Community groups, charities, public bodies and other eligible organisations across the Highlands are being urged to apply to the 2026/27 Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) Community Grants Programme when it opens on Friday 14 August 2026.

Awards will be made on a rolling basis, with grants ranging from £2,000 to £25,000 for capital projects that restore nature, protect wildlife and tackle biodiversity loss.

Backed by the Scottish Government, the NRF is a capital fund focused on practical action for nature. It supports delivery of the government's Strategic Framework for Biodiversity, including the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 and Delivery Plan to 2030, which aim to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and secure major gains for nature by 2045.

Since 2021, The Highland Council has run its own restoration activity alongside a community grants scheme, enabling local organisations to deliver projects tailored to their areas. In the last five years, almost £1 million has gone to 96 community-led initiatives across the region.

Past grants have supported wildflower meadows, local tree planting, wetland and pond creation, and the removal of invasive non-native species to improve habitats for native wildlife.

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans, said: "Highland communities have shown tremendous enthusiasm and commitment to restoring nature in their local areas, and the Nature Restoration Fund has helped turn many of these ideas into reality.

"Over the past five years we have seen projects delivered across Highland that are making a real difference for biodiversity while also creating benefits for local communities. From tree planting and wildflower meadows to wetland restoration and habitat enhancement, these projects are helping to build a healthier and more resilient natural environment.

"I would encourage eligible groups and organisations to consider applying to the fund and play their part in helping us meet our shared ambitions for nature recovery and tackling the impacts of climate change."

The NRF targets the key pressures driving biodiversity decline, including habitat loss and fragmentation, over-exploitation of natural resources, and the spread of invasive non-native species.

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Keith Readdy, Boleskine House Foundation SCIO Trustee, who previously received NRF funding said: "The Nature Restoration Fund has enabled us to make lasting improvements for biodiversity on the ground, while also involving volunteers and strengthening long-term care for the landscape. The project has created real benefits for nature already, and those benefits will continue to grow as the restored habitats establish over time."

This year's round also contributes to national priorities such as the development of Nature Networks—identified in National Planning Framework 4 as key to boosting ecological connectivity and helping biodiversity adapt to climate change. The Highland Council's Nature Networks Project, previously supported by the NRF, has enhanced biodiversity across more than 3,500 council-owned sites, including parks, roadside verges and disused land, through native tree planting, wildflower meadow creation and pollinator-friendly planting.

Applications are welcomed from: constituted community groups; public sector bodies; charities; co-operatives and community ownership initiatives; and development trusts. Organisations with different governance models should contact [email protected] to discuss eligibility before applying. The fund supports capital projects only.

Further details, eligibility criteria and the application process—along with a review of previous awards—are available at: www.highland.gov.uk/nature-biodiversity/nature-restoration-fund

Approved projects 2025/26:

- Arisaig Community Trust – Reviving Nature in Arisaig – £17,238

- Aultbea Community Council – Himalayan Balsam Removal in Laide/Aultbea – £7,600

- Balmacara Community Trust – Balmacara Woodland Park Regeneration Project – £13,798

- Beauly Fishery Board – River Beauly: Improving Atlantic salmon smolt survival – £6,263

- Broadford and Strath Community Company – Nature Restoration, Broadford Community Woodland – £8,500

- Broadford and Strath Community Company – Biodiversity Enhancement, Broadford Community Garden – £2,620

- Butterfly Conservation Scotland – Re-establishing a population of Dark Bordered Beauty – £20,164

- Butterfly Conservation Scotland – Restoring Habitats for Priority Lepidoptera in Easter Ross & Sutherland Coastal Landscape – £11,219

- Community Association of Lochs and Sounds – Lochaline Native Oyster Restoration Project – £25,000

- Culduthel Woods Group – Pond Improvement Project – £9,000

- Farmer Jones Academy CIC – Gro For You – Ross-Shire Nature Pond – £7,500

- Friends of Merkinch LNR – Merkinch Warden Programme – £16,650

- Go Flourish – Fungi, Flora, Fauna – North Kessock's Biodiversity Boost – £14,426

- High Life Highland – Nocturnal Forage Restoration – £5,365

- John Muir Trust – Rainforest Restoration in Britain's Last Wilderness – £12,315

- Knocknagael Ltd – Creation of a Species Rich Wetland – £7,000

- Knocknagael Ltd – Creation of a Species Rich Meadow – £4,270

- Laide and Aultbea Community Woodland – Newt Pond Restoration – £3,439

- National Trust for Scotland (NTS) – Gleann Leac na Muidhe INNS Eradication Partnership – £16,000

- NICE Nairn – Dune Resilience Project Nairn ( Phase 2 ) – £20,110

- Rogart Development Trust – Restoration of the Mart Site – Wildflower Meadow – £2,177

- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – Tern Raft Revival – £16,569

- Scotland the Big Picture – Torlundy Wild Connections – £21,480

- Scottish Wildlife Trust – In-Stream River Restoration at Ben Mor Coigach – £11,287

- Speyside Fields for Wildlife – Glenbeg Habitat Restoration – £15,388

- Strathdearn Community Developments – Wildflower Meadows & Orchard Creation in Community Areas – £8,151

- Boleskine House Foundation SCIO – Tree Planting and Wildflower Seed Harvesting – £6,625

- West Sutherland Fisheries Trust – Eels in Loch Assynt – £4,330

- Wick Development Trust – Wick Riverside Biodiversity Improvements – Phase 2 – £9,100

Applications open on Friday 14 August 2026 and will be assessed on a rolling basis.