South West Water Better Futures Fund 2026: Grants for Community Ponds and Wetlands

Community groups, schools, charities and CICs in parts of Devon and Cornwall could access grants of £2,000 to £15,000 through South West Water’s Better Futures Fund. For groups with a suitable site, this may help fund a practical wildlife pond, small wetland or habitat improvement project that benefits both nature and the local community.

The current ActionFunder listing gives an application deadline of 31 December 2026 and requires funded projects to be delivered by 31 March 2027. That makes a clear, achievable scope particularly important.

What is the Better Futures Fund?

South West Water’s Better Futures Fund supports eligible community projects within its supply area. Its themes include nature and the environment, education, community participation and support for vulnerable people.

Projects must deliver a genuine community benefit. A private garden pond, or a scheme that primarily benefits an individual landowner, should not be assumed to qualify.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants can include registered charities, schools, colleges, academies, Community Interest Companies (CICs), constituted clubs and other not-for-profit community organisations within South West Water’s service area.

Commercial companies cannot apply for the grant themselves. However, the published criteria allow professional fees, including builders and groundworkers, to form part of an eligible applicant’s project costs. That means a local group could potentially commission a specialist contractor to deliver agreed works if its application is successful.

Always check the precise location and organisation criteria on the official fund page before developing an application.

What pond and wetland projects could work?

Depending on the site and the community objectives, suitable ideas to investigate could include:

• A small wildlife pond at a community garden, school or managed public green space, designed with shallow margins and suitable native planting.
• Restoration of an existing pond where silt, invasive vegetation or damaged edges are limiting its ecological value.
• A pocket wetland or seasonal scrape in an appropriate low-lying area, creating habitat while allowing people to learn about seasonal water.
• Native aquatic and marginal planting as part of a wider, properly managed habitat improvement project.
• Practical water-management improvements where a site assessment identifies realistic benefits for habitat, runoff or water quality.

These are potential project concepts, not confirmed funding approvals. The proposed work must fit the fund’s aims, the applicant’s circumstances and the actual site.

Keep the proposal realistic

With a maximum grant of £15,000 and a March 2027 delivery deadline, a compact, well-defined scheme may be more credible than an ambitious project relying on several permissions, separate funding streams or extensive groundwork.

Before making an application, a group should establish who controls the land, whether the owner supports the work, what permissions or ecological checks may be required, how water reaches and leaves the site, whether machinery can reach it, and how the habitat will be maintained after construction.

Existing habitats matter too. Excavation is not automatically an improvement: an established wet area may already support valuable plants or animals and could be better enhanced rather than replaced.

A costed scope should also make clear whether VAT is recoverable by the applicant, what will be delivered within the grant, and who is responsible for longer-term care. Professional assessment, design or construction should not begin on the assumption that funding will be awarded.

How SAS Aquatics can help

SAS Aquatics works across Devon and Cornwall on wildlife pond construction, pond restoration, wetlands, native aquatic planting and habitat improvements.

For an eligible community organisation with a suitable site, we can assess the practical options, develop a sensible scope and budget, and undertake agreed pond or wetland works as a paid contractor. We can also identify where specialist ecological advice, permissions or further design work are needed.

The community organisation would remain the grant applicant and project sponsor. We cannot apply directly as a commercial contractor or guarantee that a proposed project will be funded.

Considering a community pond or wetland project?

If your school, CIC, charity or community group has a site in Devon or Cornwall, send us the location, a few photographs, an outline of what you want to achieve and any known budget or deadline. We can advise whether a site assessment and costed proposal would be a sensible next step.

Explore our planning, grants and environmental support or contact SAS Aquatics about your project.

Better Futures Fund: key dates and official information

• Grant range: £2,000–£15,000.
• Applications close: 31 December 2026.
• Funded work to be completed by: 31 March 2027.
• Apply through: ActionFunder – South West Water Better Futures Fund.
• Funder guidance: South West Water – Better Futures Fund.

Fund details checked 22 October 2026. Eligibility and decisions rest with South West Water and ActionFunder. SAS Aquatics is an independent potential delivery contractor, not a grant administrator or funding partner. This is separate from South West Water’s Nature Recovery Fund.