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New Fund For Biodiversity in London

3rd Jul, 2008

GrantScape's “Inner London Nature Conservation Challenge” has been devised with support and input from the London Biodiversity Partnership, the London Boroughs Biodiversity Forum and the Greater London Authority (GLA) Biodiversity Team. Its target launch date is September 2008, but this is flexible.

The Challenge will be open to not-for-profit groups (including the Boroughs) with projects falling within the Inner London Boroughs, as defined by the Office of National Statistics. This focus is designed to ensure that the Challenge directly contributes to the Mayor of London’s objective to address present deficiencies in people’s access to nature, particularly in Inner London.

Applications will be invited for projects focused on conserving a number of natural habitats, supporting delivery of the London Biodiversity Action Plan. In addition to assessing each project’s nature conservation and biodiversity value, Grantscape expects to include an assessment weighting towards those projects that will also help wildlife to adapt to the effects of climate change, particularly by helping it to move between different sites.

The anticipated grant range will be £20,000 minimum - £50,000 maximum (£50,000 being the point at which the new Natural England/Big Lottery “Changing Spaces Access to Nature” programme begins). GrantScape also proposesto make grants available over a maximum two-year period.

Maximising the Benefits

GrantScape is keen to maximise the number of nature conservation projects that can be supported in Inner London through this new grant programme. The charity is therefore now looking for potential partners to build on the £300,000 that it is contributing.

In particular, GrantScape would like to explore possible opportunities for co-operation with:

Other funders, including:
- already active environmental funders;
- funders who have not supported nature conservation projects in the past (perhaps due to insufficient funding or experience to warrant a dedicated nature conservation grant programme), but who would now like to do so;
- funders unable to provide grants for actual conservation works, but who might be interested in funding specific elements within nature conservation projects (e.g. by providing youth volunteering opportunities, or by improving associated amenities).
Companies wishing to improve the environment as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes. Whilst some may have identified carbon offsetting to mitigate their environmental impact, and others may be actively managing their environmental footprints, it would have tremendous benefit if more resource was directed to actual nature conservation activities in the UK.
Private philanthropists.

Besides delivering nature conservation benefits and increased enjoyment for local communities, GrantScape believes that a partnership-type initiative could be highly beneficial for the parties involved. Taking other funders as an example:

Firstly, there could be a real opportunity for resource savings, with the extent of these obviously depending on the nature and degree of collaboration. For example, a common grant application form could perhaps be used and the assessment of applications could be shared, as could the monitoring of projects once in course.
Secondly, there will be excellent opportunities to share best practices and so improve internal processes.
Thirdly, there should be enhanced PR opportunities, both because of the innovative partnership approach being adopted and because nature conservation will be supported in what is a densely populated urban environment.

Meanwhile, applicant groups will benefit from the increased size of the funding pot available, enhancing the probability of their applications being successful if they are eligible. However, if GrantScape is able to move beyond this and, for example, design a common application form, this could substantially reduce the effort and costs incurred by individual applicants seeking grants from different funders for the same project.

More details at www.grantscape.org.uk