East Suffolk Trust

East Suffolk Trust Grant

The East Suffolk Trust's core grant programme funds projects that restore nature and empower communities across Suffolk, with a particular focus on East Suffolk, including coastal and marine work off the Suffolk coast. Grants start at £10,000 with no upper limit and can last up to five years; costs are flexible, including staff, overheads and full cost recovery. Expressions of interest are accepted on a rolling basis; full applications are by invitation and decided at quarterly board meetings (the next is 20 November 2026, with a 9am 1 November deadline for invited applications).

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: From £10,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Organisations that can show evidence of work delivering for nature and people, for public benefit, in Suffolk or its immediate surrounding area
Projects based partly or wholly in East Suffolk, or with a clear link to its habitats, species or communities, are eligible; projects elsewhere in Suffolk or the surrounding area with no clear benefit for East Suffolk must contact the Trust before applying
Not-for-profits are fully eligible if they have a bank account in the organisation's name, a governing document, and at least three unrelated trustees or directors not living at the same address (others are encouraged to get in touch)
Private landowners, for-profit companies and other organisations may be considered case by case where the work clearly delivers public benefit and any private benefit is incidental
Partnerships apply through a lead organisation; an organisation can hold more than one grant

What it funds

Projects contributing to one or both funding outcomes:

More diverse and resilient natural landscapes: work that creates, enhances and links together space for nature, enabling habitats to thrive, species to recover, and landscapes to withstand future pressures
Empowered people and communities driving nature recovery: work that gives people and communities of all ages and backgrounds the skills, confidence, and opportunities to actively protect and enhance natural environments
Eligible costs may include:
Delivery and implementation costs, such as land access or management, habitat works, equipment, materials, and specialist expertise
People and capacity costs, including staff time, volunteer coordination, training
Partnership and engagement costs, including collaboration, coordination, community engagement, and participation activities
Organisational overheads and other indirect costs needed to support the project

early-stage and feasibility work, farmland projects, and coastal and marine projects adjacent to the Suffolk coastline are all in scope. Match funding is not required.

What it will not fund

Activity that falls outside the Trust's funding outcomes or geographic scope
Costs incurred prior to the grant start date
Grants below £10,000
Costs for individual benefit
Statutory activities
VAT that you can recover

How to apply

Submit an expression of interest through the online form (rolling, no deadline): short questions about you and three narrative questions of up to 3,000 characters on outcomes and evidence, delivery, and costs
Staff screen the EOI and run due diligence; they may arrange a discussion or interview
If invited, submit a full application through the portal: theory of change, evidence, delivery plan, evaluation plan and detailed budget
The Board of Trustees decides full applications at its quarterly meetings (next: 20 November 2026, deadline 9am on 1 November 2026)
If successful, sign the funding offer and terms and provide bank details

if unsure whether your project is eligible, email enquiries@eastsuffolktrust.org before applying. An existing business plan covering the same areas can be used, and a template is provided.

Have ready

Governing documents and annual reports
Management accounts and budgets
Policies and procedures
Permits and agreements

these are requested at full-application stage; a recent bank statement is needed on acceptance.

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