The Fore launches Nature Recovery Fund
Howard Lake | 9 November 2026 | News
The Fore, the UK’s venture philanthropy fund for high-potential small charities and social enterprises, has launched a Nature Recovery Fund to support conservation organisations restoring habitats and protecting wildlife across the UK.
Three organisations, up to £52,000 each
Funded by an individual philanthropist who wants to help Britain’s wildlife flourish, the fund will give three grassroots conservation organisations up to £45,000 each in unrestricted funding over up to three years. Each will also receive £7,000 worth of professional mentoring, training, skilled volunteering and practical support, bringing the total package to up to £52,000 per organisation.
The fund will focus on rewilding and nature restoration: organisations that restore and connect natural habitats, work with landowners and local communities, and encourage wider participation in conservation.
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Mary Rose Gunn, Founder and CEO of The Fore, said:
“Some of the most promising solutions to Britain’s environmental challenges come from smaller charities and social enterprises with the passion, expertise and local knowledge to make a real difference. Yet many struggle to secure the funding and practical support they need to grow and reach their full potential.”
How and when to apply
Registration for the Spring 2027 funding round opens at 12pm on Wednesday 25 November 2026 and closes at 12pm on Friday 4 December 2026. Applicants will go through The Fore’s Dragons’ Den-style funding process, culminating in funding panels in April 2027, when the successful organisations are expected to be selected. Details are on The Fore’s website.
Why environmental causes need funding
The Fore points to the RSPB’s State of Nature Report 2023, which found the abundance of monitored wildlife species in the UK has fallen by an average of 19% since 1970, with about one in six species assessed in Great Britain threatened with extinction. It also cites Big Give’s Green Match Fund Annual Impact Report 2025, which found only 5% of UK public charitable giving goes to environmental causes.
The new fund builds on the £315,000 The Fore has awarded through its Sustainability and Environment Fund since December 2024. Organisations previously supported include Youngwilders, a youth-led nature recovery initiative that has created 348 acres of new habitat and mobilised more than 1,600 young people since connecting with The Fore in 2023.
- Big Give’s Green Match Fund raises £8.1 million (29 April 2025)
- Funding opportunities and developments for charities in June 2026 (12 June 2026)
- Applications open for 2025’s Big Give Green Match Fund, plus more funding news (6 November 2024)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.