News published: 16 October 2026

The Global Botanic Garden Fund supports vital conservation efforts by awarding annual small grants that enable institutions to develop and deliver impactful conservation initiatives. Open to BGCI Member institutions, the fund prioritises gardens in developing countries and biodiversity hotspots to help drive plant conservation.

Click below to read about previously supported GBGF projects:

2026 Grant Recipients

In May 2026, BGCI opened 5 different grants each with varying criteria:

• BGCI Member Grants
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Grants (MLA)
• ArbNet Partnership Programme Grants (ArbNet)
• Global Seed Conservation Grants (GSC)
• Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve Grants (LLNPP)

A total of 156 applications were received for the Global Botanic Garden Fund, making this year’s funding round highly competitive. The projects covered a diverse range of conservation initiatives, from conserving rare and endangered plant species to strengthening botanic garden conservation activities.

Congratulations to the successful recipients; BGCI and partner organisations will be distributing 38 grants worth $68,550 to 36 institutions, across 26 different countries. 

Funding for the Global Botanic Garden Fund was made possible in 2026 by contributions from:

• ArbNet (The Morton Arboretum)
• University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
• Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve
• Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute
• The Botanist
• and crowd-sourced funding through the BigGive and GBGF Donations.

Call for Support

BGCI was highly impressed by the diversity of applications received for the Global Botanic Garden Fund. The strong response highlights the significant need for continued and increased investment in the botanic garden community.

BGCI will continue to seek additional funding for the Global Botanic Garden Fund to enable more institutions to contribute to global goals for plant conservation.

BGCI thanks those who are already supporting the Global Botanic Garden Fund. Their contributions help make this important work possible, and we are pleased to share the impact of their funding.