Biffa Award

Biffa Award Nature Recovery

Biffa Award's Nature Recovery theme (the page's address still says Rebuilding Biodiversity), part of its Main Grants Scheme, a Landfill Communities Fund programme managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. It gives £10,000 to £75,000 for projects that directly reintroduce or improve a habitat or species, for projects costing under £200,000 including VAT. Projects must be within 15 miles of a significant Biffa operation or active Biffa landfill site and within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site; applications are accepted at any time.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £10,000 – £75,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Fully constituted, charitable or not-for-profit organisations with no share capital
Local authorities, councils, hospices, hospitals, day-care centres, nurseries, food banks, rehabilitation units, residential care facilities, activity centres, schools and colleges cannot apply, and projects on the grounds of any of these or on allotments are not eligible
Location is the key test: the project site must be within 15 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa landfill site (check the project postcode with the postcode checker on the theme page), AND within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site (check on Entrust's landfill lookup)
Biffa Award does not publish a list of the qualifying Biffa sites, so only the postcode checker can confirm eligibility
The project must be eligible for registration with Entrust, the Landfill Communities Fund regulator
A Third Party Contributor must be identified to pay 10% of the grant (from your own reserves if you are not a registered Environmental Body), and at least 75% of any other funding the project needs must already be secured before you submit an Expression of Interest
The project must directly reintroduce or improve a habitat or species, have the support of key agencies and relevant experienced delivery partners, include a strong element of public access or inclusion such as volunteering, and have a comprehensive biodiversity management plan for the site
If you do not own the site you need a fully signed lease or landowner agreement with at least 10 years remaining
If planning permission is needed it must be granted before the Expression of Interest
No reapplying for the same site within one year of a previous Biffa Award grant's final payment; at most two Full Applications per organisation per financial year and one per Board meeting
Extra scoring goes to projects close to Biffa landfill sites and in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods (Index of Multiple Deprivation)

What it funds

Projects that directly reintroduce or improve a habitat or species, for example:

Habitat improvement works
Creation of wetlands
Restoration of peatland
Planting of trees and hedgerows
Sustainable management of woodlands, including tree surgery, scrub removal and the purchase of plants and seed
Work to help nature reserves and natural spaces adapt to climate change, such as habitat management to improve fire breaks and fire service access, installing dams to manage water flow, and providing shade for wildlife
Day rate equivalent costs for staff doing direct delivery work or supervising volunteers, only where this is better value than an external contractor

Projects must work towards commitments in your country's Environmental Improvement Plan, legally-binding Environment Act 2021 targets, or priorities in Local Nature Recovery Strategies; preference goes to projects with public access or inclusion, such as volunteer involvement.

What it will not fund

Habitat improvement work on land where the applicant plans to sell biodiversity units
Research
Baseline surveys
Applications from local authorities, councils, hospices, hospitals, day-care centres, nurseries, food banks, rehabilitation units, residential care facilities, activity centres, schools and colleges, or projects on the grounds of any of these or on allotments
Projects whose total cost (or its phases) is £200,000 or more including VAT, and standalone elements of a wider project costing £200,000 or more
Work that has already taken place (no retrospective funding)
Projects that cross over different themes
Enhancement of town or village centres, for example signage, seating, waste bins and seasonal bulbs
Core costs of an organisation, office equipment and furniture or elements that directly benefit staff or volunteers
Car parks and vehicle charging points
Project management or staff time to procure goods and services
Offices
New supplies including gas, water and electricity
Elements to meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements
Changing Places facilities
Portable items that will not be permanently kept at the project address
Changing rooms/showers, flood lighting, tennis courts, bowling greens, cricket nets or pitch resurfacing
Items of personal kit or equipment including kit, gloves or balls
Events, excursions and workshops
Websites, publications, publicity or marketing materials
Storage facilities or containers
Feasibility studies, research, surveys, tender costs, building consents, planning applications or preliminaries
Recruitment costs
Energy-saving or green technology-based projects which could have a derived income
Purchase and installation of solar panels
Projects focused solely on cost-cutting or energy-saving

How to apply

Check the project postcode with the postcode checker at the bottom of the Nature Recovery theme page (tick the box about living within 10 miles of an active landfill site, as the FAQ advises) and save the qualifying Biffa site address
Check the project is within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site on Entrust's landfill lookup (entrust.org.uk/landfill-lookup) and save that address
Submit an Expression of Interest through Biffa Award's online application portal (wildlifetrusts.benefactorcloud.co.uk) at any time; you should hear within five working days
If invited, submit the Full Application with all supporting documents within six weeks of the invitation
The Full Application goes to the next appropriate quarterly Board meeting; if successful you get a Conditional Offer Letter and one month to meet its conditions, then a Formal Offer

Work must start and a first claim be made within three months of the Formal Offer.

If an Expression of Interest is unsuccessful you cannot resubmit for six months (three months if the problem was the lease).

Only submit when the project is ready to start; Biffa Award may delay or reject applications it considers premature.

Have ready

Signed constitution or governing document
Signed accounts for the last two financial years
Environmental policy (an example can be emailed on request)
Signed landowner agreement, if you do not own the project site
Clear, project-relevant photographs evidencing the need
Quotations: one recent quote for items up to £1,000; three for any single item or works over £1,000 and up to £25,000; competitive tendering with three responses for anything over £25,000
Proof of any shortfall or match funding
A milestone and payment schedule (an example can be emailed on request)
Results of the planning application, if planning permission is required
A management plan for each site
A signed, headed letter of support from your lead partner, if applicable
Day rate costs for staff undertaking direct delivery work or supervising contractors and volunteers, with the number of days and tasks

A detailed biodiversity management plan is needed with the Expression of Interest; the rest is for the Full Application. Enrolled Environmental Bodies also need copies of their Entrust EB certificate, Project Detail submission and project registration confirmation letter if successful.

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