How we are funded
The Trust's income can be regarded in two categories - unrestricted income, where the Trust can determine how it is spent and restricted income where the funds have to be spent on a specific project.
The majority of our unrestricted income comes from our 27,500 members who passionately believe that our wildlife needs protecting and enhancing. We receive legacies and donations on top of this, and we apply for a number of grants each year - such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and charitable trusts. Without support from Trust Members, other individuals and our Wildlife Investors (corporate supporters) we would struggle to manage our nature reserves and help threatened species survive.
We do benefit from a number of grants and sponsorships for specific work (restricted income) but these fund only a part of what we do, are often short term and are highly competitive. In the current economic climate, the ability of the Trust to access public funds is becoming more and more constrained, making the support we receive through donations and membership absolutely vital to our ongoing work. We apply to a number of public bodies including Hampshire County Council, other local authorities, the Environment Agency and Natural England, but we do not receive ongoing core support from any government or public body - rather they sometimes provide match funding for specific projects when it helps them to deliver their objectives.
