Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund

Aviva, in partnership with the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), has launched the Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund, with £1 million available to support community groups across the UK in protecting and restoring nature in their local area.

Part of the Aviva Community Fund, the fund is designed to make it easier for communities to “take action for nature”, from creating community gardens and replanting wildflower meadows, to protecting local wildlife and promoting community connection to nature.

How Does the Fund Work?

Projects which are accepted to the Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund will receive 2:1 match funding from Aviva. The group or organisation should find their part of the match funding via a crowdfunding campaign.

Until the £1 million of funding has been allocated, pledges will be matched at a rate of £2 to every £1 donated. 2:1 match funding will apply to pledges of up to £250. The maximum value of 2:1 match funding a project can receive is £5,000.

For anyone who has not crowdfunded before, the partnership has provided a number of options for help and support, including:

• the Save Our Wild Isles in Your Community page, which offers advice and ideas around what people can do in their community
• Crowdfunder runs a series of webinars and training sessions to help people design an effective crowdfunding campaign, appeal to their audience, and raise money

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants can be based anywhere in the UK, including the mainland – the “Isles” in the fund name refers to the British Isles.

Groups must:

• be based in the UK
• have been operating for at least 12 months
• have an annual income of no more than £2 million
• have a bank account in the organisation’s name
• have a safeguarding policy (if applicable)
• be a living wage employer (if applicable)
• have an active board of trustees or directors or management body
• be one of the following types of organisations:
  • registered charity
  • Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)
  • Community Interest Company (CIC)
  • Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG)
  • Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)
  • constituted community group

Groups which are a constituted community group, or think they may be, are welcome to take part; Crowdfunder has provided an article with further details and information on the documents they will need to provide.

To apply for the Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund, projects need to align with at least one of the following categories below:

1. Nature restoration – activity which boosts local biodiversity, by protecting or restoring habitats, creating space for nature, connecting green spaces and/or addressing activities that directly impact biodiversity.
2. Nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviours – action which supports greater connection to nature, and promotes pro-environmental behaviours at the community-level which will benefit nature.
3. Community cohesion and connection – nature positive activity which encourages collaboration in the local community, connecting people of diverse backgrounds, generations, and abilities to nature and one another.

Projects must also be carried out in areas with Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) scores of 1 – 5.

Full eligibility criteria is available on the Crowdfunder website, under the Aviva Community Fund criteria (linked for your convenience).

Support from CEMVO

The environmental team at the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO) Scotland is also offering support to those in Scotland who would like to apply to the fund.

To request support, please contact Aekus Kamboj by email: Aekus.Kamboj@cemvoscotland.org.uk

Deadlines and How to Apply

There is no deadline for the fund; once the £1 million has been allocated, the fund will close.

To apply, or for further information, please visit the Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund page.