Small Environmental Grants Scheme

Small Environmental Grants Scheme

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Norman Wettenhall Foundation
Amount: A $2,000 - A $15,000
Last Updated: November 01, 2025

Summary

The Small Environmental Grants Scheme supports grassroots projects aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation in Australia, offering grants between $2,000 and $15,000. Eligible applicants include individuals, community groups, and academics partnering with on-ground organizations. Funding is available for initiatives such as data monitoring, community education, and research that demonstrate collaboration and innovation. Projects focused on direct positive environmental impacts are prioritized, while art projects, school projects, and private initiatives are ineligible.

Overview

Providing support for people undertaking projects that will make a positive difference to the natural living environment, in land, sea or air, rural or urban. We support grassroots organisations and individuals, and academics who are working with on-ground community groups. We are looking for projects about flora and fauna conservation around Australia. These projects should involve any of the following: monitoring and recording datacommunity educationproviding community capacity building (training)research and science Grants can be anywhere between $2,000 and $15,000 (but please don’t put a blanket $15,000 in your application as you think it’s the maximum!). We are not government, and we need to see exactly where we can work together. Larger grants will be considered.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Academic applicants can apply for up to AUD$5,000. You must be partnering with an "on ground" group.What we fund:Projects that directly make positive changes to biodiversity conservation in Australia.Projects should have some short term outputs, but also have long term objectives and values.Projects that show the following: enthusiasm, collaboration, passion, innovationProjects that use citizen scienceProjects that are about community education relating to conservationWe can fund equipment, wages, travel or what is essential to you carrying out the project.

Ineligibility

We don't fund: Art projects (even if it has an environmental theme)School projectsBusinesses or start upsEnvironmental consultanciesAdvocacyTree planting, fencing or pest plant or animal controlPrivate property owners or farm projectsWorkshops alone, any workshops need to be a part of a larger project with an ‘action’ componentAnimal or wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisations and their activitiesInvasive monitoringGardens – bush food gardens, sensory gardens, vegie gardens, permaculture, chicken houses, water tanks, arboretums etc Pure academic research – academic applicants need to show how their research is directly linked to a community group doing conservation work. Research needs to be of benefit to those groups working on habitat or species conservation.