Grants

The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s Supporting Rural Communities grants programme will open for applications on 1st September 2022. Applications can be submitted via the online portal at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants and you can book a session to speak to our grants team ahead of your application. We are inviting applications of up to £25,000 over two years that will have an impact on rural communities in the UK, and particularly welcome applications from groups and organisations with projects in hamlets, villages, and small market towns. Applications should come from community-led organisations with projects pursuing solutions that improve the viability and resilience of their community.

Please note, the eligibility criteria has recently been updated, so please make sure you read the guidance notes before submitting your application.

You can see case studies from recent beneficiaries, such as the village hall at Barton Bendish, Norfolk, on our YouTube channel.

Free support for UK farm businesses

British farming is facing relentless uncertainty, but The Prince’s Countryside Fund offers family farms access to immediate, local and practical support and a path to a sustainable future.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund offers free farm resilience programmes across the UK to help family farm businesses ensure a more sustainable future.

Our programmes, which are run in a number of locations across the UK, provide business and environmental skills training and are tailored to your local area. These programmes will begin in the autumn. Farmers can register their interest at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience

Churchill fellowships

Are you passionate about strengthening rural life? Would you like to explore new ideas and different approaches from around the world to achieve this?

The Churchill Fellowship is partnering with The Prince’s Countryside Fund to run a programme of Fellowships exploring Rural communities.

A Fellowship funds you to spend up to two months discovering new solutions and best practice from leading practitioners anywhere in the world and supports you to apply that learning and make change happen in the UK.

Applications open on 13th September for projects that explore multidisciplinary approaches for strengthening rural life in all its aspects. Churchill Fellowships are open to all adult UK citizens regardless of age, qualifications or background. They can be undertaken in person or online. For details please visit www.churchillfellowship.org and sign up to receive application alerts at the bottom of the homepage if you are interested.

Become a Friend

We’re working to create a real future for rural Britain, but we need your help. A monthly gift of as little as £3 enables family farms to thrive and empowers rural communities right across the UK. We’re asking people to become a Friend of the Countryside because there are people in real need in our rural areas, like those who call Tir Dewi, a farm support network in Wales, who’ve benefitted from our grant programme.

Gareth, director of Tir Dewi, explains: “The pressure facing farmers can be huge. Simply having someone to talk to can be a lifeline. We also send volunteers on-farm and gradually work on the problems, not for the farmers but with them. Without us, there are several farms that would have failed. The concerns of farmer mental health – farmer breakdown, hospitalization and suicide – are grave. Working with The Prince’s Countryside Fund has made a significant difference; we simply wouldn’t be able to survive without them.”

Please join us in our mission and support our countryside from just £3 a month at:
www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/friends

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