Project Grant Funding
Project grant funding can help support the costs of project materials and consumables, hand tools, protective clothing, publication and printing costs, equipment hire, contractors costs where justified, volunteer expenses, transport costs etc.
Project Grant Requirements
• Projects must be registered with Environment Wales.
• At least 25% of the costs must be met from sources that do not derive from the Welsh Assembly Government;
• Organisations applying for grant aid must be constituted, charitable or non-profit-making;
• Projects involving work on or improvements to, land must have a suitable agreement with the landowner and there must be reasonable public access to the project site (There is further information on land agreements at the end of this section.)
Factors Favouring a Project Grant Application
Your application for funding will have a better chance of success if it can demonstrate: • An innovative and sustainable solution to current problems;
• A strong element of volunteer involvement;
• That the project is ongoing rather than "one-off";
• That project outputs can be safeguarded and maintained once the project comes to an end;
• Partnerships between voluntary sector organisations or between the voluntary sector and others.
Non eligible costs
• We can only fund up to £1,000 of an individual capital item that costs more than £1,000 in total.
• We cannot fund land purchase, vehicle purchase or building purchase or works.
Grant Limit
• Project grants can be up to £10,000
Is funding available for more than one year?
Yes. However, applicants will need to make separate applications for each financial year in which grant aid is required. If a project intends to apply for further funding in consecutive years, Environment Wales would expect to see a business or strategy plan that shows this.
Guidance on Land Agreements
In terms of land agreements for groups Environment Wales gives the following guidelines:
If a project is going to take place on land that is not owned by the project group, there must be a letter of support from the landowner confirming agreement to the project activities.
If the project will involve alterations to the land or capital expenditure in any way - e.g. erecting interpretation boards, creating a pond, planting trees - then we require the group to obtain either a lease on the land or a license agreement with the landowner. This is to ensure that the project outputs are protected and will not be in danger of being damaged.
We advise groups to obtain a lease or license agreement for a minimum of 10 years and preferably as long a duration as possible.
If it is not possible to secure a lease or licence on the land then, depending on the scale of the project, Environment Wales may accept a letter from the landowner stating that there are no plans to develop the land or invoke any kind of change of use to the land that would harm the project outputs for a minimum of 10 years.
If groups have:
• a lease with less than 10 years remaining;
• a licence that is renewed annually;
• any other land agreement with less than 10 years remaining or with an unspecified duration;
this must also be accompanied by a letter from the landowner confirming that there will be no threat to the project outputs for 10 years.