Grant or payment · England
Catchment Fund
Part-funding for farm work that cuts nitrate and herbicide pollution of drinking water sources in priority catchments.
- From
- Thames Water
- How much
- Partial funding up to £15,000 (handbooks give rates, e.g. 50% for precision fertiliser kit).
- Who can apply
- Farmers and landowners in Thames Water priority catchments (older handbook: over 5 ha livestock or 10 ha arable).
- Closes
- 30 November 2026
Where it’s available
Land in parts of: Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Haringey, Hertfordshire, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kent, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Oxfordshire, Reading, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Slough, Southwark, Surrey, Swindon, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, West Berkshire, Westminster, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham. The finder checks your exact land.
What you’ll need
- Land in a priority area (check both nitrate and herbicide handbooks)
How to apply
- Contact your local project partner for an application form
- Send it to [email protected]
Deadlines are the end of November and end of May each year.
Similar schemes
- Bespoke Water Quality Improvement Projects Scheme OpenThames WaterLarger contributions for farm projects that bring big, long-term water quality improvements.
- River Health and Community Fund OpenThames WaterGrants for community projects that engage people with rivers or improve them.
- River Stour Phosphorus Reduction Scheme OpenWessex WaterAnnual payments and one-off funding for farm changes that cut phosphorus run-off, such as arable reversion to grass, herbal leys, buffer strips, beetle banks, hedges, trees and wetlands.
- STEPS 2026 (Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme) OpenSevern Trent · Closes 11 December 2026Grants for soil health, soil structure, watercourse protection, better use of inputs, livestock management and keeping soil and nutrients in the field, plus a Farmer Innovation option.
- Tone, Parrett and Yeo Phosphorus Reduction Scheme OpenWessex WaterAnnual payments for farm changes that cut phosphorus run-off in the Somerset Tone, Parrett and Yeo sub-catchments.
- Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) Open all yearNatural England with Defra and Environment AgencyConfidential one-to-one advice on soil, nutrients, manure, ammonia, pesticides and water, and help with capital grant applications.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2. Always read the official page before you apply.