Application Process

How to apply

To apply, you will need to complete an application form.

Before applying, we would encourage you to contact us to discuss your application. Ideally, the Farming in Protected Landscapes project officers might visit your potential project location or meet you to discuss your ideas.

Applications for the first year of Programme funding should be made between 1st July 2021 and 31st January 2022. Funding will be awarded to successful applicants throughout the application window, rather than after the window closes, so you should submit your application as soon as it is ready.

We will also consider applications for funding in year two, especially if they aim to begin early in the financial year.

Multi-year awards are possible for longer projects. All projects must end by March 2024.

Application Assessment

Applications for over £5,000 will be judged by a Local Assessment Panel. This kind of system has been used locally before for the Northumberland Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund. 

The Local Assessment Panel will be made up of 8 to 12 people. It will include representatives from the Northumberland Coast AONB, Natural England, representatives from the farming and land management community, and specialists.

We expect that the panel will meet to make decisions every 6 to 8 weeks.

Applications for less than £5,000 will be decided upon by a senior member of the AONB team (who has no prior knowledge of the project).

Applications will be scored on:

Fit with Programme Outcomes – 40% of scoring weighting

Value for money – 20%

Sustainability / legacy – 20%

Deliverability – 20%

Agreements

Capital infrastructure assets (including, but not limited to, fences, gates, building restoration), should be maintained for five years from the date of completion. 

Machinery assets (to deliver conservation work, for example a brush harvester for grassland restoration) should be maintained for five years from the date of purchase. 

The requirement to maintain natural, cultural and access activities (for example, management of grassland, restoration of a limekiln) delivered as part of programme will cease no later than 1 April 2024.