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Guidance

National Education Nature Park: 2026 to 2027 academic year funding criteria guidance

Updated 9 June 2026

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-education-nature-park-grant-funding/national-education-nature-park-2026-to-2027-academic-year-funding-criteria-guidance

Eligibility criteria

Funding for the 2026 to 2027 academic year is available for 765 settings. Eligible settings may receive up to £5,000.

Eligible settings must meet all of the following criteria to apply. They must:

  • be in a lower-layer super output area (LSOA) in category 1 or 2 of Natural England’s accessible natural greenspace inequalities indicator
  • be in an LSOA with an index of multiple deprivation (IMD) decile score between 1 and 3
  • have submitted a school-level census return in the spring term of the 2025 to 2026 academic year
  • be listed as eligible for funding for the 2026 to 2027 academic year
  • have not previously been eligible for nature park grant funding

Alternatively, education settings who were eligible for the National Education Nature Park grant in academic year 2025 to 2026 but were not awarded funding are eligible to apply again for funding for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Application process and eligible settings

The Royal Horticultural Society will contact eligible settings during the summer term with application information. You can find a list of these settings in the National Education Nature Park: 2026 to 2027 academic year eligible educational settings.

Eligible settings who fulfil the application criteria will be able to apply from September 2026.

If the setting is part of a multi-academy trust, other settings in the trust may also be eligible. They are listed separately.

How to use the grant

The grant should be used to add biodiversity and enable its monitoring or measuring.

Settings may use the funding to make ‘grey’ spaces green with biodiversity improvements, such as:

  • planters
  • trees
  • green walls
  • water butts
  • grasslands
  • ponds

Settings may also improve existing ponds or add hedges to green space. Other eligible expenditure includes:

  • gardening equipment, such as tools and waterproofs
  • fieldwork equipment, such as camera traps and digital hand-held devices
  • specialist support from contractors for installation and consultation

Local nature recovery strategies (LNRS)

Settings may also use guidance from their LNRS which meets the above biodiversity improvements or eligible expenditures.

LNRS map nature recovery actions to target actions in locations where they are most needed and where they provide the best environmental outcomes to reverse the decline of biodiversity. There are 48 strategy areas which cover the whole of England. You can find your LNRS from the eligible settings spreadsheet, or by using the LNRS areas map.

Contact your LNRS directly to:

  • agree priorities for nature’s recovery
  • map the most valuable existing areas for nature
  • establish shared proposals for what action they should take to recover nature and where
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