UK Nature Expressions of Interest

Expressions of Interest submissions are now closed for the first round of the Accelerator. Submissions will reopen for the second round in spring 2024.

The UK Nature Accelerator (the Accelerator) will operate as the ‘technical assistance’[1] programme for the UK Nature Impact Fund (UK Nature), and will be delivered by Federated Hermes and Finance Earth.

UK Nature is a pioneering impact fund that supports high-quality natural capital projects and businesses engaged in the restoration of nature across land, river, coastal and marine environments, helping to deliver much needed financing for the recovery of UK biodiversity.

The Accelerator will help projects become ‘investment ready’ on behalf of UK Nature, by providing support in developing financial models, transaction structures and contracting; everything you need to build and refine the project’s investment case.

Both the UK Nature Impact Fund and the Accelerator are seeking proposals for UK-based Woodland Carbon Code, Peatland Code, or Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) projects. To receive investment from UK Nature or participate in the Accelerator, projects need to be at a specific stage of development. The Accelerator is designed to provide support to projects or potential projects that are not yet investment ready, and the requirements of the Accelerator are therefore less detailed than those of UK Nature.

To receive support from the Accelerator, participants will need to be able to provide:

 

In addition to this, projects will be assessed for their alignment with UK Nature social and environmental impact screening, including:

  • Targeted delivery of measurable environmental benefits, such as habitat creation, species recovery, or carbon sequestration/abatement
  • A holistic approach: consideration of site biodiversity and broader ecological health
  • Positive social impact, such as local job creation or provision of public access to green space, alongside consideration of downside social risk including the risk of undermining anchor businesses in rural communities

 

Next Steps

The UK Nature team will screen applications and contact those applicants which the team thinks could be ready to receive investment from UK Nature, or be accepted on the Accelerator programme, to provide more information and discuss next steps.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at uknature@finance.earth.

 

[1] Technical assistance refers to support in delivering outputs such as financial models, capacity building, and the provision of relevant resources.