Emergency Grants Summer 2026
Drought and Bluetongue virus continue to present significant challenges for farming communities. If you have been affected by either of these ongoing crises, financial hardship grants may be available. Two organisations are currently offering support. Click on the images below for more information and details on how to apply.
SFI26
The first application window for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26) is now open.
Window 1 is open to 2 groups:
- small farms
- farms without an existing ELM revenue agreement
You only need to be in one of the groups to apply. You can find the eligibility criteria for Window 1 in the SFI26 scheme rules and guidance on GOV.UK.
Things are moving quickly and changing rapidly. The best resource to find out exactly what is available at any moment in time is this page on the government website. It is updated regularly.
Below, and through links at the bottom of this page, we have also explained in basic terms what is happening, what is available currently, and where to go to get the best advice* and further details.
*Please note, FCN itself does not provide advice, and these pages have simply been designed to try to present information in a concise way. We endeavour to keep them as up-to-date as possible. Always consult with professionals when making business decisions.
Support to help you find funding routes
A land agent or consultant will work with you to find the most appropriate funding routes for your business, and there are also organisations that will help you to discover the most suitable avenues quickly and easily online, such as GroConnect.
GroConnect
GroConnect is an agricultural funding assessment platform that helps farmers and advisers explore potentially relevant grants and funding opportunities across public, regional, water-company and private schemes.
Results are indicative and should be reviewed against current scheme guidance before application.
The platform allows a user to create a farm profile, review funding routes that may be relevant, shortlist opportunities and produce a clear indicative report with reliable source links.
For advisers, the main value is reducing repeated research and making client funding reviews more consistent. For larger organisations, including banks, there is a useful opportunity to help agricultural clients understand what grant or non-repayable support may be available before or alongside wider investment discussions.
How to sign up at www.groconnect.co.uk:
Start your free check
Visit GroConnect and select “Start free check”.
Create your account
Enter your email, create a password and verify from your email inbox.
Describe your farm
Add basic details about the holding, land and location.
Choose your priorities
Tell GroConnect what you are hoping to invest in or improve.
Run the Grant Mapper
Explore funding routes
See relevant opportunities, understand why they appeared and visit the provider.
The Farming Blog from DEFRA
Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme manages a regular blog which explains the reforms to agricultural policy in England.
In it, they share what they’re working on, what they’re learning and how you can get involved.
BPS to Delinked Payments
The last ever BPS forms were required to be completed and submitted by 15th May 2023.
From 2024 – 2027, delinked payments will be made. They’re ‘delinked’ because they don’t require land against which to set a claim. If you stop farming, or change the way you farm, you will still receive the payments.
To be eligible to receive delinked payments, you must have been eligible for, and claimed, BPS in 2023.
Delinked payments are calculated by taking the average of BPS payments made to you from 2020 to 2022. This ‘reference’ amount will reduce between 2024 and 2027 as progressive reductions are applied to the delinked payments each year.