Grow Your Own Fund Guidance

Information around project aims, eligibility, and process

Purpose and eligibility criteria

Grow Your Own is a pilot grant scheme provided by the City of Edinburgh Council. Its purpose is to support the creation of new community food growing projects. Grants of up to £5,000 will be awarded to constituted voluntary and community groups* across the city. Projects must last no longer than 12 months.

Possible project topics could include:

Creation and development of urban food growing projects
Creation of community garden kitchens
Supporting food waste reduction and reuse of materials in communities
Education around urban food growing

Applications are especially encouraged from groups and areas that currently lack community growing opportunities.

Who can apply?

Any new or small-scale constituted Edinburgh-based groups can apply. This can include community groups, organisations, ‘Friends of’ groups, clubs, etc.

Applicants must be properly constituted. However, you can still apply if you’re a member of an informal (not constituted) group. However, if the latter, you will need to work in partnership with a parent organisation, such as a Community Council, to submit your project application. The parent organisation will hold financial duties for the project.

Normally these organisations will have one of the following structures:

Constituted community group or club
Social Enterprise
Community interest companies (CIC)
Registered charity (SCIO)

You (or the parent organisation) must provide confirmation that your organisation is properly constituted and operates under a defined set of rules. You will be asked to provide a copy of your constitution to the Council and where appropriate your organisation’s Memorandums & Articles or equivalent.

You (or the parent organisation) are expected to have the following in place:

Suitable operational and financial management practices;
Proven effective organisational governance;
Auditable record keeping systems; and
Relevant employment, equalities, rights, and sustainability policies.

The fund does not accept applications from:

Individuals  
Sole traders  
The City of Edinburgh Council Services
Schools are not eligible to apply but parent councils can apply for projects that benefit the wider community and are not part of the core curriculum
Organisations based outside Edinburgh
Organisations focused on making profits and sharing these profits privately - including companies limited by shares, organisations without the right asset locks or organisations that can pay profits to directors or shareholders

What can you apply for?

We are looking for the projects aimed at the creation and development of community food growing in Edinburgh. For example, this funding can cover:

Establishment of the food growing sites
Seeds, plants, and tools
Equipment for community garden cooking areas
Education and training
Personal protective equipment
Travel costs within Edinburgh
Staff time which is directly related to the establishment of the growing area
Construction related to accessibility (e.g., new ramps, raised bed planters) for the growing space

You must only use Council funds for the purposes agreed with the Council, as stated in your Funding Agreement, or as agreed in writing by the Council and these should be treated as restricted funds in your organisation’s accounts.

Where can projects take place?

Projects must be open to public participation. This can be on Council owned land, or land with other ownership. You must have permission from the relevant landowner – this includes the Council. Projects cannot take place on private land with exclusive access (e.g., a private residential garden). Please contact thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk if you need assistance with Council land permissions.

What we cannot fund

The fund will not support:

Any proposals with unfunded recurring revenue impacts or that place any unfunded burdens on the Council
Proposals that lobby or require the Council to change policy
Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide, such as a local recycling service, bus stops etc. 
Proposals that involve improvements to buildings that are not owned by the applicant or significant infrastructure being installed on land that is not owned by the applicant - unless evidence of permission to do so is included within the application
Feasibility studies, design fees, planning costs
Costs incurred before the Project Start Date or after the Project End Date
Contingency costs
Core organisational or overhead costs - that are not directly related and proportional to the delivery of your project
Items or activities which benefit an individual rather than the community as a whole
Donations to other organisations
Loans, interest payments, bank or credit card charges
VAT that you can recover from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

How many applications can I make?

You can only make one application per project/organisation. However, if you are a parent organisation on the application, such as a Community Council, there is no limit on how many projects you can support (e.g., you can be on multiple projects in this capacity).

How much can I apply for?

You can apply for projects worth up to £5,000.

Do we need to have insurance?

When you commence your work, you will need to have appropriate public liability insurance to cover your activities, or be covered by a parent organisation.

Application process

Application forms

Download the Application Form Part 1

Download the Application Form Part 2

How to apply:

The fund is open for applications on 31 March 2025. You can find more details about how to apply on the Registration Help page. The deadline for applications is 12 noon 12 May 2025. Applications should be made:

using the Council’s Your Voice platform, and
by sending the financial and contact details form, and other required documents to thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk.

We encourage you to include photographs, plans or any supporting documents. You can do this by pasting them into your online application (Part 1) or sending them separately.

Please note: applications on the Your Voice platform will be published publicly and be available for commenting.

Using the Your Voice platform to apply:

You’ll need to create an account (see Registration Help for more details).
On the Grow Your Own page click “Submit an application". This is your application.
Complete the online information and complete Application Part 1 and submit these on Your Voice.
Complete and send Application Part 2 and other required documents (e.g., your group’s constitution) to thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk.

How much can you apply for

You can apply for up to £5,000 per application. The £50,000 on the Your Voice platform refers to the entire fund. If you are applying as a parent organisation who will oversee projects, you can make multiple applications of up to £5,000 each.

What information to include

Your application should explain what you will do with this funding, who it will benefit, and what the expected impacts will be.

Deadline for applications: 12 May 2025, 12 noon

Support available for your application

Council Officers can provide advice and assistance through email and over the phone.

For application support please email: thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk .

You can also attend one of our drop-in sessions:

9 April: 5pm-7pm at the Central Library

George IV Bridge, EH1 1EG

10 April: 10am-12pm at the Central Library

George IV Bridge, EH1 1EG

14 April: one-to-one, at multiple times, Online

Book a session

28 April: one-to-one, at multiple times, Online

Book a session

1 May: one-to-one, 10am-12pm, Online

Book a session