The National Garden Scheme Community Garden Grants

In memory of Elspeth Thompson

In 2011 the National Garden Scheme set up a grant scheme in memory of Elspeth Thompson, the much-loved garden writer and journalist who died in 2010. Elspeth was a great friend and supporter of the National Garden Scheme; she also wrote an admired ‘Urban Gardener’ column in the Sunday Telegraph. Her column often celebrated community gardens and so the grants support gardening projects carried out within local communities all over England and Wales.

Previously managed in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, from 2019 the scheme became wholly managed by the National Garden Scheme.

In 2023 we gave out grants to 86 projects bringing the total number of projects supported to-date to almost 300, with the total amount donated to £650,000. Read the full story here.

Applications for 2024 are now closed and successful recipients will be announced in April.

The application process for 2025 will open in the autumn 2024.

(The National Garden Scheme also funds the NGS Elsie Wagg Innovation Scholarship through the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI)  for projects led by nurses that improve people’s physical and mental health through gardening in the community. You can find information on these here.)

For a map of Community Garden Grant projects since 2019 open the map below and click on the pins to find out more…

2023 Grants in more detail