Resource Action Fund

Whilst researching a blog post on ‘plastics’, my colleague came across the Resource Action Fund. We thought this may be of interest and maybe is not atypical in the ‘new’ grants world as being a grant aimed at talking a particular problem.

Background

The Resource Action Fund is an £18million fund, to support new projects in England, aimed at resource efficiency. Funded by Defra, the Resource Action Fund “will support key policy outcomes in the areas of food, plastics, textiles, recycling infrastructure and litter. It will do this through a variety of mechanisms including large and small-scale grants, and through expert support in the areas of food and non-household municipal recycling.”

It would appear the funding will be delivered through a series of Innovate UK type ‘themed’ competitions and currently the Plastics Packaging and Textile Recycling grants are now open for applications.

Currently open and coming soon?

 

Theme, deadlines and link to further information (if applicable)	Type	Overview
Plastics Packaging & Textiles Recycling Grant – Stage 1 proposals open 12 June – 2 August 2019	Large scale grants	This scheme will provide funding support for new capital infrastructure projects that will help to recycle difficult plastic packaging and textile materials. This grant will support economic / commercial activity. The competition is separated into two lots: • Lot 1: Plastic packaging  • Lot 2: Textiles
Food: • Wave 1: Food Waste Prevention – open 13 May – 11 July 2019	Small scale grants	Programme of grants to provide new small-scale capital infrastructure and revenue support to organisations redistributing surplus food from the likes of retailers and food manufacturers.  This programme will continue the success of the previous small-scale redistribution programme delivered by WRAP in addressing barriers to food redistribution
Food: • Wave 2: Food biochemical processing / food valorisation – TBC	Small scale grants	Programme of grants to support pilot projects to provide new biochemical processing or valorisation for food that would otherwise become waste. We are encouraging industry to propose new processes and technologies that can be implemented and tested, with the project results being reported by the recipient back to Defra / WRAP. The grants will fund both revenue and capital costs.
Food • Wave 3: Citizens food waste prevention interventions – TBC	Small scale grants	Programme of grants to provide new and proven citizen interventions that will encourage and influence citizens to reduce food waste.
Recycling infrastructure – opening date TBC	Small scale grants	Programme of grants to provide capital infrastructure to increase recycling capacity of non-household municipal waste.
Litter Bin infrastructure – opening date TBC	Small scale grants	Programme of grants that will provide support for improved litter bin infrastructure.

Further information

Further details can be found at the links above for currently open grant programmes.  Also, this information can be accessed via links here, where we also anticipate more details of the schemes that are not yet open to be posted up in due course.

If you have any questions about the fund now, I would suggest you contact [email protected], or we can make contact on your behalf.

By Andrew James