New fund worth £370,000 up for grabs for climate change projects in strath

The Cairngorms National Park Authority has launched a £370,000 fund to support climate adaptation in the region.

The cashpot is open to individual businesses, land managers, farmers, community bodies, registered charities and business associations who can apply for up to a maximum of £100,000 for their project.

The CNPA is interested in projects proposing capital expenditure on activity which will take positive action in addressing climate change.

These include schemes such as wildfire management solutions, flood prevention through planting or other works, rain-water catchment initiatives, green-energy storage and nature-friendly farming.

Anyone interested in seeking funding to support these projects is encouraged to submit an expression of interest in the first instance.

The park authority will provide feedback on expressions of interest to help applicants develop their applications.

CNPA convener Sandy Bremner said: “The park authority is committed to helping meet the challenges of climate change for the people who live and work here, and we look forward to seeing applications from across the Cairngorms National Park.

“This is yet another example of how the park authority is accessing funding that wouldn’t otherwise have been available to help people in the area.”

CNPA chief executive Grant Moir said: “Climate adaptation is about responding to the changes that we have seen in our climate over the last few decades, and preparing for the challenges that we will face as our climate continues to change.

“The impacts of climate change are being felt in every aspect of our daily lives, including here in the Cairngorms National Park.

“This fund is designed to help businesses, land managers, community groups and others act and adapt to a changing climate, funding capital investment across a range of activity from fire management and flood mitigation to green energy storage and nature friendly farming.”

The fund will consider the themes of nature, people, and place set out in the National Park Partnership Plan 2022-2027 and has the following three guiding principles:

• Adaptation– projects will contribute to climate adaptation within the Cairngorms National Park that help deliver the Scottish National Climate Change Adaptation Programme.

• Nature based solutions – projects will promote nature-based solutions and green engineering to help adapt to climate change while contributing to habitat and species recovery in the National Park.

• Economy– Projects will endeavour to maximise their contribution to sustainable local employment and economic activity within the National Park.

The fund will close on Monday 10 June with awards made by the end of June to support expenditure incurred by the end of March 2025.

Full details on eligibility and how to apply can be found here by clicking here.

Staff from the park authority can help with questions about the fund and can be contacted at CommunityGrants@cairngorms.co.uk.

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