Community Programme

✅We can fund non profit organisations including:  

• Constituted voluntary/community organisations, groups or clubs.
• Charities
• Not-for-profit companies
• Community Interest Companies (CICs)   
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIOs)
• Community Benefit Societies   

 Note: if you are unsure whether your group is constituted, read this guide from The Wildlife Trusts. 

 ❌We can't fund:  

• Companies that pay profits to directors, shareholders, or members, instead of reinvesting them for charitable purposes.
• Sole traders or individuals.
• Unconstituted organisations, groups or clubs
• Schools, colleges, and universities (look out for our Youth Grant opportunity launching early 2026). 
• Statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish, and community councils) - but we can fund projects led by independent groups on Local Authority land.
• Public bodies
• Organisations and projects outside of the UK 

 Note: this isn't an exhaustive list. Please contact us if your organisation is not listed or you are unsure if you are eligible.

Projects must be in urban locations 

• Urban spaces are defined as settlements with 10,000+ inhabitants
• Grow Wild can’t support projects delivered in rural or protected areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).  

Projects must transform an urban space through growing 

• Project spaces could be a single location, such as a community centre garden, or multiple smaller locations that are connected through the group's activity.   
• Grow Wild also can't fund projects requiring planning permission, due to the programme timelines.   
   

If you are unsure if your project is eligible, please get in touch: email hellogrowwild@kew.org or call 020 8332 3842. 
 

1. Two designated contacts (18+): 

• Lead contact - The person responsible for delivery of the project and main contact for Grow Wild.
• Secondary contact - Ideally someone in a senior position and financially accountable, e.g a trustee or director.
• Contacts cannot be related to one another, through any family connection. 
    

2. A bank account, in the group's name 

• We will need evidence before transferring the grant. 
    

3. Landowner permission 

• If the land does not belong to your group, a letter or email evidencing landowner permission to undertake the project is required.  
   
   

4. A current constitution, or equivalent governance document 

• The document should outline the group's purpose, aims and objectives.
• The document should be agreed and signed by the group’s board. 
    

5. Key policies, procedures & insurance 

• Equal opportunities policy
• Safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults (required within the application)
• Health and safety policy
• Volunteering guidelines (if appropriate)
• Public liability insurance (appropriate for the project activities) 

Note: we may ask to see the above policies at any time.  

Grants will be awarded to projects which best meet all of the following criteria: 

1. Groups/projects that meet our basic eligibility requirements. 

Check our eligibility section before you begin making your application. 
 

2. Projects with a focus on UK native plants or fungi 

We encourage applications from groups of all experience levels and love receiving applications from groups who will be learning about or growing UK native species for the first time. 

You don’t have to only grow UK native species as part of your project – it’s fine to grow other things too. We’re just keen to see that native species will be a focus and your group is enthusiastic about them. 
 

3. Projects with high potential to help enhance local biodiversity. 

Projects with the potential to make a big change to their project space are more likely to be chosen. We love projects that will turn grey areas green! 

Project spaces could be a single location, such as a community centre garden, or multiple smaller locations that are connected through the group's activity.  
 

4. Projects with clear ways for local people to get easily and meaningfully involved. For example, through growing sessions, workshops, community events and creative activities.  

Projects should have the potential to involve or benefit at least 300 people.  
 

5. Projects that will benefit one or more of Grow Wild’s target audience groups.

• Young people (aged 12-25)
• People experiencing disadvantage or reduced access to services
• People who are less engaged with others in their local community 
• People who face barriers to connecting with nature
• Disabled people 

6. Projects that will make good use of the £2000 grant.

We’re looking for projects that will follow our spending guidelines to deliver meaningful benefits for the local community and nature.  

See our section below about how the grant can be spent. 

Grants must be spent by the end of October 2026. 

✅A grant from Grow Wild can be used to pay for all project specific costs and activities. This may include: 

• Seeds, plants, and soil
• Tools and materials
• Events and workshop charges
• Specialist experts and contractor costs. You can pay individuals not employed by your group to deliver project specific activities.
• Your own staff costs related to direct delivery of project activities, such as workshop preparation and delivery, volunteer support, and practical sessions.  

You can choose how much of the grant you would like to allocate towards this.   

 
❌The grant can’t be used to: 

• buy items that are not directly related to the project.
• only pay for physical infrastructure
• cover core organisational or staff costs that are not directly related to the project delivery. 
   

 Match funding is not requested or scored as part of your group’s application. 

• If you have other funding for related projects taking place in the same space, tell us about it in your application.
• The project described in your application must be comfortably deliverable with the Grow Wild grant, independently from other funding. 

Grow Wild is looking for groups who are keen to engage with all aspects of the programme. This will include: 

 Providing Grow Wild with project updates 

• Sharing photos of your project in action
• Keeping a record of how you spend your grant, using a template provided.
• Completing simple evaluation surveys, to help Grow Wild measure the impact of the Community Programme.  

Attending Grow Wild’s online knowledge sharing sessions 

• Project leaders should be able to commit to approximately two hours per month between April-October 2026.
• Sessions are online, and usually held on weekdays or evenings. We aim to find times that work for the majority of participants.  

The health and safety of everyone connected with your project should be considered. 

• You must have appropriate risk assessments in place for your activities.
• You must also have an appropriate safeguarding policy and procedures in place, to protect people under the age of 18 and any vulnerable adults involved with your project.
• Ensure your group has public liability insurance in place for your activities. 

Make sure you are aware of any hazards within your project space. 

It’s the responsibility of your group to research and understand the space you plan to transform, making sure it is safe and suitable for planned activities. 

This includes: 

• Knowing the location of underground services, such as cables or pipes if you will be digging. On request local utility companies can supply maps showing the location of their equipment, there is sometimes a fee for this service.
• Being aware of antisocial behaviour local to the project.
• Checking for the presence of hazardous litter like broken glass or drug paraphernalia. 

If in doubt, talk this all through carefully with the landowner. 
  

Engage with people local to your project.  

• Before applying for a grant, check that your planned activities will not have an adverse effect on how a communal space is used or experienced by other stakeholders. People might have great ideas to help make your project even better. 

Applications for 2026 have now closed.

Grow Wild will notify all groups via email by April 2026, confirming if they have been successful or not.  

• Please check your email account, including junk email folder regularly after the closing date.
• Due to the volume of applications, please be aware that Grow Wild will not be able to provide feedback for unsuccessful applications.   

Grants will be allocated to projects which best meet the application criteria and Grow Wild's programme objectives.  

As part of the final selection process, Grow Wild will prioritise: 

• Supporting projects located in communities experiencing higher levels of deprivation. This is to ensure support reaches areas where it can make the greatest impact. This is assessed through indices of multiple deprivation data for England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland.
• Supporting a wide geographic spread of projects.  

Note: we reserve the right to make the final decision around which groups will receive a grant and no discussion will be entered into in relation to this decision.