Partnership Grants Scheme

We are currently accepting Expressions of Interest for between £250,000 and £1,000,000 to the 2025 Partnership Grants Scheme. Expressions of Interest can now be submitted for the Built Environment and Natural Environment themes.

Partnership Grants Scheme Overview
Built Environment projects should restore, modernise and/or improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres. You should be able to demonstrate regional or national significance and how the facility will be inclusive and how it will inspire creativity and participation amongst tourists and day visitors. The facilities must be open to the general public for a published period of at least 104 days each year.

Natural Environment projects should support a variety of living things including all species of plants and animals, along with the habitats and natural processes that support them.  It is important that species and habitats are protected and restored, that there are functioning natural processes, and that the environment can adapt to threats such as climate change. Projects should support the delivering of commitments within your country’s Environmental Improvement Plan, legally-binding targets from the Environment Act 2021 or priorities identified within Local Nature Recovery Strategies.  

If you are interested in submitting an Expression of Interest, please read our Guidance Notes.

Submission dates and deadlines:
Expression of Interest submission deadline date: Noon 30 May 2025
Outcome of Expression of Interest submission: Late July 2025
Outcome of Full Application submission (if invited forward): December 2025
Commencement of work on site: February 2026
First claim due: May 2026
Project completion: February 2027

Preference will be given to projects:

• Where Biffa Award is recognised as the majority funder 
• That work in partnership with other organisations 
• Which engage with the public 
• That demonstrate environmental sustainability and ways to mitigate impact during delivery and beyond 
• That demonstrate regional/national significance 

General Criteria
The organisation must be a fully constituted, charitable or not-for-profit organisation with no share capital. Unfortunately, local authorities, hospices, hospitals, day-care centres, rehabilitation units, residential care facilities, allotment sites, activity centres, wellness centres and schools/colleges are not eligible to make an application through the Biffa Award scheme. 

Village halls, community centres and churches are excluded from making an application to the Partnership Grants Scheme.

The project must be eligible for registration with the schemes regulator, Entrust, and must meet the following criteria: 

• Application value must be between £250,000 – £1,000,000 
• The project site must be within 15 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa Landfill Site (please refer to the postcode checker for this fund at the bottom of this page and save the address as you will need this to submit your application) 
• The project site must ALSO be within 10 miles of a licenced landfill site (please click here to check eligibility and save the address as you will need this to submit your application) 
• A Third Party Contributor to fund 10% of the application value should be identified (this could come from your own reserves if you are not a registered Environmental Body) 
• The project must not cross the two themes 
• All shortfall funding must be secured 
• Work must start in February 2026 and finish within one year  
• Natural Environment projects should support your country’s Environmental Improvement Plan, any legally-binding targets from the Environment Act 2021, or priorities identified within Local Nature Recovery Strategies
• Minimum of 104 days of published and full public access each year 
• Any Biffa Award grant must be used for site-based improvement work, not for movable equipment, staff core costs or storage facilities 
• Red Book Valuation at stage two will be required for any land purchase applications under the Natural Environment theme 
• Planning permission must have been granted prior to the submission of an Expression of Interest  
• If the organisation does not own the project site a fully signed lease with at least 25 years remaining must be in place for Built Environment applications. We cannot accept any other forms of agreement, including but not limited to draft agreements, letters of intent, heads of terms, subleases or underleases  
• A fully signed landowner agreement, giving permission to access the site for maintenance, surveying and monitoring for at least 25 years post completion of the project must be in in place for Natural Environment projects, if the applicant does not own the land 

Please note you cannot re-apply for funding on the same site of a previous Biffa Award grant within one year of receiving your final payment. 

Only one application per organisation will be considered at the Board meeting.