The City of London Corporation are welcoming new applications for their Enjoying Green Spaces and Natural Environment Fund. The deadline to apply is 6 November 2023 at noon. Applications will be reviewed by a panel at the end of February 2024, and we will notify applicants of the outcome shortly after.
Who we fund
Your organisation must be one of the following:
- Registered charity
- Registered community interest company
- Registered charitable incorporated organisation
- Charitable company (incorporated as a not-for-profit)
- Exempt or excepted charity
- Registered charitable industrial and provident society or charitable cooperative (bencom)
- Constituted voluntary organisation
In order to limit organisations becoming dependent on this funding stream, applications from new organisations are more likely to be successful than applications for repeat funding.
What we fund
The Enjoying Green Spaces and Natural Environment funding scheme has been separated into four subthemes. Your project must address at least one of the following:
Connecting communities with their green spaces
The activities supported through this subtheme should help local communities connect with the City Corporation’s green spaces. Projects are particularly encouraged from community or voluntary groups who work with local communities that infrequently visit, enjoy and engage with their local green space.
The projects should demonstrate positive outcomes for these newly connected communities and should demonstrate how they will support the groups to continue to visit the green spaces after the end of the project.
Improving the conservation value of the green spaces
The activities supported through this subtheme should aim to assist with the conservation of the City Corporation’s green spaces and should be able to demonstrate positive actions and outcomes. This could be via practical work on the ground, production of plans or a combination of both.
Improving our knowledge of the biodiversity of the green spaces
The activities supported through this subtheme should help improve our knowledge of the biodiversity of the City Corporation’s green spaces. This could include survey or inventory projects or small-scale research projects on species habitats found in green spaces. They could include comparative studies using other locations/sites, but the majority of the project should be carried out on a City Corporation green space. Projects should be able to demonstrate positive actions and outcomes.
Improving mental health through the use of green spaces
Good mental health lies at the heart of wellbeing and quality of life, and of effective functioning for both individuals and communities. The activities supported through this sub-theme should support programmes which encourage contact with the City Corporation’s green spaces as an addition to treatment options within mental health.
Where we fund?
Grants issued through this programme will be awarded to projects where the majority of impact will be on the City of London Corporation’s green spaces and/or City of London gardens. Please make sure that you meet the geographical eligibility criteria before applying. If you are unsure, please get in touch to confirm your eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much can we apply for?
The minimum amount you can apply for is £2,000 and the maximum is £15,000. Grants of up to £20,000 may be considered in exceptional cases. The total award is as requested in the grant application and not per annum.
Is there a time limit for the grant duration?
Grants are required to be spent within three years of being awarded.
What is the decision time frame for applications?
You should expect to get your decision in approximately 12 weeks from the closing date.
How do we apply for a grant?
To apply for a grant, you will need to complete an online application form by the corresponding deadline and submit this electronically with your supporting documents. We will only consider one application from your organisation at any one time. All application forms should be completed through the City Corporation’s online grants portal. Application forms in large print, Braille or audio would be offered to applicants by special request.
How are applications accessed?
Once we have received your online application and all supporting documents, it will be passed to one of the City Corporation’s Grants Officers for assessment. As part of this process a City Corporation’s Funding Officer may contact you for more information. We will acknowledge receipt of your application within 10 working days of it being received. If your application is not complete it will be returned to you and you will have a further 10 working days to send us the missing information. We may also arrange to visit your organisation as part of the assessment process. All applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be forwarded to Natural Environment officers for approval/rejection. Once a full assessment has been completed, approved applications will be referred to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Natural Environment Board for decision. The timescale to process your application will vary; however, we will endeavour to ensure your application is assessed within 12 weeks of the closing date. You should take account of this when planning your project.
How do you monitor and evaluate grant recipients?
If we fund your project, we will need you to complete an end-of-year and end of project grant monitoring report to confirm how the grant has been spent and what you achieved. Please make sure that you keep receipts for all the items or services you buy with the grant and that you keep them somewhere safe as we may ask you to provide them. We may also visit you to check how the grant has been spent. Please keep us up to date if your project or any of your contact details change at any stage during the period of your grant.
What happens if our grant is successful?
If your application is successful, an initial offer letter detailing the level of grant awarded will be issued. This may contain special conditions relating to the grant award or pre-agreement grant conditions. Grant acceptance terms and conditions will be subsequently issued which should be signed and returned within 20 working days. Once all documentation has been received and approved you would be asked to formally request payment of your grant award. Note: You cannot start your project until we have received, checked and approved all information that we have requested.
What happens if our grant is unsuccessful?
Due to the limited budget available and the number of applications for funding we receive, we unfortunately cannot provide funding to every applicant that applies for a grant. Grants are therefore issued on a discretionary basis; there is no appeal process, and the decision of the City Corporation is final. You are welcome to request feedback from your assessing officer on why your application was unsuccessful.
Can we reapply for funding?
You may reapply for funding to deliver a continuation of the same project or a different project. However, organisations cannot hold more than one of our grants at any one time. If you are a current grant holder, your project must have been completed and you will need to have satisfactorily met all our grant monitoring requirements before applying again. In order to limit organisations becoming dependent on this funding stream, applications from new organisations are more likely to be successful than applications for repeat funding.
What will you not fund?
Some things that we are unable to pay for are shown below:
- Activities that have already taken place or start before we confirm our grant
- Any costs you incur when putting together your application
- Fundraising activities for your organisation or others
- Items that are purchased on behalf of another organisation
- Loans or interest payments
- Projects that actively promote religious or political activities
- Purchase of alcohol
You can begin your grant application here: https://citycorporationgrants.my.site.com/fundingprograms/s/funding-program/a028d00000Bp70c/city-of-london-grants
Enjoying Green Spaces and the Natural Environment – City of London