National Garden Scheme to Open for Applications on 15 September

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Delivered by the National Garden Scheme, the Community Gardens Award provides grants of £1,500 and £5,000 for gardening projects carried out within local communities in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The scheme is committed to:

  • Sustainability in gardening so proposals need to demonstrate that they will be using sustainable gardening methods – for instance being as far as possible peat-free.

  • Celebrating biodiversity so projects that encourage biodiversity and wildlife, while not essential, will be a positive.

The funding can be used for a number of things, including but not limited to:

  • 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 refreshment.

Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC) with a functioning non-personal bank account based and working in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The current application guidelines are available now on the website of the National Garden Scheme. 

Please note this year, the application process is in two parts. The first part is an initial eligibility check. The link to the second part will be sent by email.

Also new this year, the scheme has introduced a cap on applications. Only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant.

Applications are expected to open on 15 September 2025 and close on 20 October 2025 (12 noon). For more information, please visit Community Garden Grants - National Garden Scheme