The Gardens Trust offers a grant scheme for volunteer projects supporting historic designed landscapes.
The Gardens Trust Community Grant is for up to £6000 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 Bradgate Park Trust, Northamptonshire Gardens Trust to set up a friends group for Billing Road Cemetery, Dawber Garden Community Trust and the Friends of Brunswick Square and Terrace.
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 2025
We’re pleased to be supporting the following projects and organisations helping to bring historic designed landscapes back to life across England.
Your Park Bristol and Bath – to support the reintroduction and enhancement of sustainable natural habitats to Bath’s green spaces at scale with volunteers, to boost the City’s biodiversity.
The Warneford 200 Gardening Group – for the recreation of an early nineteenth-century asylum garden and the creation of the Warneford Walk in the hospital grounds.
Broomhill Community Trust – for the restoration of its
Heritage Gardens designed by the internationally renowned garden designer Percy Cane.
Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust – to continue to upkeep and restore the Grade II* listed cemetery, including parts of the original Arcadian Victorian cemetery designed by Charles Underwood.
How to Apply
Our Community Grants scheme is now closed but will reopen again in 2025.
For information on how to apply, please see our 2024 application form below:
Garden Trust Community Grant Application form 2024
The deadline is usually in October and applicants will know whether they have been successful in mid-November.
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.