Charity

The Nature Hubs Fund

In association with Starbucks, Hubbub is offering around 50 groups up to £6,000 of funding to develop green space initiatives to provide much needed access to nature.

Richmond Park Roehampton Gate
Photo by Ruth Gledhill on Unsplash

By means of a recent nationwide poll, the environmental charity – Hubbub, found that spending time in nature makes 78% of people feel better. Despite this, 36% of people in the UK spend less than an hour a week in nature. The Nature Hubs Fund was designed to help change this.

Research shows spending time in nature is good for our physical and mental health, and green spaces help protect us against the impacts of a changing climate. Plus the more connected we feel to nature, the more likely we are to do things that help protect it.

It’s predicted that with a growing population, we need 4,000 new green spaces by 2033 just to maintain our current levels of access to green space.

Nature Hubs Fund eligibility

All UK based, legally registered organisations can apply. The application process for funding opened on the 9th of November and closes on the 11th of January 2024 (at 15.00). Successful applicants will be notified by the end of February.

Project applications must relate to one or all of the themes of the fund:

  • Increasing access: To bring green space to an area where there is limited access to nature, e.g., by creating or enhancing a community garden, a green roof, increasing biodiversity in an urban area, or other similar ideas. And/or to encourage a particular demographic who might not otherwise or rarely access an existing green space to visit.
  • Bringing people together: To bring people together and create community connection in/around a shared green space. Think activities like community growing, plant sharing, coffee and chats, or youth activities.
  • Upskilling the community: To teach community members new skills and encourage health and wellbeing through spending time in green space. Think workshops and/or events taking place in green spaces, how-to guides on increasing nature connection, or training around nature-based activities.
  • Building climate resilience: To make an existing space more climate resilient and engage the local community on climate issues. Think changes to buildings and urban spaces that increase resilience to heatwaves, drought, coastal flooding, or sea-level rise, while creating community connection in the green space.

Full application guidance with all details of the eligibility criteria can be found here.