Part of the wider Local Places for Nature fund

The Breaking Barriers initiative is part of a wider Welsh Government Local Places for Nature fund, committed to creating, restoring and enhancing nature ‘on your doorstep’ and targeted at areas of urban deprivation. 

There are three other schemes within the current Local Places For Nature programme:

1. Local Places for Nature funding to Local Nature Partnerships. These are led by the 25 Local Authorities and National Park Authorities. They deliver places for nature, in collaboration with local partners across their authorities.
2. Local Places for Nature open access capital grants (with 15% revenue), delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, open to any not-for-profit organisation.
3. Pre-paid packages, provided to community groups and including all the materials and expertise needed to create a place for nature. Packs create community growing places or a pollinator site and can even be located on man-made surfaces. Applicants do not need a bank account or a constitution, just volunteers and a commitment to maintain the place for nature for five years.

This new Breaking Barriers initiative is designed to help the most marginalised groups help shape the programme of the future and take the first steps towards creating a place for nature.

Funding access to nature is our joint priority

Nature is our oldest form of heritage. Looking after nature and helping people to understand and value its importance has never been more relevant. The need to aid nature’s recovery is urgent. And spending time in nature improves people's health and wellbeing.

We also know that the impact of Covid 19 has reinforced disparity of access, with significantly fewer applications to our existing nature funds coming from disadvantaged groups and urban areas with high levels of deprivation and those areas not served by a town or community council.

That’s why removing barriers to participation is a strategic funding priority for us and Welsh Government.

• grant funding for projects between £30,000 and £100,000 
• up to 100% funding
• funding for not-for-profit organisations (statutory and third sector) with a bank account and a constitution
• pre-application advice (via email: natur@heritagefund.org.uk)

Where appropriate, successful applicants will also receive support and advice from Heritage Fund registered consultants to help support the communities they are working with.

Timings

2021
19 July Applications open          
16 July‒20 July Webinar booking opens
6 August Project enquiry deadline 
2 September Application deadline  
2 November Grant applications determined
3 November onwards Successful applicants notified
2023
31 March Projects close

Requirements

Your proposed project must be with one of:

• Black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community group 
• a marginalised group (community of interest)

OR

• with a community in one of the 30% most deprived and disadvantaged communities according to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation

Your project must only include revenue costs, for example:

• staffing and on costs
• consumables
• training and support
• community consultation and 'taster' events
• travel 

Project proposals we are looking for

We are looking for proposals for: 

Projects that will co-create the future programme of Local Places for Nature

We will want you to have well-established links with Black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community groups and other excluded and disadvantaged communities, who currently do not access the funding programme.

You will work with those groups to identify the barriers to engaging with the current programme and co-create solutions, removing barriers and enabling participation.

Example project: You are a community organisation that works to help people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds to improve their health and wellbeing in areas of deprivation. You will recruit a facilitator to work with people in the community to identify opportunities, barriers and partnerships and so co create the programme of the future. 

Projects to enable excluded and disadvantaged communities to access funding 

We expect this to be achieved by facilitators who have the expertise and experience of working with specific groups or in specific communities.

Example project: You are an umbrella body for organisations that own land/buildings in areas of deprivation. You will recruit a facilitator to work with closely with the local groups to identify opportunities for community allotments and wildlife gardens on the land. You will work with the community to co-create projects, resulting in funding applications to any of the Local Places for Nature schemes.

Projects to help previous recipients of Local Places for Nature funding to sustain their engagement with nature and develop proposals for the next stage of their nature journey

Example project: You are body or organisation that already specialises in mentoring and supporting community groups to develop their programme of activities and/or developing plans for a range of sustainable activities involving the community.

Priority for funding

Priority for funds will be given to proposals that: 

• engage people and communities from Black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community groups
• engage people and communities in deprived urban and peri urban areas (30% most deprived)
• involve trained and experienced advisors who have a strong background in working with marginalised communities, and those with expertise in enhancing and restoring nature 

Mandatory outcomes

Your proposal will have to achieve our mandatory outcome to 'engage a wider range of people in natural heritage' and at least one other outcome. Read more about our outcomes and see the guidance below for details.

What we are not looking for

We are not looking for nature projects or proposals to create a 'Place for Nature'. If you have such a project in mind please look at the criteria for the Local Places for Nature programme or contact natur@heritagefund.org.uk for advice.

It’s important that you think about how your project will meet the requirements for this grant scheme. 

Your project must: 

• meet the requirement of working with a community within the 30% of most disadvantaged urban/peri urban communities
• significantly increase the involvement of a wider range of people in natural heritage, working with a  Black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community group, OR working with previous participants of the Local Places for Nature scheme
• co-create the programme of the future, removing barriers to engagement 
• result in a plan to create places for nature, designed and led by communities.
• enable participation for a wider range of people: helping them to experience and value nature, leading to individual and community action to protect and enhance nature
• demonstrate additional multiple benefits spanning environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing

Welsh language

You must consider the Welsh language in all aspects of your work and tell us how you will promote and support the Welsh language and reflect the bilingual nature of Wales. You will need to show how you will offer bilingual provision in your project budget and plan. You should include the budget for translation under the 'Other' costs category in the project costs section of the application form. If you would like more information on how to do this, please get in touch with our Welsh language support team. 

Community languages

You must consider the use of community language(s) in all aspects of your work. Tell us how you will promote and support users of community languages as appropriate to your application. How will you reflect the linguistic nature of the particular community you are working with? 

You will need to show how you will offer such provision in your project budget and plan. You should include the budget for translation under the 'Other' costs category in the project costs section of the application form. 

Acknowledgement

If your application is successful, you will need to acknowledge your grant from Welsh Government, which is managed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. In your application you need to tell us how you plan to do this. 

Successful applicants will need to use the Welsh Government logo and any other branding materials that become available. You will also need to acknowledge The National Lottery Heritage Fund using our bilingual Welsh/English logo. Some resources will be also be available. Find out more about acknowledging your grant.

• staffing costs including wages and on costs
• full cost recovery for your organisation
• engagement activities and events with the community
• information/training/information events for community members
• taster events to enable communities to experience the benefits of nature
• visits to existing Local Places for Nature to demonstrate what is possible
• planning a possible Local Places for Nature project in your area

What you cannot spend the money on

• purchase of any capital items (eg laptops, phones)
• actually developing a 'Local Place for Nature'. This has to be done through either through the Keep Wales Tidy offer for Local Places for Nature or through the separate Local Places for Nature capital grant scheme
   

How to apply

• Visit our application portal and register an account. Anyone who has previously registered on our portal will need to re-register as we have a new application portal (June 2021)
• From the pull-down menu choose £10,000–£250,000.
• Complete and submit a Project Enquiry Form, so that you can get feedback from us on your project before you complete your full application. 
• Give your project a name that starts with #Natur2
• Once you have received feedback on your Project Enquiry, complete and submit a full application. 

There is no dedicated Local Places for Nature fund application form. Please follow these instructions carefully alongside our regular guidance and answer all questions in our £10,000–£100,000 grant application form. 

Please use this supplementary guidance alongside the application help notes to answer the questions. The application help notes appear as you complete the application form. 

1st block on the application form:

Project title

Start your project name/title with #NATUR2 to help us correctly identify your application. For example: #NATUR2TownhillNatureHeroes. There is a limit of 15 words. 

2nd block on the application form: Application 

Advice received in planning the project 

Please mention all advice received. This could include advice from the Local Nature Partnership Co-ordinator, other relevant community organisations in your locality and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Project end date 

The end date can be no later than March 31 2023. 

Describe your project 

This is a key section in your application and should include information such as:

• levels of deprivation
• typical age ranges
• levels of employment
• ethnic diversity
• local access to green space

You should tell us why local places for nature would benefit those communities. 

If your project relates to a geographic community, please include the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation overall rating for the project address.

Use the bottom link on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 interactive tool, and enter the project postcode.

Then look at the percentage rating for the overall measure of deprivation at your project address. Please note this percentage in your project description. 

If your proposal involves a community of interest spanning different locations, please provide the postcode of your main project base and describe the community of interest. 

Please clearly tell us: 

• what you believe to be the barriers to participation in your particular community 
• how individuals and communities will be supported to become involved 
• how the work proposed will make a tangible difference to individuals, communities and the natural environment 
• the current condition of the natural environment in your locality (if applicable) 
• what changes might be important to your community
• how will you effect real and meaningful engagement with the community 
• how you will ensure any plans for the future are 'owned' and delivered for the community, by the community 
• what you will be spending the funding on (in general). There is additional space for a full budget later on in the application form. 
• how you will include the Welsh language and/or community languages within your project 

What difference will your project make?

Tell us how you think the project will change individual and community attitudes and approaches to wildlife and the natural environment. Refer back to the grant criteria as required. 

What happens after the project ends? 

Include information on how you might plan to move forward and effect change in the future. State whether you have any plans to develop a Local Places for Nature capital grant application or apply to any other funders. 

Why does this project need to happen now? 

This fund is competitive. You will need to explain the motivating factors in making this application. What is it about the community or location that makes this the right thing to do now?

For example, are there particular development pressures on remaining pieces of open space in the area? Has the community been eager to improve their local environment but lacked the knowledge or skills on how to progress? 

Does the heritage attract visitors? 

For most projects in this programme the answer we are expecting to see is “No”. Subsequent questions will not be relevant and answering “No” will not harm your application in any way. 

How will you acknowledge your grant? 

Please include details of how you intend to acknowledge your grant using Welsh, English and relevant community languages. This could be in printed and digital formats, websites, social media platforms and more. Any costs relating to translation may be included in your budget.

Does this project involve an acquisition? 

Please answer “No”. We cannot fund acquisitions through this programme. 

At risk

Read the note on this as “Is nature (habitats and species) in your local area at risk?”. We would expect this answer to be “Yes”.

Will the project involve capital works? 

Please answer “No”. This is a revenue-only fund and we will not fund any capital works. Further questions on capital should be answered as “No” or “Not applicable”.

If you require capital funding, you may wish to look at the grant criteria for the Local Places for Nature fund.

Heritage designation 

Please leave this section blank 

Project outcomes 

Your project should achieve the mandatory outcome ‘a wider range of people will be involved in heritage’ and at least one other outcome.  

• A wider range of people will be involved in heritage. Please note for these grants we mean 'involved in our landscapes and nature'. You should tell us how you will work with Black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community groups and/or excluded and disadvantaged communities in areas of deprivation, who currently do not access Local Places for Nature funding, to identify barriers and co-create solutions.
• Heritage (landscape and nature) will be identified and better explained 
• People will have learnt about heritage (landscape and nature), leading to change in ideas and action 
• Heritage will be in better condition. Please note that we do not expect to see direct improvement within the project timeframe but funded projects should enable this outcome to be achieved in the future.  

• For technical support or assistance with accessibility, please contact our customer service team by email: enquire@heritagefund.org.uk.
• For more information about the accessibility of our expression of interest application form, please see our Accessibility Statement.
• For specific queries about the programme, please contact natur@heritagefund.org.uk.
• Receiving a grant £10,000 to £100,000: tells you what you need to do if you are successful and has more detail about our requirements.
• Standard terms of grant £10,000 to £100,000: outlines the terms of our grants.
• Good practice guidance: advice on a range of topics to help you achieve a high quality project.
• Nature and landscapes guidance: help to design and deliver projects.
• Project Plan Template: all applications must submit a project plan. The template for £100,000-£250,000 is recommended for all Breaking Barriers projects over £100,000, but you may create your own if preferred.

Data

For more information about how your data will be processed under this grant programme please see our privacy policy.

We understand that you may be disappointed with a decision. There is no right to appeal or re-apply for Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers.

We can only review our decision if you can make a formal complaint about how we have dealt with your application.

We will only be able to consider and investigate the complaint if you can demonstrate that:

• we did not follow the published procedures for assessing your application
• we have misunderstood a significant part of your application
• we did not take notice of relevant information

A formal complaint must be made in writing by emailing enquire@heritagefund.org.uk within 10 working days of receiving your application decision. We aim to acknowledge your complaint within three working days.

Your complaint will initially be reviewed by an area/country director from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, who is independent of recommendation and decision panels for this fund.

We aim to communicate a decision within 15 working days from when you submitted your complaint.

For assistance, contact our Customer Services Team on 020 7591 6044 or email enquire@heritagefund.org.uk.