According to the grant making charity, Project Giving Back (PGB) have funded gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 2022. Between 2022 and 2026, PGB will have funded 60 gardens, all of which have a life after RHS Chelsea in permanent locations around the UK.
According to the PGB for 2026, there will be a ‘slightly altered’ approach to reviewing applications for RHS Chelsea from designers and charities and they ask all applicants to review the timeline and instructions carefully before submitting for funding in September 2024.
Show garden category selection process
Over 400 requests for funding have been received by the PGB since 2021, from designers and charities keen to showcase their work at RHS Chelsea. Due to the volume of applications, and the competitive nature of the process, the PGB have only been able to fund 10% of the gardens that have applied to date.
For the 2026 show garden selection, the PGB will initially revisit applications from previous years. New applications are welcome in September 2024, and a small number of applicants will be invited to submit proposals for consideration by the PGB panel in the new year. The timeline for 2026 show garden funding is as follows:
- August – October 2024: PGB team to review potential gardens for good causes options from applications made in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
- September – October 2024: PGB welcomes new applications for the show garden category
- November 2024: PGB to contact selected designers/charities and issue invitations to develop a proposal for 2026.
- January – February 2025: Final review of proposals and confirmation of intention for show garden funding.
All About Plants garden category selection process
For the All About Plants category, PGB will continue to accept new applications but will prioritise those from designers with a keen knowledge and passion for plants – in particular rare or unusual species – that apply alongside a relevant charity.
PGB Trustee, Arne Maynard explains: “We would really like the All About Plants category to continue to evolve and develop as an opportunity for designers to showcase their love of plants, and the ways in which they can be combined in a small space. We are therefore encouraging new applications for All About Plants funding in 2026, but would urge designers and charities to visit the PGB website and read our guidance before applying. We will prioritise applications that demonstrate an understanding of the category and a commitment to work with specialist nurseries to showcase rare and unusual plants.”
The timeline for applying for All About Plants funding is as follows:
- September – October 2024: PGB welcomes applications for the All About Plants category
- November 2024: PGB reviews and invites a shortlist of designers/charities to develop proposals
- February 2025: Funding presentations and final selection made for 2026 All About Plants
PGB trustee, Alex Denman, said: “Thank you to everyone who has poured so much passion and love for gardens, plants and good causes of all kinds into the Project Giving Back mission since 2022. The impact the gardens have had on the charities they have been inspired by and the communities they will continue to support is profound and humbling. We are working hard as a team to honour and reflect this in our final year of funding gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and look forward to seeing how this incredible chapter of the historic show’s history will be drawn to a close.”