News published: 15 April 2024

We are pleased to announce that BGCI’s Global Botanic Garden Fund (GBGF) is now open for applications. The GBGF is made up of a number of grants which aim to drive plant conservation, sustainability efforts, and global partnerships with a focus on smaller botanic gardens and arboreta in developing countries and biodiversity hotspots.

In 2023, BGCI received 122 applications for the Global Botanic Garden Fund. Through the GBGF, BGCI and partner organisations distributed 66 grants worth USD $239,241 to 60 different institutions, across 32 different countries. Take a look at the results of some of these projects here.

Learn more about each grant criteria below. Call for applications is open until 14 June 2024.

Grants available for 2024:

BGCI Member Grants

This fund aims to disburse 15-20 grants per year with each grant awarding up to USD $2,500. The BGCI Member Grants can help an institution to improve or support one or more of the vital areas across the botanic garden as defined by BGCI’s Botanic Garden Accreditation.

BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme Grants

Four grants of up to USD $2,500 are available to support international collaborations between the arboretum and the botanic garden community that facilitate the exchange of knowledge, skills and resources. Projects through the Partnership programme must focus on tree conservation, involve an international partnership between two institutions, and one of the partners must be an ArbNet Accredited Arboretum. Funding for the BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme is graciously provided by BGCI’s Patron Member, The Morton Arboretum.

BGCI/Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Grants

This fund supports botanical gardens or arboreta around the world that are having difficulty in carrying out their mission. Five grants of USD $1,000 are available for any part of the garden’s work; operations, conservation, education or research. The grants are graciously provided by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

BGCI/Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve Grants

These grants are only available for institutions based in the Caribbean and Central American region, as defined by the Caribbean and Central American Botanic Gardens Network. Six grants of up to USD $4,000 are available to help institutions to improve or support one or more of the vital areas across the botanic garden as defined by BGCI’s Botanic Garden Accreditation. The grants are graciously provided by The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP).

Global Conservation Consortia Grants

These grants support priority conservation action for Conifers, with projects focused on one or more priority IUCN threatened Conifer species. Grants are up to USD $6,000 and are made possible through a cooperative agreement between The Friends of Bedgebury National Pinetum (Forestry England) and BGCI.

Check out our GBGF introductory course below (free to BGCI Members) to help you learn about the best practices to follow when applying for GBGF grants.

Apply to the GBGF

Member, ArbNet, MLA, LLNPP and GCC Grants are now closed for this year.

GBGF Course

Access our online course on the Global Botanic Garden Fund here!

Access the Course Here