Grow Wild: Community Project Funding
Overview
Grow Wild is the national outreach programme of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They contribute to Kew's mission to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth.
The Grow Wild Community Programme supports groups and organisations to transform urban spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife by planting and championing UK native plants or fungi.
Grow Wild is seeking 20 fantastic community groups from across the UK to join the programme in 2025.
Your group will receive:
- A £2000 grant to transform an urban space with UK native plants or fungi, encourage wildlife and involve your local community.
- Invitations to online knowledge sharing sessions and talks featuring special guests from Kew and beyond. These sessions are designed to support your project delivery and provide opportunities to connect with other groups taking part in the programme.
- The opportunity to apply for a £500 follow-on grant for spring 2026, to help support your ongoing activities.
The programme also seeks groups who are keen to join their online sessions and connect with other groups taking part.
Eligibility
Open to non profit organisations such as:
- Voluntary, youth and community groups
- Resident’s groups
- Community associations
- Health authorities and health boards
Grow Wild can only fund projects in urban locations.
Grow Wild can’t support projects delivered in rural, conservation or protected areas such as SSSIs. Grow Wild also can't fund projects requiring planning permission, due to the programme timelines.
As a guide, they define rural as settlements with less than 10,000 inhabitants.
What will they fund
Projects that will deliver planting / growing activities, with a focus on UK native plants or fungi and enhancing local biodiversity.
- You can also use your grant to involve people in your project through workshops, events and learning activities, but growing should be at the project's core.
- Projects should encourage nature to thrive, having a positive impact for pollinating insects, birds and other wildlife.
Projects that will transform urban spaces.
- Spaces could be a single location, such as a community centre garden or multiple smaller locations that are connected through the group's activity.
Projects that will involve and benefit the local community.
- Projects should have the potential to reach at least 300 people.
Projects led by groups who care about the environment and will use sustainable materials and practices.
- Grow Wild asks all successful groups to only buy peat-free compost.
Projects that will work with one or more of Grow Wild’s target audiences:
- Young people (aged 12-25)
- People experiencing disadvantage or reduced access to services
- People who are less engaged with others in their local community
- People who face barriers to connecting with nature
- Disabled people
Projects that can be comfortably completed within the programme timeline.
- Successful applicants will receive their grant in April 2025.
- The grant needs to be spent by the end of October 2025.
Funding Level
Grow Wild’s Community Programme awards groups across the UK with £2000 grants to transform urban spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife through planting and championing UK native plants.
Eligible Costs
- A grant from Grow Wild can be used to pay for all project specific costs and activities.
- This may include seeds, plants, soil, materials, events, workshop charges, specialist experts and contractor costs.
- The grant can’t be used to buy items that are not directly related to the project.
- Avoid budgets that only pay for physical infrastructure, include costs you'll need to cover for getting local people involved.
- Applicants can allocate up to £500 of the Grow Wild grant towards staff costs related to direct delivery of project activities.
- This can include workshop preparation and delivery, volunteer support, practical sessions.
- Grow Wild grants can’t be used to cover core organisational or staff costs that are not directly related to the project delivery.
- Grants can be used to pay for individuals not employed by the group or partner organisations to deliver project activities.
- Their activity must be relevant to the project aims and planned outcomes
- This could include help with technical aspects e.g. specific site conditions, soils, plant identification, landscaping or construction techniques.
- Match funding is not requested or scored as part of your group’s application.
- If you have other funding for related projects taking place in the same space, tell Grow Wild about it in your application.
- Grow Wild expects that the project described in the application can be comfortably delivered with the Grow Wild grant, independently from other funding.
Funder Expectations
Grow Wild is looking for groups who are keen to engage with all aspects of the programme. This will include:
Letting Grow Wild know how your project is going.
- Keeping in touch and sharing photos of your project in action
- Completing simple evaluation surveys, to help Grow Wild measure the impact of the Community Programme.
Attending Grow Wild’s online training, to connect and share experiences.
- Project leaders should be able to commit to approximately two-three hours per month between April-October 2024.
- Follow up activities for groups to try could include pollinator counts and nature surveys.
- Sessions are usually held on weekdays or evenings, and we will aim to find times that will work for the majority.
Supporting Grow Wild to create a case study about your group's activity.
- Grow Wild may ask to visit your project during the summer, to take photos and talk to group participants.
- Information gathered during visits will be used to build case studies to share with Grow Wild's wider audience and programme funders.
Applicant Requirements
1. Two members of staff or volunteers who can liaise with Grow Wild
- A lead contact - The person responsible for delivery of the project and main point of contact for Grow Wild.
- A secondary contact - Ideally someone in a senior position and financially accountable, e.g a trustee or director.
- Contacts need to be aged 18 or over and can’t be related to each other, through any family connection.
2. A bank account, in the group's name
- Grow Wild will need evidence of this before the grant can be transferred.
3. Landowner permission.
- Where your project idea involves transforming a space or carrying out activity on land that doesn’t belong to you, you’ll need permission from the landowner.
- They’ll ask you to provide evidence of this permission when you apply. This can be in the form of a letter or email from the landowner, you'll be prompted to upload a copy of this when you complete the application form.
4. An up-to-date constitution, or equivalent governance document
- The document should outline the group's purpose, aims and objectives.
- The document should be agreed and signed by the group’s board.
5. Policies and procedures in place to ensure groups can complete their project safely and responsibly, including:
- An equal opportunities policy
- Safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults (required within the application)
- A health and safety policy
- Volunteering guidelines (if appropriate)
- Public liability insurance (appropriate for the project activities)
Please note: Grow Wild may ask to see the above policies, during the application stage and throughout the programme.
Grow Wild is the national outreach learning initiative of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The Grow Wild Community Programme is supported by Alexander McQueen, bringing communities together to value and enjoy UK native plants.