National Parks and AONB Sustainable Development Fund.

The Sustainable Development Fund gives financial aid to projects that improve quality of life while maintaining and enhancing Wales' natural beauty.

The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) is a Welsh Assembly Government initiative.

The scheme provides up to 75% of the costs for projects that conserve and enhance the special qualities of our landscape, including its culture, wildlife and land use. The SDF welcomes applications that focus on environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects of life.

Where is the SDF available?

The SDF is available within the following:

• Wales’s 5 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty  - Wye Valley, Gower, Llŷn, Anglesey and the Clwydian Range
• Wales’s 3 National Parks – the Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast, and Snowdonia
• Outside of these areas where the fund will have a positive impact on one or more of these protected landscapes.

Who can apply for SDF funding?

• Community, Voluntary and Partnership Groups
• Community Councils
• Local Authorities
• The private sector (for projects which are in the wider public interest).
• Individuals (for projects which are in the wider public interest).

What type of projects will be supported?

Projects that meet the aims of the scheme and help to deliver the objectives of the AONB or National Park management plan by:

• Conserving and enhancing the beauty of the area, including the built environment, e.g. habitat improvement for water voles and otters, archaeological surveys, projects to promote awareness of the marine environment, the restoration of moorland, reinstatement of traditional boundaries.
• Promoting sustainable forms of social and economic development that will help conserve and enhance the area, e.g. the support of local produce markets.
• Promoting the economic and social well-being of local communities,e.g.promoting local bus services, creating or restoring green spaces.
• Promoting quiet enjoyment of the area, e.g. the production of circular walks leaflet and booklets, the development of Forest Fitness circuits.

Priority will be given to projects which:

• Demonstrate innovation or good practice
• Involve young people and local communities
• Lever in contributions from other sources in cash or in kind
• Overcome barriers to sustainability and promote a wider understanding of sustainability
• Promote sustainable forms of social and economic development or add value to existing sustainability projects
• Raise awareness of AONBs and National Parks
• Generate jobs or income for local communities without damaging the landscape.

How much money does the SDF provide?

Funds available each financial year are:

• £50,000 for projects within each AONB
• £250,000 for projects within each National Park

The scheme will provide project grants, management grants to support staff costs, and development grants to provide a catalyst for new action and partnerships.

The scheme provides up to 75% of total project costs in exceptional circumstances, but will normally provide 50%. Payments will normally be paid retrospectively.

Applicants will be expected to provide the rest of the total project costs, either from their own funds or with match funds such as grant funds or ‘in kind’ contributions such as volunteer time, European Funds or Lottery Funds. Central government funds such as from the Welsh Government cannot be used to match fund SDF grants.