Natural England - Access to nature
Access to nature
Access to Nature is a £25 million grant scheme to encourage people from all backgrounds to understand, access and enjoy our natural environment.
Please note that due to the high volume of applications being received, there may be a delay in acknowledging receipt of your application.
Please allow at least 10 working days before enquiring about your application. Applications will be dealt with in strict order of receipt and will be processed accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation
Early closure of Access to Nature
Access to Nature opened to applications in April 2008 and since then has been attracting a high level of good quality applications from a range of groups targeted by the programme.
The number of applications has been kept under constant review by the Project Team and with the range that are now in the pipeline the decision has been taken, in consultation with the Big Lottery Fund, to bring forward the deadline for applications.
The deadline for Stage 1 applications for Access to Nature is 9am Monday 01 February 2010. Any applications received after that time will not be accepted. Please note that signed Stage 1 declaration forms must be posted to us on Monday 1st February at the latest, and be received in our Peterborough office by 5pm on Wednesday 3rd February 2010.
The deadline for Stage 2 applications for Access to Nature is 9am Tuesday 04 May 2010 and any applications submitted or received after that time will not be accepted. Please note that signed Stage 2 declaration forms must be posted to us on Tuesday 4th May 2010 and be received in our Peterborough office by 5pm on Thursday 6th May 2010.
View our FAQs which should answer all of your questions in relation to the programme timetable. If you have any further questions please contact the Changing Spaces Advice Line on 0845 3 671 671 or email accesstonature@naturalengland.org.uk
Don’t forget, when developing your project at both Stages of the process we have on hand our regional advisers to help and support you in developing your proposals to ensure they best meet the criteria of the programme.
Latest News
- Autumn-winter 2009 newsletter
- (December 2009) Latest update on grants awarded (October 2009 - November 2009)
- Working in Partnership guidance
- Change in threshold on grant decision making - The threshold on grant decision making for the Project Board has been raised from £100,000 to £250,000. This is in response to the high volume of applications received, particularly at the higher end of the grant spectrum, and should help to streamline the process. The Project Board will met every six to eight weeks to make decisions on grant awards under £250,000 while the Independent Grants Panel will normally meet three times a year to make decisions on grant awards over £250,000
- (October 2008) Guidance on good practice
- Summer 2009 newsletter
- (July 2008) There has been a high level of interest in Access to Nature since the programme opened to applications in April 2008. We expect this high level of interest to continue. Currently, Stage 1 applications received to date have tended to be at the higher end of the grants range. We would encourage prospective applicants to examine closely the costs of their project to ensure that these are both reasonable and realistic and have a clear connection with the intended outcomes.
- Top tips for applicants
- Spring-summer 2009 newsletter
What is Access to Nature?
Access to Nature aims to encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors, particularly those who face social exclusion or those that currently have little or no contact with the natural environment - perhaps because they lack the confidence to get out and enjoy natural places or have few opportunities to do so.
By 2014 we want 1.7 million people - in urban, rural and coastal communities across England - to have benefited from this grant programme by giving them improved opportunities to experience and enjoy the natural environment and providing more opportunities to gain new skills .
Funded by £25 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme and by Natural England, Access to Nature is run by Natural England on behalf of a consortium of major environmental organisations.
How much can I apply for?
We will award grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 to support projects that deliver one or more of the scheme’s main outcomes. In addition we will make a small number of larger grants of over £500,000 for projects which have a national significance or impact.
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To be eligible to apply for a grant, your organisation will need to meet certain criteria.
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Please note that due to the high volume of applications being received, there may be a delay in acknowledging receipt of your application.
Please allow at least 10 working days before enquiring about your application. Applications will be dealt with in strict order of receipt and will be processed accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation -
Funding will focus on three main themes:
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When developing ideas for your project you will need to think about the outcomes it will have – that is the impact the funding will bring about and how it will fit with the outcomes that we want Access to Nature to achieve.
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Access to Nature will only pay for part of the total cost of your project; you will have to fund the remainder yourself – this is known as match funding.
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We will award grants of £50,000 and over for capital and revenue projects lasting up to five years. Grants are available for regional, national or flagship projects, however all applications must meet the Access to Nature outcomes and benefit our target beneficiaries.
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The following grant awards have been made to date:
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Please note that due to the high volume of applications being received, there may be a delay in acknowledging receipt of your application.
Please allow at least 10 working days before enquiring about your application. Applications will be dealt with in strict order of receipt and will be processed accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation
