The National Garden Scheme - Community Garden Grants

The National Garden Scheme offers Community Garden Grants to support local gardening projects across England and Wales. Established in memory of Elspeth Thompson, these grants aim to empower community groups and CICs with funding for site preparations, tools, and plants. Eligible applicants must have a non-personal bank account and provide detailed cost breakdowns. However, local authorities and schools are ineligible, and funding cannot be used for salaries or promotional materials. This initiative fosters community engagement through gardening.

In addition to our annual donations to nursing and health charities, the National Garden Scheme grants awards to help community gardening projects.
In memory of Elspeth Thompson
In 2011 the National Garden Scheme set up an award scheme in memory of Elspeth Thompson, the much-loved garden writer and journalist who died in 2010. Elspeth was a great friend and supporter of the National Garden Scheme; she also wrote an admired ‘Urban Gardener’ column in the Sunday Telegraph. Her column often celebrated community gardens and so the awards support gardening projects carried out within local communities all over England and Wales.
Previously managed in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, from 2019 the scheme became wholly managed by the National Garden Scheme.

Eligibility

Grants will only be made to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Applicants must be a fully set up community group or CIC with a functioning non-personal bank account.An application must relate to an existing or proposed community garden or similar site. There must be no query over access to the space (such as restrictions imposed by ownership by another body).Each application must itemise the details of the costs they are planning to cover.Eligible costs could include, for example, site preparation (including hire of small mechanical tools such as rotavators), hand tools, plants, trees, shrubs, containers and seating.

Ineligibility

The following bodies are not eligible:Local authorities (including parish councils)SchoolsApplications from any such bodies will not be considered.The following items are not eligible for funding:

• Salaries or wages
• Volunteer expenses
• Promotional costs (e.g. production or printing of leaflets)
• Hire of large mechanical tools (e.g. large shredder, JCB etc.)
• Transport to visit gardens
• Insurance
• Educational course fees or training costs