GrantRadar

The Finnis Scott Foundation

Finnis Scott Foundation Grants

One-off grants of up to GBP 10,000 to charities registered with the Charity Commission, in four fields: horticulture, plant sciences, fine art and art history before 2000. Because demand is high most grants are currently GBP 5,000 or less, though exceptionally, when funds permit, grants of as much as GBP 60,000 are made and paid over several years. The Foundation explicitly excludes CICs. Trustees meet quarterly and consider an application at their first meeting after it arrives, so there is always a route in.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £10,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Only UK charities registered with the Charity Commission, which includes CIOs but currently excludes CICs
  • PTAs of Special Schools are eligible; any other type of school is not, whether or not it is a registered charity, and applications from mainstream schools are not accepted
  • The trustees will consider applications from SEND and Special Schools submitted via their registered charity
  • Individuals may not apply: horticultural bursaries, traineeships and apprenticeships must be applied for by the sponsoring institution
  • The Foundation's resources are modest and preference is given to smaller charities where a grant can have more impact
  • It is unlikely to fund newly established organisations that do not yet have a track record or have not yet produced accounts
  • If you have had a grant before you may apply again, though repeat grants are generally only awarded after two years have elapsed; an unsuccessful applicant may submit again in a year's time
  • The Foundation is too small to give feedback on unsuccessful applications, and grant-making is entirely at the trustees' discretion

What it funds

  • Horticulture and plant sciences, and fine art and art history before 2000
  • Under fine art and art history, organisations which promote the exhibition, conservation or study of the art of previous centuries
  • Both capital and revenue projects are funded
  • The trustees are keen to support horticultural training through bursaries and apprenticeships, applied for by the sponsoring institution
  • The Foundation says the range of horticulture projects is too wide to be specific about, and leaves applicants to judge eligibility

What it will not fund

  • Community interest companies — the Foundation currently excludes them, even though CIOs are eligible
  • Mainstream schools of any kind, whether or not they are a registered charity
  • Applications direct from individuals — bursaries, traineeships and apprenticeships must come through a sponsoring educational establishment or registered charity
  • Salary commitments, except for horticultural traineeships and apprenticeships
  • Requests for individual salaries
  • Expenditure already incurred, and projects which have already been completed
  • Site-specific art installations, conceptual art and performance art
  • Art created after 2000
  • The costs of flower shows
  • The movement of Chelsea Flower Show gardens to other sites

newly established organisations without a track record or published accounts are unlikely to be funded

How to apply

  1. Read the Guidelines for Applicants before touching the form, to check your organisation and project meet the criteria
  2. Complete the application form, either by filling in the fields in Adobe Acrobat or by printing it and completing it by hand
  3. Email the completed form and any supplementary documents to the administrator, or post it to the address at the end of the form

the form can also be completed and submitted online from the Apply for a grant page

applications must reach the administrator four weeks before a trustees' meeting; dates can change at short notice, so check the website

Have ready

  • Income and expenditure figures from your organisation's latest audited accounts — or, if you are a small charity not required to produce audited accounts, the income and expenditure totals of your annual budget
  • A full outline of all the costs involved in delivering the project or activity, if you are applying for a specific one

if awarded a grant you must report on how it was used within six months of the end of the period, or annually for projects lasting more than a year. A page of A4 is usually ample, and reporting is a condition of the grant.

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