission, with responsibilities written down rather than left as an informal promise.

The scheme is local. The applicant should be based in Herefordshire and the project should produce its benefits there. If a national charity, school, landowner, or delivery partner is involved, explain the local connection, site control, and role of the Herefordshire organisation. If eligibility is uncertain, the official page directs applicants to [email protected] before applying.

Private individuals and commercial businesses are not eligible. The grant will also not support projects that do not engage the public, political, religious, or discriminatory activity, or work that is already complete. Revenue costs, staffing costs, and volunteer time are generally excluded unless an exceptional case can be made. Do not treat the grant as flexible organisational support: the request should be tied to durable items and defined project activity.

Eligible costs and the five-year test

The fund is particularly suitable for capital items that last more than one year. The guidance says that plants and other items applied for must last more than one season. This makes the long-term management plan central to the application. A planting proposal should identify who will water new plants, replace failures, control competing growth, inspect structures, and maintain access. The council asks that required maintenance and management be secured for at least five years.

For new planting, show that there is an adequate water supply and enough personnel to water the plants while they establish. This is an easy requirement to overlook, especially for volunteer-led projects. A short maintenance rota, named responsible group, access arrangement, or existing grounds-management agreement can turn a vague promise into credible evidence.

The grant can pay for items such as trees, hedges, native plants, habitat boxes, pond or wetland materials, planting equipment, and other durable project inputs. The application should separate one-off purchases from any ongoing costs and explain why each item is necessary. Where an item costs £250 or more, the guidance asks applicants to consider a minimum of two suppliers and provide evidence such as quotations or product links. Follow the organisation’s procurement policy as well if it has one.

Match funding is not required, which means a group does not have to bring a second cash award to be eligible. However, match or in-kind support is encouraged. Volunteer labour, a confirmed landowner contribution, donated materials, existing staff time where eligible, or another secured grant may show that the project is well supported. Do not count speculative income as secured match; label pending applications clearly and avoid making delivery depend on money that has not been awarded.

How to apply

Start with the official scheme page and download the current application form and scheme information. The application should be submitted by midnight on 31 August 2026. The council’s news announcement says applicants should provide a completed form and project costings, including supporting evidence such as quotations for items costing more than £250. The official contact for applications and questions is [email protected].

Before completing the form, assemble the underlying evidence. Confirm the organisation’s legal or constituted status, bank account, committee or steering group, site access, landowner permission where relevant, and any planning, environmental, insurance, or other licences that the work may require. Prepare a simple delivery schedule that fits after the award date and ends before 31 March 2027. If the project depends on a particular planting season, supplier, or volunteer event, show how that constraint will be handled.

If the application is successful, FCC Environment will ask for a copy of the organisation’s constitution, a recent bank statement showing the organisation’s name and account details, evidence that other funding is in place where relevant, copies of relevant licences or permissions and insurance, and a copy of the equality policy if one exists. The offer letter will state the approved amount and conditions. The applicant must sign and return the accepted offer within seven working days.

Do not start the project before the grant acceptance has been signed and returned. The terms say that only invoices or receipts dated after the offer letter has been agreed by all parties can be used for payment claims. Keep invoices, receipts, bank statements, user feedback, photographs where appropriate, volunteer records, and progress evidence from the beginning.

How to make the proposal competitive

The panel assesses applications on individual merit, eligibility, environmental impact, value for money, and available funding. A strong proposal makes those tests easy to apply. Begin with the site and problem: identify the habitat, species, access barrier, or climate risk, and give evidence that it exists. A map, baseline count, existing management note, local strategy reference, photographs, survey record, or letters from community partners may help, provided the evidence is relevant and accurate.

Then describe the intervention in concrete terms. State how many metres of hedge, how many trees, what area of meadow, what type of pond, how many habitat boxes, or what equipment will be purchased. Avoid inventing precise environmental outcomes that cannot be measured. Instead, identify sensible indicators such as area improved, number of volunteers, number of public sessions, access improvements, survival checks, habitat features installed, or species observations where monitoring is appropriate.

Explain public benefit as carefully as environmental benefit. The scheme does not fund projects that do not engage the public. That engagement could be volunteering, outdoor learning, a community nature area, improved access, citizen science, or a programme that helps residents understand and care for the site. Say who will participate, how they will access the activity, and what inclusion or safeguarding arrangements are needed.

Make the budget auditable. Link every cost to an activity and outcome. Include supplier evidence for larger purchases, show any in-kind contribution separately, and explain the reason for choosing durable or locally sourced materials. If requesting more than £10,000, make a clear case for exceptional scale and significant benefits; do not simply multiply a standard project budget.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is beginning work before approval. Retrospective funding is excluded, and early purchases may not be claimable. A second common problem is presenting a planting list without a five-year maintenance plan. The scheme is interested in lasting benefits, so establishment, watering, replacement, inspection, and future responsibility need to be credible.

Another weak approach is relying on broad environmental language without showing public engagement or a specific Herefordshire site. “Supporting biodiversity” is a goal, not a project description. Name the place, describe the users and wildlife, and connect the requested items to the published outcomes.

Applicants should also avoid treating volunteer time or routine staffing as ordinary eligible expenditure. The guidance generally excludes those revenue costs unless an exceptional case can be made. Keep the request focused on durable project inputs and explain any unusual cost before submission.

Finally, do not leave permissions and procurement until the last week. A missing landowner approval, unclear bank account, or absent quotation can delay a complete application. The deadline is midnight, and the panel may request further information, but a request for clarification is not a substitute for basic eligibility evidence.

Timeline and reporting after an award

The 2026 scheme reopened on 1 June. Applications close at midnight on 31 August, with grant offers expected by 31 October. Successful projects must be completed and final reports and claims submitted by 31 March 2027. The delivery window therefore requires a realistic sequence from offer acceptance to procurement, installation, community activity, monitoring, and reporting.

Depending on the nature and length of the project, FCC Environment will require either an interim or final report within six months of claiming the grant. The offer letter will specify what information must be collected. Keep records of what was bought, what was installed, what the community did, and what changed. Claims are paid against invoices or receipts that have already been paid, so maintain an orderly project file rather than trying to reconstruct evidence at the end.

If costs or the plan change, contact FCC Environment in writing as soon as the issue is known. The funder cannot increase the award because costs rise, but may consider variations within the agreed budget when approved in advance. A change made without permission can create a problem at claim or reporting stage.

Frequently asked questions

Can an informal community group apply?

Yes, but it should partner with an eligible non-profit organisation or business. The partner must be the lead applicant and demonstrate meaningful involvement in the project. The partner will also need to satisfy the constitution, governance, and bank-account requirements.

Is match funding mandatory?

No. Match funding is not required. Cash or in-kind support is encouraged because it can demonstrate community backing and value for money, but do not describe unconfirmed funding as secured.

Can the grant pay for volunteer time?

Volunteer time is generally excluded, as are revenue and staffing costs, unless an exceptional case can be made. The safest approach is to request the durable materials and equipment needed for the project and describe volunteer effort as delivery support rather than a routine cash cost.

Can a project include non-native plants?

The guidance says new planting should be native to the UK and ideally to Herefordshire. Plants should be locally or UK grown and sourced. Explain the ecological reason for the planting choices and follow any site-specific advice.

When can funded work begin?

After the grant offer has been accepted and the signed acceptance has been returned to FCC Environment. The terms say not to start before that point, and invoices or receipts from earlier dates will not normally support a claim.

Who can answer an eligibility question?

Email [email protected]. Use the official scheme page for the current application form, information leaflet, and any updated instructions before submitting.

Official links and next steps

Read the official Nature and Biodiversity Community Grant Scheme page, confirm the current form and terms, and contact FCC Environment if your organisation or partnership structure is unusual. The council’s 2026 announcement provides a concise summary of the reopening, award range, deadline, decision date, and cost-evidence expectations.

For an application submitted in this round, the practical next step is to define one site-based project, secure permission and maintenance responsibility, collect supplier evidence, and write a budget that can be delivered between the expected award date and 31 March 2027. Submit before the deadline, retain the confirmation, and keep the official page bookmarked in case the council updates the form or instructions.