Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF)

Marine health - Recover, Restore, Enhance

Since its inception The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) has awarded more than £4m to grantees working on projects that recover, restore or enhance the health of marine and coastal habitats and species from Shetland to the Borders. Seagrass Meadows Scotland launched in March 25. This £2.4m grants programme is based on a unique partnership with SSEN Distribution, and will enable 14 hectares of seagrass planting across Scotland. The new £1.6m Seabird Resilience Fund, built from voluntary donations from offshore renewable energy developers, will support projects which build resilience for seabirds both at sea and on land.

SMEEF is designed to be an effective, long running funding mechanism that will help bridge the nature finance gap. We accept voluntary contributions from those interested in the health of Scottish waters and strategically redistribute them to marine enhancement projects across the country.

The unique placement of SMEEF, which is managed by a Steering Group of the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, Crown Estate Scotland and NatureScot, allows for the effective blending of public sector knowledge with private sector finance.

SMEEF plays a key role in delivering important policy areas including the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland, the Scottish Seabird Action Plan and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

For more information go to the SMEEF website and sign up for the newsletter, email the team [email protected] and view our annual Impact Report 3. 

Find out more

Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) - Prospectus