The Government has announced that organisations seeking investment for nature projects to tackle climate change, create and restore habitats, or improve water quality should apply for the second and final round of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund.

The fund will provide grants of up to £100,000 to environmental groups, local authorities, businesses and other organisations to help them develop nature projects in England to a point where they can attract private investment.

Projects will be designed to provide a return on investment by capturing the value of the carbon, water quality, biodiversity and other benefits provided by natural assets such as woodlands, peatlands, catchments and landscapes.

This will create a pipeline of projects for the private sector to invest in, demonstrating the UK’s leadership and action in scaling up finance for nature and climate during COP26. The opening of the application window comes after the Chancellor set out the UK’s plans to become the world’s first net zero aligned financial centre, welcoming commitments from private companies covering $130 trillion of financial assets that will create a huge pool of cash that could fund our net zero transition.

Full details are provided in the How to apply for a natural environment investment readiness fund grant – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Supporting a greener future

NEIRF will help deliver on commitments in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Green Finance Strategy, as well as supporting the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and the Net Zero Strategy.

How to apply and further information

Applicants have until 3 February 2022 to apply. Application forms and guidance can be found on Gov.uk. Further information including FAQs and case studies, are available on our dedicated NEIRF SharePoint site

If you think your partners or stakeholders would be interested in the scheme, or have any questions, and for access to the NEIRF SharePoint site please contact the NEIRF team via NEIRF@environment-agency.gov.uk