The Environmental Key Fund is an incorporated company established in 2004 to distribute Landfill Community Fund (LCF) monies to environmental and community based projects.
This money is made available through landfill tax monies provided to the Environmental Key Fund by North Lanarkshire Council (as a local landfill operator) and is governed by guidance set out by ENTRUST as the regulatory body for this fund. Projects that are eligible to receive grant funding from the Environmental Key Fund must meet at least one LCF objective as set out in ENTRUSTS's guidance:
- to remediate contaminated land or water
- to reduce or mitigate the effects of pollution
- to provide or improve a park or other public amenity for leisure or recreational purposes
- to conserve biodiversity at a specific site
- to maintain, repair or restore a place of worship or building of historical or architectural significance
To date, the Environmental Key Fund has distributed/committed over £720,000 in LCF funding to groups and organisations across North Lanarkshire and has in the region of a further £900,000 to distribute between December 2009 and March 2012.
Eligibility
The Environmental Key Fund will only fund projects that take place within North Lanarkshire and which benefit communities within this local authority area.
Any not-for-profit organisation may apply to the Environmental Key Fund for grant funding including community groups, charities, social economy organisations and public sector agencies.
All applicants must have a constitution (or other governing document) and a bank account.
Grant Programmes
The Environmental Key Fund will provide funding through three different grant schemes: a small grants programme and flagship scheme (both of which will have annual deadlines for applications) and a main grants programme, which will receive applications quarterly.
Small Grants Programme
This scheme will provide grants of up to £2,000 and is focused on providing funding for small-scale community based projects and not for part-funding larger scale initiatives. As such, projects eligible to receive funding under this grant scheme must have a total cost of less than £2,000 and these costs can be met in full by this grant scheme (e.g. there is no need for the applicant to provide match funding for their project).
Main Grants Programme
This scheme will provide grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 and will meet 100% of project costs where this ‘funding need' can be clearly demonstrated. However applicants are, where possible, encouraged to source other match funding for projects supported through this scheme.
Flagship Scheme
This scheme will provide funding of between £100,000 and £150,000 for ‘flagship' initiatives that promote ‘transformational' change which:
- leads to significant and measurable social, economic or environmental enhancement as part of a strategic masterplan or wider regeneration initiative;
- acts as a catalyst for sustainable investment in communities across North Lanarkshire; or
- drives forward new and best practices and promotes innovation, knowledge and expertise.
To ensure that these projects are able to have significant impact on local communities, this grant scheme will only provide up to 50% of total project costs (e.g. project applicants will have to source at least 50% of project costs from elsewhere).
Further Information
Further information about the Environmental Key Fund and guidance and application forms can be found on-line at www.environmentalkeyfund.com.
