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Active travel is not only better for the environment, but it’s also better for your physical and mental health. That’s why the government are placing a greater onus on councils and local authorities to take a more involved role in encouraging their residents to travel via walking, cycling, or wheeling.
As part of this, a variety of grants and funding opportunities are available for active travel projects across the UK. Depending on your exact location and requirements, applying to these opportunities could
be very beneficial for developing your local infrastructure.
See the below for opportunities to claim active travel funding in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
England
Active Travel Fund:
The Active Travel Fund provides funding to councils and unitary authorities for the
development and construction of local active travel projects. The most recent round of funding was extended into the year 2023/2024, and distributed over £45 million to 36 councils and unitary authorities. To date, the fund has provided over £400 million in total funding.
While the future of this fund is uncertain, councils should follow any developments, in case further rounds of funding or an extension of the current round are announced. If more funding is indeed on its way, the grants awarded will provide an extremely valuable boon for any ongoing or upcoming active travel projects.
Active Travel Capability Fund:
Similar to the above, the Active Travel Capability Fund supports infrastructure plans and community
engagement to encourage active travel. The funding is available annually for local transport authorities outside of London.
In 2024, a total of 80 Councils received funding, with each figure ranging anywhere from £22,177 to £3.1 million depending on district population and requirements. Funding for this scheme is informed by the annual
report on local authority travel capability ratings, meaning local authorities that are rated less capable for active travel will typically receive more resources.
Active Travel Social Prescribing Pilot:
Active Travel England are piloting a programme where health workers like nurses and GPs can prescribe patients, where appropriate, active travel such as walking or cycling. The programme is run in tandem with NHS
England, and aims to promote behavioural change to improve patient health and wellbeing.
A total of £13.9 million in funding is available in the Active Travel Social Prescribing pilot, split between 11 local authorities. If
the pilot proves a success, the programme may be extended to more authorities in the future, with additional funding possibly being allocated.
Sustrans:
Sustrans are a charity dedicated to supporting active travel across the UK. They play a major role in maintaining the National Cycle Network, as well as conducting research on active travel, improving travel routes, and enhancing transport planning across the country.
While primarily acting in a more advisory role, Sustrans do occasionally offer grants to local communities and organisations, often in conjunction with governing authorities. The intended use for that funding is either as improvements to local paths and spaces or activities that promote active travel. For an example, this grant from early 2024 was targeted towards communities located in the West Midlands.
In addition to direct funding of projects, Sustrans campaign and advocate for more government support for active travel schemes. They have petitioned parliament and the Transport secretary for change, and work to highlight the benefits of active travel on the economy, health, and the environment.
Scotland
Paths For All:
Paths For All are a Scottish charity tackling physical inactivity. In line with their aims, Paths For All offer various grants and funding for projects
that contribute to a more active, greener Scotland.
Grants open for applications periodically throughout the year, for a variety of recipients and purposes, including funding allocated for path network improvements and community programmes to support behavioural change. In terms of size, listed grants range from a small sum of £3,000 to a massive fund of £5 million.
One of Paths for All’s most generous grants is the Ian Findley Path Fund, sponsored by Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government. The
IFPF has supported over 40 community projects over the past two years, and now stands at £1.2 million, with up to £100,000 available for each applicant.
Funding Scotland:
Funding Scotlandis a service that allows nonprofits and charities to search for funding opportunities. While many of the grants available may be unrelated to active travel, there are those that are entirely dedicated to the topic, such as the ArtRoots Fund by Sustrans Scotland.
Regional Transport Partnerships:
In addition to national opportunities, Scotland’s Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) may periodically offer funding or grants to local organisations. The RTPs were first established in 2005, tasked with designing and developing a regional transport strategy, with active travel being a key component of that.
Tactran (Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership), offer an Active Travel Grant for developing cycling/walking infrastructure. Nestrans (Regional Transport Partnership for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire) offer two grants, both for
sustainable travel schemes. Swestrans, which covers the South-West of Scotland, provides funding for active travel schemes in concert with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Hitrans (Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership), ZetTrans (Shetland Transport Partnership), Sestrans (South-East of Scotland Transport Partnership), and SPT (Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) are all involved in ongoing active travel projects and community outreach, which may involve funding or financial support depending on requirements.
All RTPs offer critical active travel support to communities and charities, which may include anything from refurbishing and repairing old bikes, investing in E-bikes and electronic scooters, launching apps to promote active travel, conducting audits of path networks, to promoting road safety for cyclists and pedestrians. As such, each RTP will prove an invaluable partner for Scottish local authorities seeking to develop their active travel schemes and cycle networks.
From 2024/25, Transport Scotland (TS) will be introducing the People & Place Programme. This involves a new delivery model in which TS will work directly with the Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) instead of directly funding delivery partners. In short, it means that partners such as Paths For All and Sustrans will become less influential when it comes to funding, while RTPs will be able to offer more in terms of grants.
The programme will offer funding across several themes, including Active Schools, Active Workplaces, Accessibility & Inclusion, and Capacity & Capability. Projects ranging from social change to active travel infrastructure will be considered for funding. Additionally, continuity of funding will be granted to projects that had previously been accepted prior to the transition to the new P&P Programme.
Wales
Active Travel Fund:
Wales offer their very own government funding for active travel schemes, run by Transport for Wales. The Active Travel Fund gives local authorities the opportunity to apply for funding through a combination of core allocation and an additional competitive bidding process.
From 2024 to 2025, a total of 22 districts of Wales received investment, with sums ranging from the tens of thousands to several million. Much of the fund was allocated for road safety projects, local transport, and safe routes in communities – see the full breakdown on their website.
Applications are continually open throughout the year, but strict submission deadlines are in place.
Northern Ireland
While the Northern Ireland government had allocated a budget of over £2 million for active travel schemes from 2021-2023, it has since been reported that uptake was less than expected, and part of the funding was re-allocated to repairing road infrastructure instead.
Despite this, government consultation is ongoing regarding the funding and delivery of over 200km of high-quality active travel infrastructure. The plans span the next 10 years, with a focus on connecting local schools, public transport, and town centres. The consultation was launched November 2024 and is due to conclude on 28th February 2025. Depending on the outcome, more active travel funding may soon become available for NI councils and local authorities.
