Our bursaries scheme supports a passion for horticulture by providing financial support for a wide range of projects
Important notice
Applications must be submitted three months before projects
are due to take place and application deadlines are set out below:
| Application closing date |
Application considered by
RHS Bursaries Committee |
| 31 December |
February |
| 31 March |
May |
| 30 June |
July |
| 30 September |
November |
Which projects can receive funding?
Projects with a very clear relevance to horticulture. They include, but are not limited to:
- Study tours, which may include seeing plants in their native habitat, visits to gardens, plant nurseries and horticultural institutions
- Voluntary work placements (short-term or spread over a longer period) in leading botanic and historic gardens
- Conference attendance and participation
- Taxonomy where this has direct relevance to horticultural nomenclature
- Research where the project involves gathering data that are of direct relevance to an important horticultural question (funding to cover travel and consumables only, excluding course fees, equipment and publication costs)
What can a bursary be used for?
Funding can be used to cover, or contribute towards the costs of:
- Travel, accommodation, food
- Obtaining high quality plant labelling and recording collections
- Supporting the publication (at the Committee’s discretion) of specialist, small circulation horticultural books
Funding cannot be given for the following:
- To cover salaries
- Paying of household expenses (e.g. utility bills)
- Infrastructure (e.g. polytunnels, pergolas, buildings)
- Commercial enterprises
- Course fees
- Costs related to undertaking a course (e.g. purchasing of books and materials)
Who can apply?
- Professional and student gardeners/horticulturists
- Plant and soil scientists
- Botanists
- Arboriculturists
- Growers/Nurseries
- Landscapers
- Botanical artists
- Other related professionals
- Serious amateur gardeners
- Higher/further education establishments, British and Irish institutions, charities and gardens open to the public
How to apply
Your adventure starts here. Find out how, when and where to turn your dream into reality and apply for your RHS Bursary.
Apply for a bursary
Where can the project take place?
Anywhere in the world if you are:
- A British or Irish citizen (i.e. holder of either a British or Irish passport)
- Other passport holder resident or in employment in Britain or Ireland for minimum of 2 years
- Students enrolled on a British horticulture course of a minimum 2-year duration
- A British or Irish institution, charity or garden open to the public
UK or Ireland only if you do not meet the criteria above.
Please note: The reference to Britain/British encompasses: England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and the British Overseas Territories.
How are RHS Bursaries funded?
Our bursaries are possible thanks to charitable donations and bequests from benefactors wishing to further the interests of horticultural education.
How do I donate to the RHS Bursaries fund?
If you would like to support these funds please contact:
Write: RHS Bursaries Co-ordinator, RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB
Telephone: 01483 479719
Email: [email protected]
Got a question for the Bursaries team?
Get in touch with our dedicated team and they’ll help get you started:
Telephone: 01483 479719
Email: [email protected]
