The Gardens Trust offers a grant scheme for volunteer projects supporting historic designed landscapes.
The Gardens Trust Community Grant is for up to £8000 and is intended to help seed-fund volunteer projects that will support historic designed landscapes in the UK. Previous recipients of the grant include the Your Park Bristol and Bath, The Warneford 200 Gardening Group, Broomhill Community Trust and Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust.
The application process is intentionally as simple as possible, as we are keen that this is an inclusive and accessible scheme.
The criteria for the grant are:
- The applicant must be a volunteer group. It does not have to be a registered charity, but does need to be able to demonstrate that it is an active group with a clear plan.
- The project can be any activity relating to historic designed landscapes.
- We are particularly looking for something that will act as seed-funding/pump priming for a sustainable activity. For example, an application to fund a restoration plan, Friends group set-up costs, research project, or volunteer training scheme.
- The project can be based anywhere in the United Kingdom.
- We particularly encourage applications that reflect Gardens Trust priorities around conservation, sharing knowledge, and encouraging inclusive participation and enjoyment of historic designed landscapes.
Projects we’re supporting in 2026
We’re pleased to be supporting the following projects and organisations helping to bring historic designed landscapes back to life across England.
- Friends of Palmeira & Adelaide Residents’ Association, Hove
- Lowestoft North Cliff Community Garden
- Saltburn Valleys CIO, Tyne
- Friends of Broomfield Park, London N3
- Oxfordshire Gardens Trust
How to Apply
Please check back for details of how to apply this year.
The Gardens Trust community grant is made possible by a generous donation from the Gentian Trust, established by Peter and Rosy Gent, who are members of the Gardens Trust. They are keen gardeners and garden visitors, and with this grant they are “hoping to plant acorns which will become oaks”. We thank the Gents wholeheartedly for their enthusiastic response to the GT’s work around historic designed landscapes, and are excited to see the difference it will make to volunteer projects.
