New funding will help us – on behalf of Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest – to establish a template for how private funding can be made more accessible to organisations and land managers working on habitat restoration. 

Thanks to the new award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS) grant scheme, we are leading the new project for the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, a voluntary partnership of more than 25 organisations that are committed to collaborative action for the benefit of Scotland’s rainforest.

We work in partnership with communities, public agencies, third sector and private organisations to design and implement projects that make a difference to people and landscapes. Through our rainforest restoration work, we are part of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, which leads Saving Scotland’s Rainforest project to protect and restore this globally important habitat, and half of what remains of Scotland’s rainforest can be found in Argyll and Bute.

“We’re hoping to establish a template for how the relationship between Alliance partners and private investors, who operate in different worlds, could work.” says ACT chief executive Julie Young. “Private investors are interested in nature restoration, and we’re keen to find a way of helping them to do that in a way that benefits not just our rainforest, but also the people who live and work in it.”

Photos by Ian Dow/ACT

Finding a way to make private funding accessible to small organisations like ACT is going to make a huge difference to habitat restoration work in Argyll and beyond.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland Caroline Clark says: “FIRNS is an exciting opportunity to explore new ideas on how we attract vital investment to support the restoration of nature in Scotland. We are funding over £1.8m in grants to develop investment models that are good for nature, good for communities and good for the economy. 

“At the National Lottery Heritage Fund we are passionate about communities being at the heart of what we fund, and community involvement is vital to these projects. It is thanks to National Lottery Players that we can support this innovative work.”

About the Facility for Investment Ready Nature In Scotland (FIRNS) 

The Facility for Investment Ready Nature In Scotland (FIRNS) is delivered by NatureScot in partnership with National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The projects will make a key contribution to helping grow the use of responsible private investment and market-based mechanisms to finance the restoration of Scotland’s nature, while bringing benefits to communities.

These will be undertaken by a range of organisations, frequently working in partnership, and including private individuals and companies, community organisations, charities and trusts, and public bodies. 

About the National Lottery Heritage Fund 

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. 

Read more on the Heritage Fund website.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund 

Follow our Scottish accounts @HeritageFundSCO on Twitter and @HeritageFundScotland on Facebook

Each week, National Lottery players raise £30 million for good causes across the UK.