Our Nature Engagement Grant Scheme is Back!
The success of the 2020 grant scheme has ensured the return of the scheme
Published on 23rd August 2021
Last year the Linnean Society worked with a youth panel to fund 11 projects spread across the UK that empowered young people to take the lead on projects that involve their local nature and natural spaces. This grant scheme is part of our vision of a world where nature is "understood, valued and protected".
Click the map below to see the locations and details of funded projects.
Incidentally, all of these projects were based in England. This was not an active decision but reflective of the volume of the applications received from England. For 2021, we would love to see more applications from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The 2021 application window is open from the 1 September to 1 November, and we’ll be aiming to fund chosen projects before the end of 2021. We have our running shoes on! We're also recruiting a brand new youth panel of 16-18-year-olds (read more about this below).
The Linnean Society's Our Local Nature (OLN) grant scheme funds projects which aim to increase access to natural spaces, and improve understanding of the local biodiversity, with young people at the helm. Adult applicants must demonstrate that they’re working closely with young people on the proposed project. More importantly, young people must be the leaders of the initiatives, and not just passive participants or beneficiaries.
The maximum award is £1,000 per proposal but we welcome and encourage applications for lower amounts as well. Refer to the map to see the range of grants we provided last year.
Want more information? Click here to visit our dedicated page and make sure you apply before 1 November.
Feeling daunted about applying? We will be hosting a Q&A event on 13 September, 4pm BST to address all your queries.
If you’re still unsure, we are happy to take your questions at joe@linnean.org. We will try our best to help you get your application in.
Youth Panel
Being part of the panel helped me develop my ability to carry out critical and unbiased thinking. The wide range of opinions in the panel also allowed me to grow my knowledge and widen my viewpoint as well as lead to some amazing friendships.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a panelist for the Our Local Nature Grant. This was an excellent opportunity to not only develop my critical thinking and analysis skills, but to also meet like-minded, eco-conscious people. I highly recommend this opportunity to anyone interested in environmental activism
Before you click away, we would like to mention our Youth Panel! We are in the process of recruiting a new team of 16-18-year-olds who will be given the unenviable task of selecting grant recipients.
This Youth Panel provides a meaningful experience for these young people but their input is critically important to help select the most impactful interventions by incorporating their unique perspectives.
We are excited to meet this year’s panel [Update: applications now closed]
Let's have as awesome a Team as 2020! Thanks again to Elisheeba, Ethan, Oliwia, Rebecca, Ridhka, Sathvika and Theo - pictured below.
