GrantRadar

Hospice UK (funded by the National Garden Scheme)

National Garden Scheme (NGS) Professional Development Grants

Grants from the National Garden Scheme, run by Hospice UK, for staff of Hospice UK member hospices anywhere in the UK (any role except doctors) towards accredited course fees, to improve the care given to patients, carers and families. Individuals can apply for up to 50% of course or module fees, up to £1,500 in any one year, while funds last. Typical courses include dementia care, social and therapeutic horticulture, spiritual care at the end of life, advanced communication skills, bereavement, arts and complementary therapies, and breathlessness and fatigue management. Applications are open all year but must arrive at least a month before the course, and payment goes to the employing hospice.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £1,500
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Any member of staff, other than doctors, employed by an adult or children's hospice anywhere in the UK that is a member of Hospice UK
  • People employed by the NHS or Macmillan cannot apply
  • You must show how the course will improve patient outcomes, and a relevant manager at your hospice must endorse the application
  • Awards are made while the NGS budget lasts; once it is fully allocated, no more grants are made until more funds are raised
  • (Doctors at member hospices can use Hospice UK's Freemasons' Charity or Wolfson strands instead.)

What it funds

To improve the quality of care given to patients, their carers and families by helping hospice staff take accredited courses:

  • Up to 50% of course or module fees for accredited courses, up to £1,500 in any one year
  • Individual modules, or a particular year of a multi-year course (a new application for each later year or module)
  • Example courses: dementia care; social and therapeutic horticulture; spiritual care at the end of life; advanced communication skills; understanding loss and bereavement; arts and complementary therapies; breathlessness and fatigue management
  • Conferences only where you have a poster or oral presentation accepted

What it will not fund

  • Any course not listed in the guidance tables (contact the Grants Team first to discuss)
  • Any course that has already started or taken place
  • Conferences, unless you have a poster or oral presentation accepted
  • One-day study courses
  • Applications from employees of the NHS and Macmillan Cancer Relief
  • Courses termed as update or refresher courses
  • Subsistence, travel and accommodation costs incurred whilst attending courses
  • Courses already subsidised by Hospice UK
  • In-house training organised by the employing hospice, unless externally accredited and no more than 25% of participants are host hospice staff
  • Courses where fees are under £200
  • Costs towards research funding
  • Leadership and management courses
  • Applications from outside the UK, or to study outside the UK
  • Applications from organisations that are not a member of Hospice UK
  • Doctors

How to apply

  1. Read the NGS Professional Development Grants guidance and criteria (July 2025), and contact the Grants Team if your course is not listed
  2. Apply online via the 'Apply for a National Garden Scheme (NGS) professional development grant' link on Hospice UK's grants and bursaries page, at least one month before the course or module starts
  3. Ask a relevant manager at your hospice to endorse the application with a statement of support (no more than 200 words)
  4. If successful, the supporting manager receives an award letter and acceptance form, which you and the manager both sign
  5. Return the acceptance form with proof the course has been paid for; Hospice UK pays 50% of the fees, up to the award, to your hospice by BACS

Grants must be claimed within twelve months of the award.

Payment goes to the employing hospice; Hospice UK cannot pay individuals.

The seeded URL redirects to a Hospice UK member login page; the public details are on the grants and bursaries page and the guidance PDF.

Have ready

  • Manager's statement of support (no more than 200 words) on why the course matters for your skills and for your hospice's services
  • After an award: signed acceptance form and proof of payment of the course fees

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