The Green Community Grants scheme is provided by the Bupa Foundation as part of its Healthy Cities campaign which aims to support one million people across the globe to improve their health through restoring and regenerating nature.

The scheme is administered by Groundwork, which is a federation of charities working nationally and locally to transform lives in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.

Objectives of Fund

The funding is intended for registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, schools, local authorities and social housing providers for practical projects which help with both people and planet health.

Grants of between £500 and £2,000 are available.

Who Can Apply

Applications will be accepted from non-fee paying schools, registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and social housing providers.

To be eligible, applicants must be able to provide their governing document (e.g. constitution, memorandum or articles of association) which must include a dissolution clause or asset lock.

Organisations that are not a registered organisation (registered charity, registered company, school or a public sector organisation) must be able to provide two forms of ID for their main contact, one for proof of name, the other for proof of address.

For projects involving a capital improvement to land or a building, organisations must complete the project consent form provided in the application form.

Location

UK (including the Channel Islands) and Republic of Ireland.

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

  • Individuals.
  • Community Interest Companies with shares (CIC’s).
  • Community Interest Companies with guarantee that are less than two years old.
  • Profit-making organisations.
  • Private, fee paying schools.
  • Retrospective costs.
  • Research projects.
  • Political donations.
  • Fundraising activities or challenges (such as costs for a sky dive).
  • Running costs and organisation overheads.
  • Conferences or seminars.
  • Activities which collect funds for redistribution to other charities or individuals.
  • Overseas appeals.
  • Expeditions or overseas travel.
  • Promotion of a religious or political cause.
  • Marketing promotions.
  • Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide.

Eligible Expenditure

Projects must be completed by 30 April 2027.

This year, priority will be given to projects that:

  • Improve existing green spaces or create new ones in cities, especially in priority areas: London, Staines, Brighton, Leeds, Greater Manchester (in particular Salford), Dublin and Glasgow
  • Take place in areas with the greatest need, meaning areas in the top 20% most deprived, based on official Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data.
  • Have not received a Bupa Foundation Green Community Grant before
  • Clearly show how they improve people’s health and the health of the planet

Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:

  • Improving a local community garden for community use and recreational activities.
  • Volunteer-led tree or flower planting to improve air quality and biodiversity.
  • Creating an outdoor classroom, natural playground or ‘forest school’.
  • Creating a community food growing space.
  • Creating or adapting a green space to make it more accessible.
  • Creating a ‘pocket park’ to bring more greenery into a city.
  • Creating green/living walls in school grounds or a community space.
  • Planting to reduce flooding and increase biodiversity.

How To Apply

Applications are open and the deadline for submission is 30 June 2026.

It is expected that decisions will be announced by the end of September 2026.

This is typically an annual scheme with applications open during June.

The guidance notes and online application form can be found on Groundwork UK’s website.

Groundwork UK use Flexi Grant, an online grant management system, which requires applicants to create an account in order to access the application form.

Contact Groundwork for further information.

Links:

Groundwork – Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants

Contacts

For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:

  1. Enquiries
    Groundwork UK
    Suite B2
    The Walker Building
    58 Oxford Street
    Birmingham
    B5 5NR
    Tel: 0121 237 5802
    Email: bu***********************@************rg.uk