Biodiversity Action Begins Locally
By Jason Coulter
Partnership with local communities to protect plants, wildlife and habitats is central to our response to the climate and nature crisis. Alongside research, evidence and advocacy, this work is helping to build a fairer and more sustainable future for people, place and planet.
Annual Biodiversity Grants
At the heart of our approach are Community Foundation Ireland’s annual Biodiversity Grants, delivered in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Already, more than 300 communities across the country are working on local biodiversity plans. With the 2026 grant round about to open, many more will soon have the opportunity to join them.
A National Emergency
The fund was established as an ambitious and practical response to the declaration of a Biodiversity National Emergency in 2019. Community Foundation Ireland brought its ability to mobilise resources through its network of partners, using strategic giving to ensure that every euro delivers meaningful impact.
In developing and delivering the fund, we bring connectivity, knowledge sharing and partnership with voluntary, community and charitable organisations, as well as researchers and advocates. The National Parks and Wildlife Service brings specialist expertise, including the ability to align the ambition of local communities with the insights of ecologists.
Action With Impact
This strategic approach is delivering real results. Philanthropy, working alongside public funding, has provided more than €2.5 million for local biodiversity action plans and related action grants.
Across the country, endangered species are returning, riverbanks, coastlines and peatlands are being protected, and awareness is growing within communities. These projects show that informed local action can make a lasting contribution to nature recovery.
The fund works in phases. First, a community organisation can apply for support to work with an ecologist to scope and prepare a local biodiversity action plan. That plan provides the evidence base and identifies practical next steps tailored to the area. Groups can then apply for further support to put those actions into practice.
Projects often include invasive species removal, native tree planting, hedgerow maintenance and citizen science initiatives. Many grantees also work with schools, men’s sheds and local authorities to strengthen local participation and deepen their impact.
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on community outreach. Local buy-in from the beginning is vital. Working with Biodiversity Officers, now in place in every Local Authority, is an important part of the process for applicants.
Why Now?
We are sharing this now because the 2026 Biodiversity Grant Round is about to open. Applications will be invited from communities that have yet to develop a biodiversity action plan, and from those ready to move from planning into implementation.
This is always an exciting moment for the team at Community Foundation Ireland. Each year, we are encouraged by the plans, ideas and commitment that communities bring forward. We expect to announce criteria and further details before the end of the month (August 2026). Applicants should keep an eye on the Apply for Funding page on our website and on our digital channels.
As a first step, we are inviting groups to become familiar, or reacquainted, with the overall aims of the fund:
To support community not-for-profit organisations to understand their local biodiversity and how to protect and enhance it.
To educate local groups and build local champions who can promote biodiversity initiatives in their area.
To engage community groups with ecologists to map local biodiversity and share learning more widely.
The Situation Remains Critical
We open our 2026 applications aware that biodiversity loss remains at a critical level. Species and habitats continue to decline, and the ecosystems that sustain human life and wellbeing are under threat. As a Foundation, we cannot achieve our mission without helping to address the crisis in nature.
That is why we are preparing to invite more groups and communities to join us in taking informed, practical and urgent action for biodiversity.
Jason Coulter is a member of the Grants and Donor Care team at Community Foundation Ireland.
The Biodiversity Fund is a partnership between Community Foundation Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and other philanthropists, including the Sunflower Charitable Foundation.
Find Out More
If you to find out more about our work in this area, and how you can get involved either as a partner or philanthropic supporter then do check out our special Biodiversity Impact Report 2026, Protecting and Promoting Nature.
Community Foundation Ireland
Community Foundation Ireland mobilises strategic philanthropy to advance equality, strengthen communities and protect climate and nature. A philanthropic hub our priority pillars are people, place and planet. People helps ensure everyone can live with dignity, feel part of their community and wider society. Place means working with partners to support communities where everyone participates. Planet is our response to the crisis in climate and nature at every level. The Foundation was established in 2000.