Grants

SMEEF operates grant rounds as funds allow. Please sign up to our mailing list for updates and announcements.

Our first grant rounds in 2022-24 focused on project development (getting started, baseline survey and other activation activities) and capital needs (purchase of equipment and improvement to facilities). From 2024 onwards we will allocate our funds across five different themes. They are:

  • Seabed – to encompass work on seagrass, native oysters and other seabed species and habitats,
  • Coastal – to encompass work on saltmarsh, sand dunes and other coastal species and habitats,
  • Wider Seas – to encompass work on mobile species and wider seas,
  • Seabirds – to encompass work aiming to benefit seabirds, and
  • Research – funding work on strategic data and knowledge gaps.

Each theme will be structured to support the growing network of enhancement projects around Scotland. We will always endeavour to make the rounds as useful and accessible as possible. So, whether your project is about collaboration and engagement, survey or sampling, planting or propagation as long as saltwater plays a crucial role in the natural life cycle of the species and habitats at the heart of your project SMEEF will try to help.

For-profit organisations are welcome to apply to SMEEF, but they should form part of a consortium application with a non-profit or community group. SMEEF does not fund campaign related work or statutory functions.

Our grant fund is currently closed for applications. In the meantime you can read about the types of projects funded and case studies in our Impact Report and view previous (and ongoing) projects on our map or on our Projects page. 

You can register for our mailing list by emailing info@smeef.scot. 

Grant Giving ThemeGrants Status
SeabedClosed for Expressions of Interest
CoastalClosed for applications
Wider SeasClosed for applications
SeabirdsClosed for applications
ResearchClosed for applications

Grants

SMEEF is delighted to have run our first privately financed grant round and we would like to express our gratitude to the donors who have made this possible.

SMEEF is currently closed for new grant applications. The following is general guidance and is subject to change without notice.

Join our mailing list to stay up to date – email info@smeef.scot.

What kind of projects will be supported?

SMEEF is a flexible fund that responds to the needs of the marine restoration community in Scotland.

Projects should always:

  • Be as collaborative as possible and have a clear engagement plan for involving interested groups,
  • Demonstrate clear additionality to existing and already committed actions,
  • Be informed by science; driven by knowledge and backed up by monitoring.

There is no maximum or minimum physical size of project. We encourage applicants to work at a manageable scale where outcomes can be measured and to consider the strategic fit with other protection and enhancement measures such as the Marine Protected Areas network and national and regional marine planning. 

Please note that there is a lot of useful advice available on the NatureScot website. In particular, applicants are encouraged to pay close attention to the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations and, where relevant, the Community Led Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Handbook. 

If you would like to discuss your application please email grants@smeef.scot.

SMEEF is currently closed for applications.

Conditions of Funding

The following general conditions apply to SMEEF funding:

  • We will not normally fund exactly the same project twice. However we can fund a new phase of an ongoing or existing project. 
  • We cannot pay for activities that have already started. 
  • The applicant(s) must be based in the UK and all projects must be delivered in Scotland. 
  • Projects should focus on the marine and coastal environment. The habitats and species at the heart of the project should be reliant on the marine environment as a major part of their nutrient or life cycle. 

Please note – All outputs must be open access, have a robust methodology and be reviewed by relevant experts.

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What costs can be funded?

Costs that can usually be funded:

  • Staff costs inclusive of salary, National Insurance and Employee Pension Contributions
  • Professional fees that are appropriate and proportionate to the project
  • Project staff travel and subsistence to cover staff and any volunteers supporting delivery of the project activities
  • Project evaluation – additional costs for measuring success and evaluating the project
  • Equipment and resources to deliver the project
  • Dissemination of the project outcomes
  • Irrecoverable VAT
  • In addition, we recognise that each site/proposal is unique and other non-standard items may be needed. You should discuss any other costs you are considering applying for with a SMEEF member of staff before you submit your application.

What will not be funded?

  • SMEEF is unable to fund statutory functions
  • The main applicant cannot be a for profit company, however they can make up a minority interest of a consortium bid
  • The project can include financial returns or cost recovery through a financial mechanism but the main aim of the project must be biodiversity/ecosystem gains, not profit.
  • SMEEF will not fund political activity or campaigns
  • Creation or repairing of tracks for access to sites will not normally be funded
  • SMEEF will not usually be able to cover ‘Full Cost Recovery’ for staff posts
How to apply

This grant is currently closed. Join our mailing list to stay up to date – email info@smeef.scot

Engagement, Equity and Diversity

We know that early involvement of as wide a range of people as possible in your project has many benefits. By talking to people about your plans, involving them in the design of the project and helping them overcome any barriers to getting involved you are not only creating a pool of potential advocates and volunteers, but you are also helping to ensure that, long after your funding ends, your project continues to be embedded in the community.

SMEEF asks applicants to submit an engagement plan along with their request for funding. This should be proportionate to your project and demonstrate how you have engaged, or plan to engage, with local communities and also communities of interest. We are keen to know how you will identify and attempt to remove barriers which might stand in the way of people with protected characteristics* from getting involved as well as how your project will deliver opportunities to improve well-being.

*Protected Characteristics

  •   age;
  •   disability;
  •   gender reassignment;
  •   marriage and civil partnership;
  •   pregnancy and maternity;
  •   race;
  •   religion or belief;
  •   sex;
  •   sexual orientation.

Other sources of funding

The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund is not the only source of funding available to restoration projects, for example, you could approach local aquaculture and renewable energy companies in your area for direct funding. Here are some additional ideas for places to look for support. Please check with the organisations concerned for more details.

NatureScot

  • The Sottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund is a competitive fund administered by NatureScot which supports projects that restore wildlife and habitats on land and sea and address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. They are currently open for accepting applications to* Transforming Nature Development projects. 

Application deadline: Thursday the 28th of November at 12pm for a decision March 2025

* Development phase funding is available for a maximum of one year and all NRF projects must be completed by the end of March 2026. 

Crown Estate Scotland

The Sustainable Communities Fund supports local regeneration and sustainable development. It’s a fund supporting two grant programmes:

  • Community Capacity Grants, which provide early-stage financial support for community enterprise projects. This programme is open to all communities up to five miles from Scotland’s coastline or within five miles of our rural estates.
  • Environment Grants, which provide funding to Crown Estate Scotland tenants only, for projects which can deliver demonstrable environmental benefits within 18 months of award of funds

Foundation Scotland

 A diverse range of funding programmes benefitting communities across Scotland.

Sea-Changers

A small grants fund run by volunteers and covering grass roots activities across the UK.

Photos by ©Getty Images (Image 1) and Philip Price/seawilding.org (Image 2)

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