The NBN Trust : National Biodiversity Network Trust is delighted to announce that it has received a core funding grant of £50,000 over one year from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded grant-maker that supports charities across the UK working in a wide range of sectors to deliver positive impact within their communities.
What the grant will do
The grant will help increase the NBN Trust’s organisational resilience as a UK registered charity, enabling it to scale up activity, demonstrate impact and plan sustainably for the long term.
It will also allow the Trust to do even more to support the UK’s largest partnership for nature. By bringing together more than 200 wildlife conservation organisations, voluntary groups, educational institutions, ecologists and businesses – through our National Biodiversity Network – it connects and supports the entire UK wildlife conservation sector by sharing innovations, research, ‘good news’ stories, and promoting collaboration.
The grant will also support the ongoing provision, security and improvement of the NBN Atlas, the NBN Trust’s national biodiversity data platform and core delivery service. The NBN Atlas currently holds over 335 million species occurrence records, covering more than 51,000 species, and is supported by 188 data partners. These include nature recovery organisations, research institutions, local environmental records centres, government agencies, commercial enterprises and volunteer wildlife recording groups.
With such a diverse network of data providers, it is vital that the NBN Trust can continue to support partners from across the wildlife recording and conservation sector to share data effectively and securely. This funding will enable the Trust to strengthen those relationships, improve its support delivered via the National Biodiversity Network and ensure the continued flow of high-quality biodiversity data into the platform.
As the UK’s national biodiversity data infrastructure, the NBN Atlas is unique in bringing together wildlife data from across the country. In doing so, it provides a powerful resource for understanding, monitoring and conserving nature in the UK.
Gareth Thomas, Chief Executive of the NBN Trust, said:
“We are very grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for this support. Core funding of this kind is vital because it helps sustain the infrastructure behind the NBN Atlas, not just the visible platform, but the people, systems, partnerships and safeguards that keep biodiversity data flowing.
The NBN Atlas now holds more than 335 million species occurrence records. That evidence supports better decisions for nature recovery across the UK. This grant helps us strengthen that national resource and build the resilience we need for the years ahead”.
The Garfield Weston Foundation said:
“We believe in supporting a diverse range of charities across the UK. From local community initiatives to large national projects, the common thread is that all our grantees make a real positive difference, improving lives and strengthening communities throughout the country.”.
Thank you to the Garfield Weston Foundation for this core funding grant.
In addition, the Foundation provided “Champion Funds” via the NBN Trust’s recent Big Give Earth Raise campaign. This hugely successful campaign saw us exceed our target of £20,000 as we raised £21,423, including Gift Aid.
About Garfield Weston Foundation
Established by W. Garfield Weston in 1958 through an endowment of shares in the family business – now known as Associated British Foods plc – the Foundation continues to be guided by the Weston Family. The Trustees, each of whom are direct descendants of the founder, play an active, informed role in its work.
This successful model has ensured that our charitable donations have grown as the businesses have grown, enabling the Foundation to award grants totalling nearly £1.7 billion since its establishment. The most recent financial year 2024-2025 saw the Foundation give away almost £130 million to 2,967 charities.
