Supporting the environment has thankfully become a priority for most organisations across the globe. Yet, a special mention must be made to the sustainability charities who make it their mission to improve the world we live in.
Whether it be planting trees, litter picking or simply campaigning - charities that are passionate about sustainability need their fair share of funding in order to make a difference. The question is: what funding opportunities are out there for this type of charity?
In this blog, we aim to answer that question. With this in mind, here are our top funding sources for sustainability charities:
Funding Sources for Sustainable Charities
Environmental charities can avail of funding from near and far, as many corporations have now implemented green policies to invest in more sustainable initiatives. With this, comes an abundance of funding sources to choose from - as long as the charity meets the outlined criteria. Here are some examples for you to weigh-up:
The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund focuses on funding good causes to improve communities. It offers many funding programmes, some that are specific to sustainable movements:
Living Places and Spaces
The Living Places and Spaces funding programme offers small scale grants between £1,000 and £10,000 to voluntary or community organisations and schools in Northern Ireland. It’s main purpose is to support communities by creating more sustainable and resilient outdoor spaces. Its main aims are to:
Plant more trees and plants
Allow nature to rewild and take over
Improve water management by slowing rainwater before it gets to drainage systems
The types of projects that this funding programme considers include:
Community gardens
Pocket parks and forests
Allotments
Rain gardens
Green roofs
Ponds and living walls or vertical gardens
Installation of outdoor furniture or features to encourage usage
Measures to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling
This grant is perfect for charities who want to initiate their first sustainable project, or multiple in a bid to improve their local area.
Together for Our Planet
The Together for Our Planet scheme offers between £1,000 to £10,000 of National Lottery funding to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change.
Projects that qualify for funding can be small in scale, as long as they tackle an issue that is prevalent in the community. These can cover areas such as:
Food
Transport
Energy
Waste and consumption
The natural environment
One benefit of this funding programme is that you do not need a fully fledged plan in order to apply. The National Lottery Community Fund team is particularly interested to hear from those who are starting to think about taking action on climate change in their communities; making this the perfect opportunity for those who want to invest more time and effort into better environmental practices.
The Matthew Good Foundation: Grants for Good
The Matthew Good Foundation’s Grants for Good supports UK-based community groups, charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises with an annual income of under £50,000 that have a positive impact on communities, people, or the environment.
With this, the Foundation is offering a total fund of £10,000 every three months, to be split between five winning charities. These five projects will all receive a share of £10,000 – the more votes a cause receives, the bigger the donation. The project that receives the most votes will receive a grant of £3,500, second place £2,500, third place £2,000 and fourth and fifth will both receive £1,000.
The added bonus of this funding source is that there is no lengthy application form. Instead, they simply require contact details, a brief outline of your organisation’s work, how you plan to use the funds and an external reference.
Patagonia: Environmental Grants
Patagonia, the American clothing and outdoor gear company, awards grants of up to $12,000 to innovative local work that addresses the root causes of the environmental crisis, and seeks to protect both the environment and affected communities.
The company encourages work that brings underrepresented communities to the forefront of the environmental movement and defends communities whose health and livelihoods are threatened by environmental exploitation.
Projects applying for funding by Patagonia must prove that they:
Are action-oriented
Focus on root causes
Have a clear strategy
Identify specific goals and objectives that can be effectively measured to evaluate success
Build public involvement
Work to build a diverse environmental movement
Take place within the following countries: United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, Chile, Argentina, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, Austria and the Czech Republic
Find Funding with FundReady
To find more funding opportunities, FundReady is Ireland’s leading funding information and support service for not-for-profit organisations. Through our digital platform and team of specialists, we provide you with access to the latest funding opportunities, professional guidance and practical support to write and submit funding applications.
FundReady operates as a subscription support service that’s tailored to meet the needs of organisations of all sizes and types. In the past, we have supported clients across Ireland to secure over £120 million of investment for new capital projects, services, equipment and organisational developments.
To find out more about our consulting service, or discover more funding sources for sustainability charities, contact us today.