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Email us:   info@gardeningwithdisabilitiestrust.org.uk

Apply for a grant

Applying for a Grant: The Process

1. Start Here

Please expand and read through each section (in order) below. You will find all the necessary information and a step-by-step guide to our Grant Application Process. We thank you for taking the time to do this before submitting your application - there are several items of information, plus supporting documents, which we need from you. They are required documents - without them, we are unable to process your application.

2. How We Can Help

We’re a small, volunteer-only charity with a specific remit: to help you get back into gardening.  

  1. We urge you to head over to the clients’ stories and newsletter sections of our website, where you will find inspiring and creative projects funded by the charity.  Please note that we give grants in the hundreds not thousands of pounds.

Who can we help?

Preference will be given to keen gardeners who can no longer garden due to their physical disabilities. Please note that we cannot give grants for children.

What can we pay for?

Typically, we can pay for: 

  • Raised beds
  • Poly Tunnels
  • Greenhouses
  • Tools
  • Small-scale garden adaptations. e.g. access pathways.
  • Plants or Shrubs
  • Compost

Whether you are applying for a raised bed or help with accessing your garden, here is a list of suppliers that we can order from on your behalf. We will never pay you directly. 

*  When including a greenhouse in your application, please make sure you already have a base, as we do not pay for this or for installation. All greenhouses need to be erected by a professional & we cannot pay this cost or accept any responsibility for this.

We cannot pay for 

  • Fencing
  • Gates
  • Seating
  • Clearing
  • General/ongoing maintenance
  • Turfing
  • Tree removal

How much is a grant?

Grants awarded are typically in the hundreds (not thousands) of pounds.

3. Steps To Applying

Please bear in mind that Gardening with Disabilities Trust is an all-volunteer charity, and that processing applications takes time.  

Step 1  - Read the ‘How we can help’ section above.

Step 2 - Make sure you enclose/attach the following (we cannot process your application without them):

  1. A letter from your doctor or other Health Care Professional indicating your disability and a copy of another official document relating to your disability…a PIP or a Blue Parking Badge would be acceptable. (We keep your information safely and use it for the purpose of assessing your suitability for a grant. You can check out our privacy policy here.
  2. 2 quotations from your suppliers (if you are requesting a grant to modify your garden).
  3. The detail about your project, what you are needing and how much it costs.  For example, if you would like a raised bed, then you might need to detail raised bed  £x, potting compost £y. Don’t forget to include delivery costs.
  4. It’s always good if you can enlist friends, family or voluntary organisations to carry out some of the labour for you if you are unable to do it yourself/need extra help.

Step 3 – Apply for a Grant

When you’ve worked out your project, complete your application form – please apply online - you will find the 'Apply Online' button in the 'Ready To Apply' section.

Step 3 – Review by Case-Worker

Your application will be passed to a case-worker – one of our experienced volunteers – who will review it carefully. He/she may come back to you and ask you some questions about your project or for some additional form of ID.

Step 4 – Review by Committee/Award of Grants

All viable applications will be discussed at our Committee Meeting.  These take place roughly every 2 months, so please be patient.  If successful, we will let you know, and arrange to make the payment to you either in the form of vouchers or to your chosen supplier.

Step 5 – Implementation & Follow up

We ask you to send receipts (for our auditors) and photos of how you’ve used the grant. In certain instances, we will contact you to arrange a visit to see the outcome in situ. Some of our clients keep in touch for years afterwards, and we are delighted by that.

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4. Terms & Conditions

Terms and conditions

We also request that you read this page carefully… we cannot progress applications that are outside our remit or incomplete.

We welcome all genuine applications and ask that you follow the process below. (Also, please note that we are only able to consider repeat applications after 4 years.)

However, if we believe an application to be fraudulent we will deal robustly and will not hesitate to inform the police and all appropriate authorities.

We reserve the right to investigate applications, including visits to your garden, Google and Google Earth searches and on social media. We insist on seeing receipts for materials and work carried out, matched to the grant.

It is your responsibility to check planning permissions, landlords’ consent and other statutory permissions. Before digging, make sure you know the route of any utility services.

We pay builders/suppliers on your behalf. We never pay builders “up-front”. Please, please ensure that you are using a reputable supplier – ask around for recommendations or use a trusted trader scheme.

In some circumstances, it may be possible to obtain VAT-relief on the cost of adaptations required for your personal use as a result of your disability. We cannot advise on this and recommend you seek the advice of a tax specialist: it remains your responsibility to check whether your work is eligible for such relief. You may find some useful information here. 

5. Ready To Apply?

Please use the checklist provided below before you submit your application. This will ensure that your application has all the requested supporting documentation and adheres to our guidelines. 

Medical

  • A letter from your doctor or other Health Care Professional indicating your disability and a copy of another official document relating to your disability…a PIP or a Blue Parking Badge would be acceptable. (We keep your information safely and use it for the purpose of assessing your suitability for a grant. You can check out our privacy policy here.

Scope of works

  • The detail about your project, what you are needing and how much it costs.  For example, if you would like a raised bed, then you might need to detail raised bed  £x, potting compost £y. Don’t forget to include delivery costs.

Quotes

  • 2 quotations. Please read the ‘How we can help’ page for information on what we can buy and the suppliers to use.

Also confirm:

  • You are over 18 (we are unable to offer grants to children).
  • The quotation is in the hundreds not thousands of pounds.
  • You Agree to terms and conditions 

Apply for a grant

When you’ve worked out your project and have the supporting documentation required to complete your application form – please apply online by clicking the green button below to open the online application form.

Apply Onlcine

 

 

 

 

Please note

Please bear in mind that Gardening with Disabilities Trust is an all-volunteer charity, and that processing applications takes time.  Please read carefully the notes provided on this page and ensure that your application has all the requested supporting documentation and adheres to our guidelines.  Typically, it will take around 3 months between receiving your application and award of a grant. Please note, not all applications will be successful. 

You can upload all of the information to us on the online application form above,  or send it to us as an email at: info@gardeningwithdisabilitiestrust.org.uk  – or pop it  in the post to: Gardening with Disabilities Trust, PO Box 285, Tunbridge Wells. Kent. TN2 9JD.