The 2026 Capital Grants scheme opened today (30 July), with £225 million available to support one-off investments such as fencing, water infrastructure, hedgerows, tree planting and boundary improvements. The budget is 50% larger than last year, giving more farmers the opportunity to improve their businesses while delivering environmental benefits.

However, if you’re planning to apply, make sure you have all the required supporting evidence ready before you submit your application. The RPA expects high demand and is requiring applicants to include maps, land control forms and any required Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) approvals with their application to avoid delays. Not include the supporting evidence may cause your application to be rejected.

Please note: CSF is unable to process new approval requests due to demand. However, if you’ve received CSF approval for one of the 24 relevant grant items within the last two years (from July 24 onwards), you can use that approval when applying.

Read the full scheme guidance and make sure you’re application-ready before submitting.