How we're funded

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire is an independent charity. Our members and donors are at the heart of all we do and every donation we receive makes a difference. 

National movement, local priorities

We are part of a national movement of Wildlife Trusts, through which we campaign to make a difference on a broad scale. Our main focus, however, is on stopping nature's decline and tackling crises locally in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. We have big aspirations on both levels: let's create a wilder future together! 

Your support keeps us going

This is a crucial time for our Trust as we work to deliver our five year plan. We are only able to move forward with this ambitious programme, building a Nature Recovery Network to bring back wildlife, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. In fact, over half our income comes from membership subscriptions and donations (individuals and companies) and gifts in wills.

Thank you!

Our income and how we spend it

We draw on a variety of funding sources to cover the costs of:

• managing our 100+ nature reserves
• carrying out conservation work outside our reserves
• running our Communities and Wildlife engagement programme
• fundraising and income generation so that we can continue our work
• helping us spread the word about local and national campaigns and issues

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire receives two main types of income: restricted (for specific projects) and unrestricted (for the ongoing delivery of our charity's objectives). Unrestricted income is extremely important because we can use it wherever the need is greatest to help protect wildlife.

Our funding sources

We draw on a number of sources to fund our work and their proportion can vary significantly from year to year, which can impact on our delivery:

• Donations - from appeals and corporate sponsorship to legacies, donations have been our single biggest source of income 
• Membership - this is a growing source which currently accounts for over a quarter of our income
• Grants - these are usually awarded for specific projects and the funding is restricted
• Government subsidies - we benefit from government's support to the farming and food sector
• Land advice, advocacy and management - we leverage our expertise to generate income and promote sustainable and responsible land management
• Business activities - these are auxiliary commercial activities

Recognising some of our major supporters