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Guidance: Funding for farmers, growers and land managers

Forestry Commission

July 28
07:48 2023

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This page tells you about grants and other funding currently open or opening soon.

You may be able to apply for one or more of the available grants and funding schemes if you or your land are eligible. The guidance for each scheme will explain where this is possible.

Manage your land to benefit the environment

Apply through an environmental land management (ELM) scheme to farm productively and in a way that benefits the environment. There are 3 ELM schemes.

1. Sustainable Farming Incentive

Open: summer 2023 as a managed rollout.
Closing date: to be confirmed.
Grant value: between 10 and 732 per hectare, depending on action.

If you were eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2022 or 2023, youll be able to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

SFI is a 3-year agreement made up of a choice of environmental land management actions you need to complete to receive payment. These actions will help you manage your land in a more sustainable way. The number of actions will expand each year until the full range is available by 2024.

If you are eligible, you can apply for up to 23 actions for:

  • soil health
  • moorland assessment
  • hedgerows
  • integrated pest management
  • nutrient management
  • farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land
  • farmland wildlife on improved grassland
  • buffer strips
  • low input grassland

Read the guidance for SFI 2023 to get ready to apply.

2. Countryside Stewardship (CS)

Closing date: some grants are open all year, others are time-limited - read the CS guidance for details.
Grant value: amounts vary depending on your CS agreement.

You can apply for Countryside Stewardship to get paid to:

  • increase biodiversity
  • improve habitat
  • expand woodland areas
  • improve water quality
  • improve air quality
  • improve natural flood management

Use the CS grant finder to see whats available to achieve these environmental outcomes.

3. Landscape Recovery

Closing date: 21 September 2023.
Grant value: 15 million shared between up to 25 successful projects.

Landscape Recovery pays groups of farmers and land managers to do long-term, large-scale projects together. Land must be in England and consist of at least 500 connected hectares.

You can apply to join the Landscape Recovery scheme if youre planning to do a landscape-scale project that supports:

  • net zero carbon emissions
  • protected sites
  • wildlife-rich habitat

Improve water quality and air quality

You can apply for grants to improve water and air quality through CS. Check the CS grant finder for water quality options and air quality options. You can choose grants suitable for your land and apply to the relevant CS grant scheme.

Closing date: some grants are open all year, others are time-limited - read the CS guidance for details.
Grant value: amounts vary depending on your CS agreement.

Reduce flood risk

You can apply for grants to reduce flood risk through CS. Check the CS grant finder for natural flood management options. You can choose grants suitable for your land and apply to the relevant CS grant scheme.

Closing date: some grants are open all year, others are time-limited - read the CS guidance for details.
Grant value: amounts vary depending on your CS agreement.

Protect species and habitats and support biodiversity

You can apply for grants to protect species and habitats and support biodiversity through CS. Check the CS grant finder for:

You can choose grants suitable for your land and apply to the relevant CS grant scheme.

CS Wildlife Offers

Closing date: some grants are open all year, others are time-limited - read the CS guidance for details.
Grant value: amounts vary depending on your CS agreement.

Wildlife Offers are part of CS Mid Tier and are a simpler way to improve biodiversity based on land use. You can choose to:

  • improve nectar sources for insect pollinators and foraging for birds
  • provide additional winter food sources for seed-eating birds
  • improve habitats and other resources for specific species or areas

There are CS wildlife packages for:

SFI offers

When SFI opens, you can choose SFI management actions for:

Species Survival Fund

Closing date: submit an expression of interest by midday 24 July 2023, applications close midday 26 October 2023.
Grants value: from 250,000 to 3 million for 2-year projects.

You can express an interest to apply for a grant to create and restore habitats and reverse the decline of species across England. Y

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