Large grants are available for not-for-profit organisations that are looking to improve a built or natural environment of regional or national significance and located within 15 miles of a significant Biffa Group Limited operation or active Biffa Landfill site in England or Northern Ireland.
Fund Information
- Funding body:
- Biffa Award
- Maximum value:
- £ 750,000
- Application deadline:
- 01/06/2021
Background
Biffa Award started in 1997, when Biffa Group Ltd decided to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts to administer under the fund name Biffa Award. Since 1997, Biffa Award has awarded grants totalling more than £165 million to thousands of community and environmental projects across the UK. The programme administers money donated by Biffa Group Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund. The scheme is regulated by ENTRUSt, which ensures that the tax credit is awarded and managed according to Government regulations.
Objectives of Fund
The Partnership Grants Scheme offers funding to not-for-profit projects that address one of the following themes:
- The Built Environment theme aims to restore, modernise and improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres to engage and encourage tourists and/or day visitors. The facility should be inclusive and inspire and promote learning, creativity and participation.
- The Natural Environment theme aims to restore or improve the environment and the natural systems or habitats that support it. Projects must be working to Biodiversity 2020: a strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services , its successor, or a Local Biodiversity Action Plan target.
Value Notes
Grants of between £250,000 and £750,000 are available for work that starts in February 2022 and finish within one year.
Match Funding Restrictions
Applicants are required to find a third party contributor for 10% of the amount being applied for.
Preference may be given to projects in which Biffa Award is the majority funder or projects that have already secured any match funding needed to deliver the project.
Who Can Apply
Not-for-profit organisations in England and Northern Ireland can apply.
Applicants must:
- Be located within 15 miles of a significant Biffa operation or active Biffa Landfill site.
- Be located within 10 miles of any licensed landfill site (not necessarily owned by Biffa Group Limited) in England and Northern Ireland.
- Have a project site open for a minimum of 104 days of full public access to the project per year.
- Have, if not the landowner, a signed landowner agreement in place agreeing to access for maintenance, surveying and monitoring for a period of not less than 25 years.
- Have a management plan in place for the key species/habitat(s) involved for each site, if applying for a Natural Environment themed grant.
Applicants should check their project location's eligibility using Biffa Awards Postcode Checker which can be found on the Biffa Award's website.
Groups and their projects must be eligible for enrolment and registration with the scheme regulator ENTRUST. There will be conditions of any grant approved.
Location
Locations in England and Northern Ireland that are located within 15 miles of a significant Biffa operation or active Biffa Landfill site.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Individuals, profit-making or local government organisations (including Community Councils) and organisations that are not able to register as an Environmental Body with the regulator ENTRUST.
- Projects on sites that are owned and or maintained by borough, county, city, district, parish or town councils, unless a formal lease, with a minimum term of no less than 25 years, is formally in place with the applicant.
- Projects where no formal lease in place.
- Projects with less than 25 years remaining on a formal lease.
- Projects more than 15 miles from a significant Biffa Group Limited operation or Biffa Group Limited landfill site.
- Projects more than 10 miles from a licensed landfill site (owned by any company).
- Car parks
- Offices
- New supplies, including gas and electricity
- Elements to meet Disability
- Discrimination Act requirements
- Portable items
- Furniture
- Fencing (unless part of a Natural Environment application)
- Events and workshops
- Websites
- Publications
- Marketing materials
- Storage
- Feasibility studies
- Research
- Tender costs
- Building consents
- Planning applications
- Preliminaries
- Recruitment costs
- Solar panels
- Work that has already taken place
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is to be used for site-based improvement work, not for movable equipment, staff core costs or storage facilities.
The majority of costs must be direct capital delivery work.
Projects should be in a position to start work as soon as possible, once a formal offer agreement has been issued.
Projects must address one of the following themes:
- Built Environment projects should restore, modernise and/or improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres. The facility should be inclusive and promote learning, curiosity and participation to large numbers of visitors on a national scale.
- An Expression of Interest submitted under this theme should aim to restore, modernise and improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres to engage and encourage tourists and/or day visitors. The facility should be inclusive and inspire and promote learning, creativity and participation.
- Natural Environment projects should restore and/or improve the environment and the natural systems or habitats that support it. Projects should be working to Biodiversity 202: A Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services, its predecessor or a Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
- An Expression of Interest submitted under this theme should support a variety of living things including species of plants and animals and the natural systems and habitats that support them. Grants to cover the purchase of land to protect it in perpetuity, create or extend an ecosystem, or to secure vital habitats for the future, promoting nature’s recovery, are welcome.
Applications should not cross over the two themes.
Preference will be given to projects:
- In which BIffa Award is the majority funder.
- Which work in partnership with othrer organisations.
- Which engage with people through improving their knowledge of the asset.
How To Apply
Expressions of interest are currently being accepted for both Built Environment and Natural Environment themes.
In 2021, there will be just one deadline for Expressions of Interest (in previous years there have been two rounds). The deadline for online Expression of Interest is noon on 1 June 2021 with funding decisions to be made in mid November 2021.
There is a two-stage application process in place. Applicants should check the eligibilty of their project using the postcode checker on the Biffa Award website and, if eligible, will then be able complete the online expression of interest form.
Groups that are successful at this initial stage will be invited to submit a full application.
Useful Links
Addresses and contacts
For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
- Grants Team
Biffa Award
The Wildlife Trusts
The Kiln, Waterside
Mather Road
Newark, Notts
NG24 1WT
Tel: 01636 670000
Email: [email protected]