Big Chalk Nature Recovery Fund

Fund overview

• Total funding: Approximately £2 million is available for capital projects during 2026/27.

• Grant size: Grants start at £1,000, with exceptional grants of more than £100,000 available for larger, landscape-scale projects.

• Deadline: Funding must be committed within the relevant financial year. We encourage all funded work to be completed by 31 March 2027, although flexibility may be possible where there is a clear ecological or operational reason.

• Multi-year projects: Grants can be awarded for work completed by 31 March 2027. As Big Chalk has a three-year funding agreement with Defra, we can also make provisional funding offers for multi-year projects running until 31 March 2029, subject to Defra confirming funding for future years.

• Payments: Grants will be paid in agreed stages, as set out in your grant agreement.

• Eligible Costs: The fund supports capital costs only. This means costs that create, improve or restore assets delivering long-term benefits for nature.

• Flexible funding options: Grants can provide match funding, top-up fundingalongside other non-government funding sources, or, in some circumstances, cover the full cost of a project.