Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency Grants
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency has 5 open funds listed here, 4 of which accept applications all year.
Checked daily. Last updated 12 November 2026.
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).
Contains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.
What Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency funds
Counted across the 5 open funds on this page.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
PA3 Woodland Management Plan grant
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency
The Rural Payments Agency (Defra) pays land managers in England a one-off £1,500 to £3,000 or more to write a 10-year woodland management plan under capital item PA3. Payment is £1,500 flat for 0.5 to 50 hectares. From 51 to 100 hectares it is £1,500 plus £30 per extra hectare. Above 100 hectares it is £3,000 plus £15 per extra hectare. Applications are open all year from 5 January 2026, subject to budget. There is no deadline and no scoring. The plan must meet the UK Forestry Standard. You need an approved plan before you can apply for woodland support under Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. The money covers writing the plan only. It does not cover woodland work, agent fees, planning fees, work done before the agreement start date, or in-kind contributions. Owner occupiers, tenants, landlords and licensors with management control can apply. All woodland must be entirely within England, and the plan must cover every woodland block on the holding.
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT)
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency
Defra and the Rural Payments Agency fund Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT), paying farmers and land managers in England to manage land that protects, restores or enhances the environment and mitigates climate change. Payment rates are set per action, and no single award range or closing date is given. Agreements run for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. Land can be woodland, farmed land, land managed for nature or a mix, including SSSIs, commons, woodlands and scheduled monuments. There are 99 base actions and 33 supplemental actions, plus 143 capital items. Six topics now need an expression of interest (EOI) instead of an invitation: agroforestry, woodland improvement, species-rich grassland, scheduled monument management, traditional orchards, and wet grassland for wintering waders and wildfowl. Wider agreements with multiple actions need an invitation from Natural England for pre-application advice. An EOI does not guarantee an agreement. Common land cannot currently use the EOI process.
Woodland Tree Health (WTH) grants
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency
The Rural Payments Agency, part of Defra, pays Woodland Tree Health (WTH) grants to land managers in England for work after tree disease. Applications are open all year from 5 January 2026. There are two grants. WTH Restoration pays for restocking woodland after felling because of a tree health issue, with 21 capital items. WTH Improvement pays to remove trees and rhododendron infected with Phytophthora ramorum, Phytophthora pluvialis, Phytophthora pseudosyringea or Phytophthora kernoviae, with 3 capital items. You can apply for one or both. Work under the agreement must be worth at least £500. Payment follows the approved work items and their rates, so there is no single maximum award. Applications are not competitive. RPA approves eligible ones if budget remains. A Forestry Commission woodland officer assesses your site. Once you have an agreement, you have 3 years to finish the work. You enter only the affected area, with a minimum woodland block of 0.1 hectares.
Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL)
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency
Defra's Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme pays farmers and land managers in England's National Landscapes, National Parks and the Broads for projects that deliver at least one climate, nature, people or place outcome. It can cover up to 100% of project costs if you make no commercial gain. If the project benefits your business, it pays a proportion. There is no national maximum on the funder's website. Applications run until March 2029 and close sooner if the money is allocated. Projects must end by March 2029. Examples the funder lists: replacing stiles with gates on public footpaths, conserving lime kilns or lead mining heritage, and cutting farm carbon emissions. Public, private and charity land managers can apply. Land outside a protected landscape can qualify if the project benefits it. Apply through the local protected landscape body, such as Shropshire Hills or North Pennines National Landscape. Discuss your idea with them first.
Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency funding
How many Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency grants are open right now?+
5 grants from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency are open on GrantMatch today, of which 4 have no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
When is the next Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency deadline?+
The nearest deadline is 29 September 2028. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.
How much does Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency usually award?+
Across 53,000 published awards, the typical Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency grant is £11,250, with most falling between £2,895 and £35,000. Figures come from 360Giving open data and describe past awards, not what is on offer now.
How do I apply for Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs / Rural Payments Agency application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.