Grants of up to £2,500 are available for UK not-for-profit organisations to install a water bottle refill station in a busy or environmentally important coastal location.
Environmental charity Sea-Changers has reopened its Coastal Fountain Fund for 2025. The scheme offers grants of up to £2,500 for projects in coastal locations across the UK that protect marine environments by reducing marine litter, particularly non-reusable plastic drink bottles, through the provision of a well-located coastal water fountain.
Please note that this is a small grants budget which in previous years has had a total budget of just £20,000. Only a limited number of awards are likely to be made. Sea-Changers will expect applicants to have some matched funding in place so that it can derive maximum value from the Fund.
Applications are invited from all types of UK not-for-profit organisations, specifically for the purchase of a water fountain (grants do not cover costs associated with installation or maintenance). Applicants should already have permission in place for the water fountain’s placement from the landowner and to have explored issues that relate to the ongoing maintenance of the fountain and water testing (for example, with the local water company).
Applicants that were unsuccessful in previous rounds of the Fund are likely to be prioritised, particularly if those applications came from East Anglia, North-East and North-West England, Scotland or Wales.
Projects will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Need and impact – fountains should be placed in areas which have significant public use/a lot of littering and/or are of particular environmental importance or status.
- Sustainability.
- Value for money, and
- Viability to be operational within 2025.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Sea-Changers website.
The 2025 deadline for applications is Friday 11 April 2025.