Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS) - How to Apply

Applicants for the next round of FIRNS will be informed of decisions in April 2026.

FIRNS is delivered by NatureScot in partnership with the Scottish Government and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Building on experience and learning from previous FIRNS Rounds, and with the aim of generating inspirational exemplars, the programme continues to support projects that demonstrate the greatest momentum and potential for delivering meaningful impact in support of the aims of the Natural Capital Market Framework. To support this aim, the next round of funding will focus on investment ready proposals from projects currently being delivered with FIRNS funding.

Working collaboratively with the Scottish Government, funding will also be directed to support market development, including the development of codes and standards. 

Unlike previous rounds of FIRNS, match funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is not a requirement of this round of funding. Applicants are welcome to apply to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for projects that align with their Investment Principles. You can submit a Project Enquiry to the Fund to receive feedback on your project idea before considering applying through National Lottery Heritage Grants. Please note The National Lottery Heritage Fund assessment process is competitive and they cannot fund all good quality applications that they receive.  

If you are seeking additional or alternative funding for a green finance and natural capital innovation project, and do not meet the criteria for this year’s programme, NatureScot maintains a list of resources and funds that may be of interest. 

On the contacts and resources page, you can find FAQS and a series of recorded seminars and workshops hosted by NatureScot, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Green Finance institute to assist with your application and understand the different stages of the investment-readiness project development pathway.

FIRNS - Supporting Documents

• FIRNS Guidance for Applicants
• FIRNS Procurement Guidance
• FIRNS How to Acknowledge our support for your project
• Fair Work First - guidance for funding applicants
• Fair Work First - employer declaration form - to be completed by funding recipients to provide evidence of complying with the Fair Work First Policy. Completed declarations and related evidence should be sent to your NatureScot Funding Officer or [email protected] prior to any Funding Offer being issued.
• Financial Information and Records Guidance
• NatureScot Standard Terms and Conditions of Funding - you need to read and accept these conditions when you apply.
• Funding Privacy Notice - outlines how our use of personal data complies with data protection law. 

Questions

If you have any questions on the fund or would like to be added to our mailing list, please email [email protected] in the first instance.