The Finnis Scott Foundation provides small grants (nominally up to £10,000, but in practice much smaller) to UK registered charities working in the areas of horticulture and plant sciences as well as art history and fine art. Preference is given to smaller charities where the grant is likely to have a significant impact.
Applicants applying for gardens or hospices are likely to be looked at more favourably. Please note that the Foundation is unlikely to fund recently formed organisations that have not yet established a track record, or have yet to produce a set of annual accounts.
The Foundation’s funding priorities are:
1. The training of gardeners (the Foundation is keen to support horticultural training through bursaries and apprenticeships).
2. The restoration of gardens.
3. Scientific plant projects.
4. Permanent art projects, including the conservation and framing of pictures and assisting galleries in the purchase of works of art and the development of galleries.
5. The production of exhibition catalogues, and
6. The support of the disadvantaged within horticulture.
Capital and revenue grants up to £10,000 are available, together with the occasional higher award over £10,000. In practice, the vast majority of awards are for under £3,000. There is no matched funding requirement.
During the year ended 31st December 2021, the Foundation received 106 applications, of which 69 grants (65% of all applications) were awarded a grant. The total amount awarded for the year was £226,209 (2020: £212,393).
Awards ranged from £500 to £10,000 with an average grant award of £3,278. The Foundation has previously stated that, of the applications declined, the most common reason was the proposed project was not sufficiently close to the Foundation's priorities, or too large a grant was requested.
Funding is not available for:
o Newly established organisations without a track record of successful project delivery.
o Projects which have already been completed and expenditure which has already been made.
o Requests for salaries, except in the case of educational support (bursaries and apprenticeships), or
o Site-specific art installations, conceptual or performance art.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Foundation’s website.
The Foundation meets every three months – in January, April, July and October – to review applications. Application deadlines are normally on the 15th day of the month prior to each meeting (i.e. 15th March, 15th June, 15th September and 15th December)
The next application deadline is 4pm on Friday 15th December 2023 for the trustee's meeting on Wednesday 24th January 2024.
