Greater Manchester Environment Trust

Charity Number: 1203198

Annual Expenditure: £3.0M
Geographic Focus: Throughout England

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £3,000,000+ (Green Spaces Fund since 2022)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by fund and round
  • Grant Range: £1,763 - £40,000
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Manchester (all 10 boroughs)

Contact Details

Website: https://gmet.org.uk / https://gmenvfund.org

Email: gmenvfund@lancswt.org.uk

Phone: 01204 663754

Address: GMET Educational Resource Centre, 499-511 Bury Road, Bolton BL2 6DH

Green Spaces Fund Advisors (by area):

  • Stockport & Tameside: Nina Jerome (nina@cityoftrees.org.uk)
  • Manchester & Trafford: Kieron McGlasson (kieron@sowthecity.org)
  • Rochdale: Lizzie Meade (lizzie.meade@groundwork.org.uk)
  • Oldham & Salford: Nina Agnew (ninaagnew@rhs.org.uk)
  • Wigan: Stephen Hodges (stephen.hodges@groundwork.org.uk)

Overview

The Greater Manchester Environment Trust (GMET) was established in 2019 as the UK's first regional environmental impact fund. Registered charity number 1203198, GMET was formed through a partnership between The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (GMET Manager) and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMET Sponsor). The Trust channels green finance into Greater Manchester, working with grassroots groups, corporate supporters, and partners to address habitat loss, air pollution, and climate change. Since its launch in 2022, the flagship Green Spaces Fund alone has invested over £3 million, enabling more than 100 community groups to develop environmental projects including orchards, green alleyways, allotments, and community gardens. The Trust's mission is to help Greater Manchester become carbon neutral by 2038, supporting Mayor Andy Burnham's vision of a “clean, carbon-neutral, climate-resilient city region” that is “greener and fairer for everyone.”

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Green Spaces Fund (Round 7 opens spring 2026)

  • Small grants: Up to £15,000
  • Large grants: £15,000 - £40,000
  • Purpose: Community-led projects that increase the amount and quality of accessible, nature-rich green space
  • Application method: Online portal (Flexi-Grant) with fixed application windows
  • Projects include: Orchards, green alleyways, allotments, community gardens, wildlife habitats, sponge meadows

Renew Community Fund (Annual rounds, application window April 22 - May 30, 2025)

  • Grants: Up to £10,000 and £20,000
  • Annual funding: £220,000
  • Purpose: Projects that reduce household waste, increase recycling, and encourage reuse through fixing, mending, sharing, borrowing, donating, and recycling
  • Application method: Online portal with fixed application windows
  • Note: Previously successful applicants are not eligible to reapply; unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent years

Priority Areas

The Trust focuses on three core principles:

  1. Benefiting communities in greatest need of quality green spaces: Prioritizing areas with poor local access to good quality green space
  2. Tackling climate and biodiversity emergency: Nature recovery schemes, habitat creation, flood prevention, carbon reduction
  3. Encouraging communities to get involved with nature: Community engagement, education, volunteering, skills development

Specific project types funded include:

  • Creating new green or blue spaces
  • Improving existing accessible green spaces
  • Community gardens and food growing initiatives
  • Wildlife conservation and biodiversity projects
  • Social prescribing and health/wellbeing initiatives through nature
  • Educational and ecotherapy programs
  • Waste reduction and circular economy projects

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not comprehensively published, eligibility is restricted to:

  • Projects within Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs
  • Organizations with a UK bank account open for 3+ months
  • Projects with confirmed landowner permission (for Green Spaces Fund)
  • Previously successful Renew Community Fund applicants cannot reapply
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Governance and Leadership

Co-founders and Key Leadership:

Daveen Wallis - Co-founder, GMET: Brings over 23 years of experience from Lancashire Wildlife Trust, where she led the Carbon Landscape Partnership, developing habitat bank and carbon offsetting schemes.

James Hall - Programme Manager, GMET: Advises and supports Greater Manchester districts on Biodiversity Net Gain land preparation.

Sam Evans - Head of Natural Environment, Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Previously worked at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; led development of the Mayor's 5 Year Environment Plan launched in March 2019.

Grace O'Leary - Grants Manager, GMET: Oversees grant program systems, implements the Green Spaces Fund, and delivers impact reports.

Annabelle Brittle - Communications Officer, GMET: Manages social media, marketing, and storytelling about funded environmental projects.

Trustees:

  • Mark Atherton (Greater Manchester Combined Authority)
  • Tom Burditt (Lancashire Wildlife Trust)
  • Anthony Hatton (Peel Holdings)
  • Clive Memmott (Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce)

Mayor Andy Burnham has been a vocal champion of the Green Spaces Fund, stating: "Everyone should have access to some kind of green space, whether it's a place to grow fresh food, plant trees, meet new people, learn new skills or simply enjoy being close to nature. I'm really proud to see local people taking ownership of such fantastic projects that add value to their community and the environment and that's what the Green Spaces Fund is all about."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Green Spaces Fund:

  • Applications submitted through Flexi-Grant online portal (https://greatermanchesterenvironmentfund.flexigrant.com/)
  • Fixed application windows (Round 7 opens spring 2026)
  • Webinar recordings available covering application process and fund aims
  • Contact local Green Spaces Fund Advisors for pre-application support
  • Guidance documents available on website

Renew Community Fund:

  • Applications submitted through online portal
  • Fixed application window: April 22 - May 30, 2025
  • Guidance documents available
  • R4GM hosts webinars about the fund

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly disclosed and vary by fund and round. Applicants are advised to check fund-specific pages for current timelines.

Success Rates

The Trust does not publish specific success rate statistics. However, since 2022, the Green Spaces Fund has awarded over £3 million to 100+ community groups. The Renew Community Fund has awarded £659,141 to 69 groups since 2021 (£220,000 to 21 groups in 2021/22; £219,141 to 26 groups in 2022/23).

Reapplication Policy

Renew Community Fund: Previously unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent years. However, previously successful applicants are not eligible to reapply, as the fund aims to kickstart projects from different groups.

Green Spaces Fund: Specific reapplication policies not publicly detailed; contact fund advisors for guidance.

Application Success Factors

Direct advice from GMET:

  • Contact local advisors: Five dedicated Green Spaces Fund Advisors offer “expert advice on how to shape a strong application and guiding applicants through the process step by step”
  • Attend webinars: Webinar recordings provide guidance on meeting the three fund aims
  • Ensure landowner permission: For Green Spaces Fund, confirmed landowner permission is essential
  • Demonstrate community need: Projects prioritized in areas with poor access to quality green space
  • Show environmental impact: Clear connection to tackling climate and biodiversity emergencies
  • Evidence community engagement: Demonstrate how communities will be involved and benefit

Language and terminology used by the Trust:

  • “Nature-rich,” “accessible,” “community-led,” “climate emergency,” “biodiversity emergency”
  • “Greener and fairer,” “carbon neutral,” “climate-resilient”
  • “Transformational impact,” “social prescribing,” “natural environment”

Examples of recently funded projects:

  • Restoring Boggart Hole Clough park and reviving its diverse history (Manchester)
  • Transforming Gorton Monastery exterior into sustainable green spaces (Manchester)
  • Creating a 'sponge meadow' in Chorlton Park for flood prevention (Manchester)
  • Transforming Rochdale AFC stadium surroundings into welcoming green spaces (Rochdale)
  • Together Kitchen Garden: £7,475 for allotment and ecotherapy space (Tameside)
  • Blackrod Primary School's 'Secret Garden' community garden (Bolton)

Tips for standing out:

  • Target areas with greatest need for green space
  • Combine multiple benefits (health, biodiversity, community cohesion, climate adaptation)
  • Show clear community ownership and long-term sustainability
  • Demonstrate alignment with Greater Manchester's carbon neutral 2038 target
  • Include diverse project elements (food growing, wildlife, education, social benefits)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Use local advisors: The five dedicated Green Spaces Fund Advisors are your best resource—contact them early to discuss project ideas and get guidance on shaping strong applications
  • Align with the three principles: Ensure your project addresses community need, tackles climate/biodiversity emergencies, and encourages community involvement with nature
  • Demonstrate place-based impact: Projects in areas with poor access to green space are prioritized; use local data to demonstrate need
  • Show Mayor Burnham's vision in action: Frame your project as contributing to Greater Manchester's carbon neutral 2038 goal and creating a “greener and fairer” city-region
  • Leverage partnerships: GMET values collaboration; projects involving multiple community groups, schools, or local organizations may be viewed favorably
  • Evidence long-term sustainability: Show how the project will continue beyond the grant period with community ownership and volunteer involvement
  • Be specific about outputs: Quantify expected outcomes (square meters of green space, number of participants, biodiversity improvements, waste reduction targets)

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