Stronger Shores Community Grants (United Kingdom)

Stronger Shores are learning how underwater habitats such as seagrass meadows, kelp forests, and native oyster reefs can naturally protect their coastlines from erosion and flooding, improve water quality, and create habitats for wildlife.

They also believe that a healthy coastal and marine environment means a more beautiful place that people want to live, work, and visit.

Funding Information

• Size of Grant: £500 to £5,000.

Funding Criteria

• Projects and activities must take place in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham, Hartlepool, or Redcar and Cleveland.
• Stronger Shores must fund over 50% of the total project costs.
• All funded projects should have an element of community engagement.
• Projects need to demonstrate how they link to Stronger Shores vision.
• Projects should be completed within 12 months of the grant offer.

What can be applied for?

• The following list indicates what can be applied for but may not include everything.
  • Capital items and equipment
  • Sessional costs
  • Transport costs
  • Trips and excursions
  • Learning activities
  • Art and creative activities
  • Citizen science and research

Ineligible Funding

• Capital and building works
• Legal and/or statutory responsibilities
• Costs for any activity/project that has taken place before a grant is awarded
• Fundraising and sponsorship
• Campaigning and party-political activity
• For profit or commercial activity
• General contributions to large projects or fundraising appeals
• Purchase of a vehicle including boats
• Projects or activities that do not clearly link to the Stronger Shores project and community grants aims outlined above
• Projects and activities of personal or individual benefit
• Organisation start-up costs.

Eligible Projects

• They want to support a broad range of projects that are community led, and support the Stronger Shores mission of understanding how natural marine habitats can protect their coastline.
• They want communities and people to be part of this by building understanding of underwater habitats (seagrass, kelp, and native oysters), how the coastline is changing with the climate crisis, and what action individuals and groups can take to help protect and restore the marine and coastal environment.
• Funding can be for new or existing projects and activities which:
  • Improve people’s understanding of the marine and coastal environment in the North East of England, and how it helps protect their coastlines.
  • Enable people to better look after the marine and coastal environment and the wildlife that lives there.
  • Explore how the coast is changing over time due to the climate crisis and other man-made impacts such as over-fishing.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following can apply:
  • Constituted Community Groups
  • Registered Charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisations
  • Parish and Town Councils
  • Schools
  • Registered social enterprises, CIC’s, companies limited by guarantee that have been registered for at least 12 months
  • Other not-for-profit businesses (as evidenced in your Articles of Association) with charitable aims.
  • All applicants must have at least three unrelated management committee members or Company Directors.
  • Applicants must have a bank or building society account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories. If this is not in place then another organisation, such as a Community Voluntary and Action Service, can accept the funding on behalf of your group.

Ineligible Applicants

• Individuals
• Community groups without a constitution
• Statutory Organisations
• Organisations subject to an investigation in any legal capacity.

For more information, visit Stronger Shores.