Trees Outside Woodland Fund

Grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 are available to local authorities and registered charities in England with an annual turnover of over £100,000 for projects that create or enhance green spaces outside of woodland areas.

The Tree Council and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have continued their Trees Outside Woodland Fund in 2026/27.  The fund’s purpose is to establish trees outside woodland to create or enhance green spaces using a range of tree types and planting methods.

The fund, which has a budget of £1 million and is only available in England, is designed to support the delivery of the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan goal to increase England’s overall tree canopy from 14.5% to 16.5% of total land area by 2050.

Funded projects must be completed by Friday 5 March 2027.

Grants can be used for:

• Bare root or cell-grown, UK-sourced and grown, native and non-native trees of an appropriate size for the project (trees must comply with bio-secure tree sourcing requirements).
• Establishment aids, such as sustainable tree guards, ties, stakes, organic mulch, biodegradable mulch mats, and soil amendments.
• Hedgerows, orchards, agroforestry, riparian, Miyawaki plantings, and standard trees (including urban street trees or in hedgerows), and/or
• Planting equipment and other capital items to support tree establishment, such as irrigation equipment, PPE, and external contractor costs (up to a maximum of 20% of the total project costs.

Applications should meet the following criteria.

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of site suitability for tree planting, based on site considerations.
• Demonstrate good value for money, ensuring that the proposed activities efficiently use grant funds to achieve the greatest possible impact.
• Have a clear community benefit and involvement, such as volunteering, education, or wellbeing initiatives.
• Have an effective anticipated project timeline for delivery by 2 March 2026.
• Have comprehensive establishment and aftercare plans (long-term establishment costs must be borne by the grantee).
• Improve biodiversity at the planting site(s) with the enhancement or creation of green spaces.
• Show thoughtful tree selection following ‘right tree, right place’ principles, and
• Use sustainable, recyclable, non-plastic materials for tree protection.

The deadline for applications is Saturday 31 October 2026 or until all funding has been allocated, whichever is the sooner.  Early application is therefore strongly advised to avoid missing out on available funding.

Further information, guidance and an online application form is available on the Tree Council website (scroll down to the green ‘Apply now’ tab).