Grants to support the establishment of trees, hedgerows and orchards, on streets, in parks and in community and educational spaces across southern and central Scotland are available now, through The Tree Council’s partnership with SP Energy Networks (SPEN).
The Tree Council, the national charity working together for the love of trees, offers a range of funding to support planting projects; helping to bring greater biodiversity, improved air quality, reduced risk of flooding, and deliver significant environmental enhancement to grant recipients and their communities.
The Tree Council CEO Sara Lom said: “We all know how important trees are to our communities and how community planting projects bring people together with a sense of shared ownership, learning and care.
“Submit your applications as early as you can, and together we can help deliver the joy of trees to more neighbourhoods.”
The SP Energy Networks Community Tree Planting Fund provides grants between £2,500 and £10,000 for tree establishment projects across Scotland, with a particular emphasis on the central and southern belt.
The application deadline is July 31, and assessors are looking for projects that show clear community benefit and involvement, such as volunteering, education, or wellbeing initiatives.
It’s also important to ensure that the proposed planting takes place in publicly accessible, publicly visible or community-used spaces, to ensure broad benefit.
The fund is open to applications from local authorities, charities and other NGOs, community groups, educational institutions and individual landowners.
The SP Energy Networks Community Tree Planting Fund is one of five grant pots available for application through The Tree Council, for tree establishment in the 2025/26 planting season.
The new Trees Outside Woodland Fund is offering grants of up to £40,000 to local authorities and larger charities for projects in England only, on land that is publicly accessible, or of benefit to the public.
Grants of between £2,500 and £10,000 are available through The Tree Council’s partnership with Network Rail, for planting projects in England, Scotland and Wales. Successful applicants must show clear community benefit and involvement, and the planting must take place on publicly accessible land.
The Tree Council’s successful and long running Branching Out fund is now open for applications for planting projects throughout the UK, valued between £250 and £2,500.
National Highways’ Three Million Trees programme is a partnership with National Highways, The Tree Council and Greenwood Plants. Unlike the other funding opportunities, this programme provides free UK grown trees – with applications invited for projects seeking to establish between 2,500 and 50,000 trees, in England only.
All grant options are accompanied by expert advice and support from The Tree Council, from application, to planting, to ensuring the trees are able to establish successfully.
To find out more about The Tree Council’s grants programme, and to progress your application, please visit www.treecouncil.org.uk/grants-and-guidance/our-grants/
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