Grants, generally for between £100,000 and £150,000 over 12-months or for several years, are available to UK registered charities and charitable organisations for projects that reduce the adverse impact humanity is having on the marine and tropical rainforest environments.
- The Waterloo Foundation’s main grant programmes support:
- The environment, especially sustainable projects impacting on climate change.
- World development in the poorest countries (but not disaster relief), and
- Child development, especially psychological research and mental health.
The Foundation also supports a number of projects in Wales.
For details about the Foundation’s support for projects in the areas of world development, child development and initiatives in Wales, please visit its website and click on the 'Grant Programmes' heading.
The Foundation’s Environmental Grants programme is designed to support projects that can help mitigate the damaging effect humans are having on the environment and contribute to a positive change, now and in the future.
The Environmental programme has two main elements:
Marine (next application deadline: Tuesday 1 September 2026) – the Marine Fund supports initiatives that work to halt and restore declining fish stocks by:
- Stopping destructive and illegal fishing, and/or
- Supporting sustainable and small-scale fisheries.
Preference will be given to initiatives working to influence fisheries policy, projects that halt the decline of fish stocks that communities in the Global South rely on, and those working to bring about sustainable fisheries in Wales. (The Global South is a term used to describe countries that are often characterized as developing, less developed, or underdeveloped, mostly located in Africa, Latin America and Asia.)
The Foundation mainly supports strategic initiatives, but it will also consider practical local projects. The protection of mangroves and seagrasses to benefit local fisheries is also a component of its Marine Programme.
For its Strategic Projects, the Foundation will consider applications for projects that are working on addressing marine issues at a wider or international scale. These could include:
- Working on international or regional marine policy.
- Campaigning for improved practices in the fishing industry and its supply chains.
- Exploring different fishing practices and techniques, and
- Improving information exchange to eradicate illegal unreported and unregulated fishing.
Tropical Rainforests (next application deadline: Monday 1 June 2026) – the Rainforest Fund supports initiatives that protect tropical rainforests, principally through avoided deforestation by:
- Stopping deforestation of tropical rainforests, and/or
- Supporting intact rainforests and keeping them standing.
Preference will be given to initiatives working to influence forest policy, protect community managed tropical rainforests, and support the rights of forest people. The Foundation mainly supports strategic initiatives, but it will also consider practical local projects.
Strategic projects that are working on addressing the drivers of deforestation on a wider or international scale will be considered. These could include:
- Working on international or regional forest policy.
- Campaigning for improved practices within forest risk commodities, and
- Support the legal rights of forest people.
Across both the Marine and Tropical Rainforest funds, projects should demonstrate benefits to people, climate and biodiversity.
One-off and multi-year grants of between £100,000 and £150,000 are available. Project proposals with confirmed matched funding are likely to be prioritised.
Some examples of previously funded projects are available on the Foundation’s website.(scroll down the page to 'Examples of Organisations Funded').
The Foundation has separate deadlines each year for its Marine and Tropical Rainforest programmes.
- Marine: 1 March and 1 September. The next application deadline is on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
- Tropical Rainforests: 1 June and 1 November. The next application deadline is on Monday 1 June 2026.
Please visit the Environment Application Guidelines page for guidance about how to submit a funding application (potential applicants should note that there is no application form – application is by written submission following the guidance on the Foundation’s website).