GrantRadar

Highlands & Islands Environment Foundation

HIEF Grants

Grants of £5,000 to £20,000 from the Highlands & Islands Environment Foundation for community-led projects that protect and restore nature in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Projects must have clear, measurable environmental benefit as a primary aim and be community-led or show full local community support. HIEF runs grant rounds two to three times a year; the next deadline will be in late February to early March 2027, with exact dates to be published on the HIEF website before the end of 2026. HIEF also offers up to £10,000 of Crowdfunder match funding, applied for with a concept note before the EOI deadline.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£5,000 – £20,000
Deadline
Not published
no closing date given
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Local non-profit organisations, associations, clubs or unions, social co-operative enterprises and other local bodies, including research centres
  • Applicants must show strong and effective leadership and an integrated, bottom-up approach, consulting with, mobilising and involving local communities and demonstrating positive community impact
  • Organisations with an annual income over £1m, and non-local applicants, are considered only if all of these apply: they can evidence the need for their capacity building to support local communities, or how they will work with local communities to deliver tangible impact; the HIEF grant is at least 10% of the overall project budget; and they have had an informal discussion with HIEF before applying
  • Projects must take place in the Scottish Highlands and Islands (the Scottish Parliament Highlands and Islands electoral region); projects slightly outside the boundary may still be eligible, so ask if in doubt

What it funds

Projects that fit one of HIEF's four Areas of Interest and have clear, measurable environmental impact as a primary aim:

  • Tackling environmental threats: projects that confront the root causes of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation or pollution
  • Protecting habitats and species: projects that proactively protect, monitor or safeguard valuable ecosystems and at-risk species
  • Restoring ecosystems: supporting nature's recovery by restoring damaged or degraded ecosystems
  • Empowering communities: building the capacity, confidence and leadership of communities to steward their local environment

Projects with opportunities for replicability, to amplify their impact, are prioritised.

What it will not fund

  • Individual PhD applications
  • Specialist research studies
  • Pure research
  • Projects without clear, identifiable environmental benefit
  • Projects that are neither community-led nor fully supported by local communities

How to apply

  1. Read the eligibility criteria and Areas of Interest on the HIEF Apply for a Grant page
  2. Contact HIEF's Project Coordinator, Louis MacMillan, for an informal discussion before completing an Expression of Interest (strongly encouraged; required for organisations with income over £1m or non-local applicants)
  3. Submit an Expression of Interest form by the round deadline
  4. If invited, submit a full application

Next deadline late February to early March 2027; exact dates will be on the HIEF website before the end of 2026.

For Crowdfunder match funding (up to £10,000, £1 for £1), submit the Crowdfunder concept note before the EOI deadline; it is considered alongside EOIs.

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