Funding is available for community groups, businesses and statutory bodies in Northern Ireland to purchase equipment for projects to reduce marine litter.

Live Here Love Here Marine Litter Capital Grants are provided by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs through the Live Here Love Here collaborative partnership, involving DAERA, ten local councils, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

The programme is inviting applications from a range of voluntary and community groups and organisations, schools, statutory bodies and businesses from across Northern Ireland. The grants are not restricted to coastal areas, so groups from anywhere in Northern Ireland may apply.

The funding will support organisations and groups to purchase and install capital items to:

Prevent litter and plastic pollution from entering the marine environment.
Enhance the environmental management of a local area to reduce marine litter.
Improve the health and wellbeing of communities and marine biodiversity recovery by helping to improve and/or maintain the quality of public open spaces.
Improve the quality of their local environment by changing behaviour through creative concepts to reduce the incidence of littering.

The level of grant depends on who is making the application:

Constituted groups, businesses and statutory bodies - grants of between £500 and £40,000.
Non-constituted groups - grants of between £500 and £5,000.

Applicants should note the average grant is likely to be a lot less than the maximum, which will only be awarded for exceptionally innovative or strategically significant projects. Collaborative applications are welcomed.

Council and business applicants must provide 50% match funding for their project, while schools must demonstrate how they will use any assets purchased in an educational context.

The deadline for applications is 9 November 2023 (5pm).

For more information and to apply, please visit Live Here Love Here - Grants