Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust

The Trust achieves its objectives by making grants to individuals, organisations and institutions carrying out projects of significance to:

• horticulture;
• gardening; or
• botany with a strong horticultural element.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of typical projects.

• restoring gardens of historic interest;
• developing new gardens, or new garden areas within existing gardens, for public access and enjoyment;
• exhibitions, book publications, research and educational programmes relating to horticulture;
• expeditions and travel to study, collect and protect plants of scientific and horticultural value;
• study-visits by horticulturists or botanists with strong horticultural links, and
• gardeners’ training schemes run by appropriate organisations (but not to individuals, see Training and Traineeships).

The maximum grant is £5,000 but some organisations only require modest sums and applicants are welcome to apply for grants of less than £500. Typical grants are usually in the range of £3,500– £5,000.

Only one grant is usually made for each project but it is possible for subsequent grants to be made to the same individual or organisation for a new project or an additional component of the original project over two or three years.

The Trust will not make grants for projects relating to commercial agriculture initiatives, commercial crop production, forestry, payment of wages or salaries or tuition fees for students taking academic or diploma courses or for pure ​‘gap year’ travel.

Grants are normally awarded twice a year, in April and September (application deadlines are 15th February and 15th August).