Alongside the new fund, a new crowdfunding initiative developed by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, in partnership with community fundraising platform Spacehive, is being launched to help residents propose, promote, and raise money for projects that improve their local environment. The platform will support communities in turning ideas for greener, healthier neighbourhoods into reality. Eligible projects could include community gardens, habitat creation, tree planting, pollinator-friendly spaces, improvements to parks and green spaces, and initiatives that help people connect with nature and the outdoors.

To help projects get off the ground, the Mayor's Community Nature Fund may also contribute up to £6,000 towards selected projects, covering up to 50% of a fundraising target. This new support has been made available through Local Nature Recovery Strategy funding from the Government, backing community-led action to enhance biodiversity, improve access to nature and create greener spaces that benefit both people and wildlife.

Details of the application process and eligibility can be found on the Spacehive platform. Community groups interested in applying are invited to attend an online creator workshop on Monday 13 July from 10am to 11am. The session will provide information about the programme, the crowdfunding process and practical advice on developing successful campaigns. Interested groups can reserve a place for the event by signing up here.

The launch of the Mayor's Community Nature Fund comes as growing attention is focused on the importance of restoring nature and building societal and economic resilience across the region. The publication of the West of England State of Nature report in June and the creation of a new £5 million Nature Fund for larger projects are significant steps to reverse biodiversity decline and connect people with nature.

The announcement came at the Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership’s Community Network meeting, held at Redcatch Community Garden in Knowle, which regularly brings together local groups taking action on climate and nature.

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Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

"The West of England should be a place where people and nature thrive side by side, with richer habitats, healthier green spaces, and stronger connections between communities and our natural world.

"Across our region, local people are already doing incredible work to help restore waterways, create wildlife habitats, plant trees, and transform neglected spaces.

"Through my new Community Nature Fund, I want to help even more of these ideas flourish. By backing community-led nature projects, we can not only support nature to recover but also create places that people can enjoy, take pride in and protect for future generations.”

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Tom Shakhli, Head of Impact at Spacehive, said:

"We're proud to launch this new crowdfunding programme with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, to help residents drive transformative, positive change in their local area.

"What excites me most is the range of ideas residents bring to us. We've tried hard to keep the platform simple to get started with, and one happy result is that lots of our creators are fundraising for the very first time.

"We support them at every stage, with online workshops, one-to-one help and practical resources covering everything from costing a project to promoting a campaign. I can't wait to see the vision people have for restoring and improving the spaces around them.”

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Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council; Councillor Tony Dyer, Deputy Mayor of the West of England and Leader of Bristol City Council; Councillor Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council; Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, and Councillor Ian Boulton, Co-Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said in a joint statement:

“Our residents are leading inspiring efforts to make wildlife and nature thrive in their communities. With the launch of the Mayor's Community Nature Fund, we hope that their projects and ambitions can reach new heights.”

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Lizzi Testani, CEO of Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, said:

"As the recent heatwaves gave us a taste of how climate change will impact our region - and also compound existing inequalities – it becomes essential that funding is spent cleverly to solve this along with other problems, at once.

“Community-based organisations are at the frontlines of ‘multi-solving’ – now ‘being a place to go during heatwaves’ added to their list of support for communities. They are ideally placed to enable nature connection, provide cool spaces during heatwaves and grow regional resilience - so we urgently need new funders, including local businesses, to step up and support these local and community-based responses.

“We are delighted that this new platform, along with the Mayor’s Community Nature Fund, was launched at today's Community Climate & Nature Action Network meeting. The Network is a collective of organisations who have produced climate and nature action plans with, and for, their diverse communities. The new Mayor’s Community Nature Fund and crowdfunding initiative will help connect these organisations with potential financial supporters and turn plans into realities.”

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