Green Spaces Fund – round 2 applications now open!

Round two of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund is now open!

The Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund gives grants to communities to improve accessible local green spaces or create new ones where they are needed most.

Applications for round 2 of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund are now open until noon on Friday 27th January 2023.

Following its successful first applications round earlier this year, round two of the £2.6m Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund is now open to applications, seeking community projects that will make a real difference to their local area.

The fund makes small and large grants available for community groups wanting to create new, accessible spaces or improve existing ones in their local area, particularly where there is currently poor local access to good quality green space.

Projects should improve publicly accessible spaces through physical improvements to make them better places for nature and people. These projects could take place in parks, community gardens, streets, schools, housing estates, canals, streams, rivers and existing nature reserves.

Examples of the type of projects it could support include:

• Improving existing or creating new accessible green space for people and/or wildlife
• Permanently greening streets
• Creating new permanent parklets or pocket parks
• Community gardening and food growing
• Turning paved over areas to green areas
• Cleaning up and restoring streams, rivers, canals and ponds

Support for applying

To make things easier for applicants, several Green Spaces Fund Advisors are on hand to help community groups apply. These advisors can:

• Support groups to apply for the Green Spaces Fund and other funding opportunities
• Ensure ideas generated by community groups are realistic and achievable
• Support groups to develop their skills and confidence in project delivery
• Develop the ongoing skills of community groups to ensure sites can be maintained and activities will continue long term

Those interested in applying can get in touch directly with the Green Spaces Fund Advisor covering their local area:

• Manchester & Trafford: Kieron McGlasson, Sow the City, kieron@sowthecity.org
• Rochdale: Lydia Marshall, Groundwork, lydia.marshall@groundwork.org.uk
• Stockport & Tameside: Katie Jones, City of Trees, katie@cityoftrees.org.uk
• Bolton & Bury: Emma Thompson, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, ethompson@lancswt.org.uk
• Oldham & Salford: Nina Agnew, RHS, ninaagnew@rhs.org.uk
• Wigan: Stephen Hodges, Groundwork, stephen.hodges@groundwork.org.uk

To find out more about the fund and apply, please visit the Green Spaces Fund website www.gmenvfund.org

The Green Spaces Fund is part of the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF), which has been established to provide more sustained investment in projects which contribute to creating a cleaner, carbon neutral Greater Manchester and to attract private investment. The environment fund, managed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) aims to target funding to projects which improve nature, waterways and green spaces.

Applications for round 2 of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund are now open until noon on Friday 27th January 2023.