From today (11th December), you can apply for grant aid through a pot of money in The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) designed to help farmers attract private investment in nature.Â
You’ll be able to apply from 11 December 2023. The deadline is 16 February 2024.Â
Individual grants of £10,000 to £100,000 are available to each project to develop to the point that they are ready to attract private sector investment. In total, £5 million is available.Â
This is the third time grants have been made available through the fund, but this is the first time grants will be specifically targeted to support the farming sector.Â
Government has set a target to stimulate at least £500 million of private sector investment into nature recovery in England, each year, by 2027 – rising to at least £1 billion each year by 2030. Further details about what types of project are being supported and how to put in an application can be found at;
The Green Finance Institute (GFI) has used insight from NEIRF-funded projects to develop a toolkit to help farmers assess such opportunities.
Launching fully in January 2024.
The Environment Agency administers the scheme on behalf of Defra. If you have any questions about this grant after reading the guidance, email NEIRF@environment-agency.gov.uk.Â