Green Spaces Fund

Introducing the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund

Coming this spring...

As part of the ambition for a "clean, carbon-neutral, climate-resilient city" as set out in Greater Manchester's 5 Year Environment Plan the Mayor's manifesto has committed to establishing a Green Spaces Fund.

The Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund will give small grants to communities to clean up and improve pocket parks and local green spaces or create new ones where they are needed.

As part of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund two types of grant will be made available:

Grants up to £10,000
Grants between £10,000 and £40,000

The first round of applications will go live on this webpage later in the spring.

Find out more

Types of projects the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund will support

The Fund will support projects that take place within Greater Manchester and make the city-region greener, whilst tackling inequalities in access to green spaces.

Projects should improve 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 but are not limited to:

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/food growing.
Turning paved-over areas to green areas.
Cleaning up and restoring streams, rivers, canals, and ponds.

Eligibility criteria

The following organisations would be eligible to apply to the Green Spaces Fund:

Registered charities.
Community groups.
Social enterprises and community interest companies.
Register housing providers, tenant associations and tenant management organisations.
Schools and academy trusts.
Local authorities on behalf of or that have partnered with any of the above.

Please note: In order to apply you will need to be a formally constituted organisation and have a bank account to which funding can be paid.

Assessment criteria

Successful applications will need to demonstrate:

How the project will create or enhance green spaces and address the ecological and climate crises.
How the project will target areas or communities where there is inequality in terms of access to green spaces.
How the project will provide opportunities for communities (e.g. volunteering opportunities or the provision of skills and training).
How the project will have a positive legacy, including long-term opportunities and maintenance.
That the project has a robust plan for delivery.
That the project will manage key risks.
That the project is good value for money.