National Garden Scheme grants
National Garden Scheme runs Community Garden Grants of between £1,500 and £5,000 for community groups, registered charities and CICs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
For a small charity or community group, the route into the National Garden Scheme is its Community Garden Grants programme. Individual grants under that programme are between a minimum of £1,500 and a maximum of £5,000, and an application must relate to an existing or proposed community garden or similar site. Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company with a functioning non-personal bank account, and grants are made only to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Local authorities, including parish councils, and schools, including pre-schools, cannot apply. The programme opens for a limited window, and only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered, so applying early matters. The scheme's wider registered objects cover assisting charities, and supporting charities in nursing and caring, the relief of sickness and the promotion of health.
What they fund
The Charity Commission records the scheme under general charitable purposes. Its registered objects centre on supporting charities, particularly in nursing, caring, sickness and health.
Who and where
These are the groups and areas recorded on the register. Its Community Garden Grants guidance says grants under that programme go only to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Who they help
Where they fund
What National Garden Scheme says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
Who they say they'll fund
“Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC) with a functioning non-personal bank account.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
“An application must relate to an existing or proposed community garden or similar site.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
“Grants will only be made to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
What they say they won't fund
“Schools (including pre-schools)”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
“Local authorities (including parish councils)”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
“Applications from groups that were successful in securing a National Garden Scheme Community Garden Grant in the prior year will also not be considered.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
Grant sizes they mention
“Individual grants are between minimum £1500 and maximum £5000.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
Deadlines they mention
“Applications open on the National Garden Scheme website (www.ngs.org.uk) on Monday 15th September 2025 and close at 12 noon on 20th October 2025.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
How they say to apply
“only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant.”
Source: ngs.org.uk — Community Garden Grants Application Guidelines 2025-26 →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The objects are3.1 assisting such charities or charitable purposes as the trustees shall think fit;3.2 supporting charities, in their work in the provision of nursing and caring, the relief of sickness and the preservation and promotion of health; and3.3 supporting the queen’s nursing institute in its work.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does the National Garden Scheme give?
Under its Community Garden Grants programme, its guidance says individual grants are between a minimum of £1,500 and a maximum of £5,000. In its most recent financial year on the Charity Commission register it made £3,550,688 in grants to organisations across all its giving.
What does the National Garden Scheme fund?
Its registered objects include assisting such charities or charitable purposes as the trustees think fit, and supporting charities in their work in the provision of nursing and caring, the relief of sickness and the preservation and promotion of health. Its Community Garden Grants programme requires an application to relate to an existing or proposed community garden or similar site.
Who can apply for a Community Garden Grant?
The guidance says applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company with a functioning non-personal bank account, and that grants will only be made to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What will the Community Garden Grants programme not fund?
The guidance lists local authorities, including parish councils, and schools, including pre-schools. It also says applications from groups that were successful in securing a National Garden Scheme Community Garden Grant in the prior year will not be considered.
How do I apply to the National Garden Scheme?
Community Garden Grants open for a limited application window with a published opening date and a closing deadline, and the guidance says only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant, so applying early matters. Check the funder's own website (www.ngs.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1112664) for the current window and guidance, as dates and processes can change.
Is your charity a fit for National Garden Scheme?
Type your charity’s name and we’ll check this funder — and every other active UK grant-maker — against your purposes, your area and your size. Free, and nothing to fill in: we read your entry on the official register.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with National Garden Scheme.