Applying for a grant for your club's Marine Champions project may seem daunting, but securing funding if you need it is possible.
In this brief guide, we outline our top tips for grant fundraising to help enhance your chances of a successful outcome for your Marine Champions project plans!
TOP TIPS
1. Be clear on your project
Before you ask for funding for your project, you need to be clear as to what your project is: what issue/s it is looking to address, it’s aims, how and where it will be delivered, how it will be measured and what the benefits will be. You will also need to devise a realistic budget and outline exactly what this budget will be spent on. Finally, have a clear plan as to how you need to fund this – including existing funding, potential in-kind partnerships, and the balance you need to source funding for.
2. Do your research
All grant funding bodies have their preferred projects/action areas and related eligibility criteria, so when researching potential funders, these criteria should be your first port of call.
Doing your homework first on the most appropriate grant-making bodies available will save you time in the long run. It also means you don’t waste your efforts applying for a grant that your project is not actually eligible for.
3. Match your potential funder to your project
Look for grant funding bodies that are closely aligned to your specific club project – whether that is the project’s focus, overall objective and/or geographical location.
Case study: For her club’s marine survey project – Project Portunus – which focused on the specific environment of harbours, marine life surveys and the geographical region of the South East of England, Marine Champion Alison Mayor was able to source grant funding from Sea-Changers, The Solent Forum Natural Environment Group and The Clean Harbours Partnership.
“ My advice would be to really understand the evaluation criteria. If you don't need a lot of money then local organisations may be your best bet. They can also help to build your network and the results will have much more interest to others in the community. Clubs could also explore collaborative projects with other branches.”
- Alison Mayor, Nautical Archaeology Society SAC
4. Use online tools to search for funders
There are numerous websites where you to search for grant funding bodies. These enable you to tailor your search to focus area, project type and location. Websites to consider include:
- Environmental Funders Network - https://www.greenfunders.org
- National Biodiversity Network - https://nbn.org.uk/news/funding-and-grants-8/
- Find A Grant (Government service) - https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk
- Directory of Grant-making Trusts (2026/7) - https://www.dsc.org.uk/publication/the-directory-of-grant-making-trusts-2026-27/
5. Look local
If your Marine Champions project has a clear and positive benefit for your local environment and/or communities, then research local funders who have an incentive to come on board. These can include:
- Your Local Authority (search the government services and information website) or Community Foundations
- Local businesses
- Corporate Funds (local and national) – for example, Aviva Community Fund, Tesco Stronger Starts)
- Specialist funds with a specific geographical location – for example, focusing on North East communities tackling climate change and/or sustainability.
- Regional branches of national environmental charities – for example, some regional offices within The Wildlife Trusts run their own community funds.
6. Don’t forget the national funding ‘pots’
As well as potential local funders, you could also research national organisations that may fund your Marine Champions project, depending on its aims and objectives.
Submitting a grant application to a national funding body can be time-consuming and are much more competitive as they experience high demand. But if your application shows a clear synergy with the funder and its grant application criteria as well as a measurable benefit, then you have a chance of getting your application noticed.
[Note: with some of the larger bodies, be prepared for much more complex submissions. Also, make sure you read their eligibility criteria, as some funds will only consider a larger organisation such as a charity or Community Interest Company, and not individuals.]
Larger funders to consider include:
The Jubilee Trust
The British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust is a grant-making body and the charitable arm of BSAC which can provide funding for science-based expeditions or projects that also have benefits for the wider diving community. They award grants three times a year: March (application deadline 31 January), July (deadline 31 May) and October (deadline 31 August).
[Note: the BSAJT does not fund equipment (for example, litter picking kit or survey equipment) and there needs to be a scientific purpose/outcome to the project you are applying for.]
The National Lottery Community Fund
One of their four funding priorities is ‘environmentally sustainable communities’, which includes protecting nature and reducing environmental harm. They have several national and regional funding programmes that may be worth a look.
Sport England Movement Fund
While this fund has an active communities focus, it does include some opportunities for environment and sustainability projects that improve a community’s natural environment. The fund offers grants as well as match-crowdfunding.
Sea-Changers
This UK-based grant-making charity is particularly interested in grassroots projects that galvanise community action and increase the number of people taking action for marine conservation.
Sea-Changers has two grants available: their main grant (of up to £2,500) which has two application rounds per year and their small grant scheme, which has an open application process for funding of up to £500.
Sea-Changers also has a Scotland-specific fund - The Scottish Learning Fund – which supports community networking, learning and skill development.
The Porcupine Trust
A smaller grant funding body, The Porcupine Trust focuses its work on marine natural history and data recording. They offer small grants for projects that align with the trust’s objectives and can also be a great resource for advice.
7. Crowdfunding
This is another fundraising option to consider, particularly if you have a potential partner that would consider match-funding, you are submitting an application to partners such as the Sport England Movement Fund, or if it is appropriate to your project.
While not marine environment-related, Sub C Divers’ story on how they raised £30,000 through crowdfunding makes an interesting read.
For further inspiration from other BSAC clubs who have been successful in grant fundraising, you can also read BSAC’s Ten Steps to Grant Success guide. And Mercian Divers have also outlined their own grant-fundraising experience.
Good luck with your grant-fundraising!
If you have any specific questions regarding your Marine Champions project, or you would like to share your own fundraising experiences or successes, please drop the team an email at marinechampions@bsac.com
