Community and Conservation Fund
Funding Criteria & Guidance for Applicants 2024-25
- What kinds of schemes are eligible?
- Grant Amounts
- Timeline
- Criteria
- Monitoring & Publicity
- Payment
- Terms & Conditions
If you need the information on this web page in a different format, please contact us by email at [email protected] or phone Oka Last, National Landscape Grants Officer on 01473 265558.
1 What kinds of schemes are eligible?
Community & Conservation Fund grants can be used for a range of purposes including:
- Enhancement schemes
- Practical conservation work
- Public access and infrastructure improvements
- Equipment purchases
- Information and interpretive material
Grants are available for both revenue and capital projects and can be used as part funding for larger projects, though evidence of funding is required in such cases.
2 Grant Amounts
The Community & Conservation Fund is the National Landscape small grants scheme, and grants are typically awarded in the region of £500-£700. The National Landscape has other funds available, such as the Sustainable Development Fund, with grants typically awarded for higher amounts. Find out more.
3 Timeline
In 2024-25 there will be two rounds of funding, to ensure the Community & Conservation Fund is responsive to the needs of communities and accessible throughout the year.
- Round 1: Closes 23rd February 2024 for project delivery between April 2024 and 13th March 2025
- Round 2: Closes 11th September 2024 for project delivery between mid October 2024 and 13th March 2025
4 Criteria
Applications to the Community & Conservation Fund are assessed on how well they fulfil the three requirements of National Landscape designation and the aims of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape Management Strategy, as follows:
Applications should seek to address one or more of the following:
Requirement - To conserve and enhance natural beauty and maintain the special qualities of the landscape
- Conserve landscape character and enhance the distinctive nature of the National Landscape
- Conserve biodiversity and lessen fragmentation of habitats
- Conserve the historic resources of the area including landscapes, archaeology and the built environment
- Retain the tranquillity of the area
- Conserve the geodiversity of the area
Requirement - To manage the assets and resources of the National Landscape in a sustainable way and seek to meet environmental, economic and social needs
- Suffolk tourism brand and the tourism industry based on sustainable practices
Requirement - To meet the demand for recreation where this is consistent with the conservation of natural beauty and the management of the land and to help people enjoy, understand and value the National Landscape
Have access and recreation provision that respects biodiversity, landscape, geodiversity and historic assets
Provide interpretation that improves understanding, guides behaviour and helps people enjoy the National Landscape
Support community involvement in the active conservation and enhancement of the National Landscape
More details on the National Landscape aims can be found in the Management Plan, which is available online.
Applications to the Community & Conservation Fund are assessed on how well they fulfil the three requirements of National Landscape designation and the aims of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape Management Strategy, as follows:
Applications should seek to address one or more of the following:
Requirement - To conserve and enhance natural beauty and maintain the special qualities of the landscape
- Conserve landscape character and enhance the distinctive nature of the National Landscape
- Conserve biodiversity and lessen fragmentation of habitats
- Conserve the historic resources of the area including landscapes, archaeology and the built environment
- Retain the tranquillity of the area
- Conserve the geodiversity of the area
Requirement - To manage the assets and resources of the National Landscape in a sustainable way and seek to meet environmental, economic and social needs
- Suffolk tourism brand and the tourism industry based on sustainable practices
Requirement - To meet the demand for recreation where this is consistent with the conservation of natural beauty and the management of the land and to help people enjoy, understand and value the National Landscape
Have access and recreation provision that respects biodiversity, landscape, geodiversity and historic assets
Provide interpretation that improves understanding, guides behaviour and helps people enjoy the National Landscape
Support community involvement in the active conservation and enhancement of the National Landscape
More details on the National Landscape aims can be found in the Management Plan, which is available online.
5 Monitoring & Publicity
You are required to recognise the funding support provided by the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape Community & Conservation Fund in any publicity you do, such as press releases, copy for newsletters, printed material, displays, reports (as appropriate).
Suggested wording: “This project has been [part] funded by the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape Community & Conservation Fund”
You should use the National Landscape logo in any publicity material relating to the project, as above, or other suitable acknowledgement.
The National Landscape Grants Officer must see any planned promotional materials in draft, before going to print. This is to help avoid any errors in use of fund name, any
mis-spellings or incorrect ways of referring to the National Landscape and its fund.
For further guidance on publicity requirements and support available from the National Landscape Team please see ‘Publicity Guidance for Grant Funded Projects’ produced in 2021.
A mid-year update (29th September 2023 for Round 1 and 12th January 2024 for Round 2) and a short end of year report (13th March 2024) together with completed Monitoring Forms should be sent to the National Landscape.
The end of year report should be approx one page and include at least one photo of the project plus any feedback or quotes from participants that the National Landscape has permission to use in its own promotions (such as to further promote the grant giving programme in the National Landscape newspaper).
6 Payment
Grant money is not usually released until the end of the project and is on receipt of an invoice and a completed monitoring form. In some circumstances, up to 50% of the grant may be requested in advance, to help with issues of cash flow for smaller organisations.
Before any advance payment is made, applicants will have to provide evidence that the additional resources they need to complete the project will be forthcoming and confirmation that other funding is in place.
7 Terms & Conditions
- Community & Conservation Fund projects must fit in with the core purpose of National Landscape designation, by enhancing the natural beauty of the landscape, improving access or benefiting wildlife.
- Community & Conservation Grants must be used solely for the purposes specified in the application. Changes must not be made without receiving written approval from the Grants Panel.
- Decisions made by the Grants Panel are final and the National Landscape is not obliged to give reasons for any decisions (although these will not be withheld unreasonably).
- Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all Community & Conservation Fund projects must be completed to the satisfaction of the Grants Panel by 17th March 2024. A short update is requested for mid term.
- Payment of a Community & Conservation grant is conditional upon satisfactory completion of the project, and evidence of this will be evaluated by representatives of the National Landscape against the information provided in the Application Form. A short report and photo evidence is requested, along with an invoice addressed to the fund.
- The National Landscape reserves the right to withhold or recover payment of all or part of any grant if the aims and objectives of the project are not fully met or if funds remain unspent. The National Landscape is open to requests for up-front financial support in special circumstances.
- The support of the National Landscape Community & Conservation Fund must be acknowledged in any written material published by an applicant as part of, or as a result of, a Community & Conservation Fund project. This will include the use of the National Landscape logo (where appropriate - supplied) and a suitable acknowledgement, such as: ‘This project is supported by the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape Community & Conservation Fund’
- The National Landscape reserves the right to use any material submitted by applicants for publicity purposes.
- Project costs must be monitored and relevant accounts submitted to the National Landscape on request.
You are welcome to contact us to discuss your project prior to application, and to discuss the amount you would like to apply for.
Please send your completed application form to:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01394 445225
National Landscape Grants Officer
Community & Conservation Fund
Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape
Saxon House
1 Whittle Road
Hadleigh Road Industrial Estate
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP2 0UH