Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT)
Funding
£200,000 – £1,000,000
Location
England
Applications
Open until 30 September 2026
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier pays farmers and land managers to protect, restore, or improve the environment on their land. It covers woodland, farmland, nature reserves, SSSIs, commons, and scheduled monuments. You can only apply if you have been invited to get pre-application advice from Natural England or the Forestry Commission. The scheme runs until 31 March 2029.
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Must have received an invitation to get pre-application advice from Natural England or the Forestry Commission
- Must be a farmer or land manager in England
- Land must be eligible, such as SSSIs, commons, woodlands, or scheduled monuments
This is for farmers and land managers in England who manage environmentally sensitive land, such as SSSIs, commons, woodlands, or scheduled monuments. You must have been invited to receive pre-application advice from Natural England or the Forestry Commission. It is not open to anyone who has not received that invitation.
Regions
Awards published
53,000
Typical award
£11,250
Most awards
£2,895 to £35,000
Most funded region
South West
363 awards in 2025, down from 14,963 the year before.
Recent awards include KIMO UK (£35,745, 2025), Fruits of the Sea Ltd (£74,045, 2025) and Forest of Avon Trust (£25,000, 2025).
This funder has made 53,000 awards with a typical award of £11,250. Would you qualify?
See if you'd qualifyContains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.
Full details from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency
The Farmer Collaboration Fund aims to support farmers, land managers and growers to manage land in a productive, nature-friendly and sustainable way by funding delivery partners to facilitate collaboration. Delivery partners can apply to provide support that helps farmers share experiences, learn from each other, and try new working practices. Round 1 opens at midday on 1 September 2026 and closes at 11:59pm on 30 September 2026.
You must first receive an invitation from Natural England or the Forestry Commission. They will provide pre-application advice before you can proceed. Applications are managed through the Rural Payments Agency.
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