Thanks to the support of a committed cohort of donors and funders, OCF’s first ever round of Thriving in Nature grants were paid in August 2024, with multi-year grants totalling £494k given to 12 small local charities.
The Thriving in Nature Fund was launched in 2023, and aims to help more people prosper by engaging with green spaces and the rural environment. The focus is on improving health and wellbeing, and nurturing work opportunities, by supporting charitable organisations to unite people with nature.
The natural environment is well documented as benefiting both mental and physical wellbeing. But access to natural spaces is challenging for more deprived communities, due to lack of affordable transport, lack of confidence, or a feeling of exclusion. The purpose of the Thriving in Nature Fund is to open up the potential of nature for those who are struggling with their mental and physical health, whilst also protecting our environment and green spaces. We are doing this by awarding multi-year grants to small and medium-sized charitable organisations that want to implement a brilliant idea to help people thrive in nature.
The grants used OCF’s best-practice open grant-making process, which is characterised by multi-year grants; flexible and results-focused funding, including for core and staff costs; two-stage applications, to save groups time; a focus on creating a kind and supportive experience for applicants, including meeting face to face and giving feedback; and non-financial support to complement funding, via a supportive volunteer mentor.
The Long Mead Foundation was awarded £59,612 over three years, and is dedicated to supporting the conservation and enhancement of the biodiversity of the floodplain meadows along the Upper Thames. The organisation aims to educate the public on nature-based solutions for climate change, particularly in relation to floodplain meadows, and also offers nature-based activities to adults with special needs. This funding will enable the foundation to work directly with local communities and landowners, engaging them in meadow restoration projects. A weekly nature recovery and plant propagation day will be established and engage a diverse group, including adults with learning disabilities, autism, people with mental and physical health challenges, students, gardeners, and retirees.
21st Century Thame received £9,884 over two years for their “Her Land” project, which helps women and girls to learn about and use regenerative agriculture, and participate in creating a biodiverse, accessible landscape that includes edible food forests and growing plots. Participants gain the skills to heal both themselves and the land, for a healthier, regenerative world for all.
A full list of all the funded projects can be found here.
Contributors the Thriving in Nature fund include: • David and Claudia Harding Foundation • HDH Wills Charitable Trust • John Laing Charitable Trust • Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust • Macfarlane Foundation • Ormonde Charitable Trust • Ponsonby Family Fund • RWK Goodman Charitable Fund • Saunders Family Fund • a group of anonymous donors.
OCF is strongly committed to the Thriving in Nature Fund, and plans to launch a second round of funding at a similar level in 2025. Grants will be paid in summer 2025. We are now seeking contributions to our 2025 Thriving in Nature grants. Please contact OCF’s Head of Development Kate Parrinder if you would like to be involved.