Aims/priorities: The aim is to support areas to improve health and wellbeing and help connect people to the outdoors. Urban trees are said to offer a range of benefits, including temperature moderation, flood risk mitigation, and improved wellbeing – particularly when in close proximity to large populations. The UTCF will contribute to delivering these benefits through the targeted planting thousands of large and small trees and in urban and peri-urban areas. The UTCF provides capital funding to plant and establish trees that are an appropriate size for the setting in which they are planted; be it a street tree or a small community woodland. Grants will fund the planting of trees and the first three years of their care to ensure they can flourish into the future.
Who can apply? Applications will be accepted from public bodies, community groups, charities and non-government organisations, individuals and private companies in England.
The applicant must have full management control over the land or signed consent from those with management control over the land. Agents are also able to apply on behalf of an organisation or landowner.
Grant amount: A block bid is designed for organisations to apply for funding for multiple projects that can be geographically dispersed or focused in one area but submitted under one application. The guideline for block bids is a minimum UTCF funding requirement of £250,000.
Individual applications are for smaller, focused areas of planting undertaken by small organisations or community groups. These individual applications will need a minimum UTCF funding requirement of £10,000 up to a maximum of £30,000.
Application process: Submit an Expression of Interest available from the funder’s website
Deadline: The 2021 round (Round 3) is now open. Applications must be received by 25 July 2021 (23:59 BST).
Contact Information: Email: UTCF@forestrycommission.gov.uk
Website address: www.gov.uk/guidance/urban-tree-challenge-fund