Double the funding; PLA's Thames Environment Fund 2023 opens

In time for London Climate Action Week (24 June to 2 July), the Port of London Authority (PLA) has announced this year’s Thames Environment Fund, with the news that it has doubled the funding to £50,000 and tripled the maximum amount of each bid to £15,000.

As a trust port, the PLA holds the river in trust, working to hand it on in a better condition to future generations. In order to deliver on the environmental aims of the PLA’s strategy Thames Vision 2050, the 100% increase in this year’s funding, as well as the increase in the limit of each bid to £15,000, aims to attract a wider variety of applicants, including from schools, charities and sports clubs with an interest in the River Thames.

Grace Rawnsley, director of sustainability at the PLA said:

“We are excited to launch our Thames Environment Fund this year, offering twice the funding for a greater range of projects for applicants, and providing greater opportunity for environmental improvements on the tidal Thames. We welcome any applicants who share our passion and vision for the future of the natural Thames and its wildlife.”

In the past two years, the PLA has funded seven projects, thanks to the Thames Environment Fund. Last year, two rowing clubs were awarded funding to replace their petrol outboards with electric alternatives. In 2021, a total of five projects were successful in receiving funding related to the themes of invasive species and litter. Examples include: the Whale Company and Active360’s “Paddle & Pick”, combining stand-up paddle-boarding with litter-busting, and Medway Swale Estuary Partnership tackling invasive Pacific oysters on the Isle of Sheppey.

Applications are open to any project ideas that will be of environmental benefit to the tidal Thames.