The National Garden Scheme: Community Gardens Grants

Overview

Eligibility

Grants will only be made to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company (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).

NB only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant.

What do they like to fund

Applicants should:

• Detail why they think your project should be considered for a Community Garden Grant.
• Clearly describe the project, stating the anticipated short and long-term benefits to a community, and how many people will be positively impacted.
• You also need to set out how the project will be maintained in the future.
• The National Garden Scheme is committed to sustainability in gardening so it is important that your proposal demonstrates that you will be using sustainable gardening methods – for instance being as far as possible peat-free.
• They also celebrate biodiversity so demonstrate that your project will encourage biodiversity and wildlife, while not essential, will be a positive.
• They understand that projects may involve a “community” element for people to engage and socialise, so applicants can include items to provide refreshment, but not consumables (eg sandwiches, drinks etc). As with all other elements the purpose should be explained.
• Applications must include either clear drawings and/or photographs showing the whole site of the proposed project.
  • They must also include an indication of the site’s area/size. Failure to provide any of these may result in your application not being considered.

Grant size

• Eligible community garden projects from England, Wales and Northern Ireland are welcome to apply for grants of between £1,500 and £5,000.
  • Each application must itemise the details of the costs they are planning to cover.

Eligible Expenditure

In completing the application, you are required to supply a detailed breakdown of the costs for which you are seeking funding. Applications without supporting financial information will not be considered. 

Receipts for expenditure should be obtained and retained until after the project has completed. You should also state if you have obtained, or are applying for, funding from elsewhere giving the amount and the source.

The following is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of items that may be eligible for funding:

• Plants and containers
• Materials for flower or vegetable beds and other hard landscaping
• Greenhouses, polytunnels and sheds
• Seating
• Hand tools and certain garden power tools (eg strimmers)
• Materials for providing refreshments

For a list of successful applicants see here. For the accompanying news story click here