The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) is a novel funding mechanism designed to stimulate innovative rural development projects in the Protected Landscapes of England & Wales.

• Project Dates: 2006 (3 months)
• Project Leader: Terry Carroll
• Staff: Terry Carroll and Nicola Thompson
• Sponsors: Northumberland National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund

This project analysed how the fund had been administered and what had been achieved to date. It also compared the approach taken in Northumberland with that taken in two other protected areas. The final objective of the research was to examine how the SDF fitted in with the changing arrangements for the funding of rural development.