News published: 30 June 2026

The call for applications for the Global Seed Conservation Grants and the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve Grants via the Global Botanic Garden Fund (GBGF) have been extended until 5pm UK time, Friday 10 July 2026.

Global Seed Conservation Grants

The main purpose of these grants is to allow botanic gardens/arboreta to create new collections of threatened species, increase seed banking capacity and safeguard these collections by duplicating seeds in the Baekdudaegan Global Seed Vault (BGSV). Grants are up to USD $4,000 and are made possible through a cooperative agreement between the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute and BGCI.

Criteria

• Grants are open to all botanical gardens, arboreta and seed banks around the world, but preference will be given to under resourced institutions in biodiversity hotspots.
• Projects should be structured as one-year projects with budgets up to USD $4,000.
• Projects must include at least 2 species that will be shared and banked at BGSV.
• Grants are open to BGCI Member Institutions only and all institutions who receive this grant are obligated to duplicate and conserve seeds at BGSV. Institutions that are not members may apply, but a membership fee must be paid before the grant is disbursed.
• Projects with activities for new collections of threatened species will be prioritised. Please check ThreatSearch for regional or global threat status.
• If your institution does not have long term seed storage facilities, you can share them within country. Institutions that do not have seed banks but have seed collection capabilities are eligible to apply and use some of the funds to purchase seed banking equipment (e.g. new fridge/freezer).
• There must be at least one new accession incorporated into your institution’s seed bank as part of this project.
  Only seeds with known and confirmed orthodox storage properties can be included in project proposals. If the storage characteristics of a species have not yet been identified (or they are not a bankable species), they cannot be included in the project. Please check ser-sid.org or research results for seed storage characteristics.
• Shipping costs to send seeds to BGSV must be included in the project budget. If 3 or more species are being sent to BGSV, then BGSV will pay the shipping costs for these additional species. (Seeds will be sent via DHL and this will be arranged between the awardee and BGSV). Project budgets should still include shipping costs for the first 2 species.
• GSC grant awardees will promote the duplicate storage of seeds and use the funds to support either of the following:
  1. the collection of seeds to store and share with BGSV (BGSV will send packaging for shipments however, consideration must be given to the cost of shipping and permits in the project budget).
  2. share seeds already in stored seed banks with BGSV, but increase the seed collecting capacity via new equipment, or training and sharing seeds in country.
  *All applications and final reports must be submitted in English.

Further Information

• Ownership of all seeds shared with BGSV belong with the country of origin/sender.
• In addition to the duplicated seeds that will be shared with BGSV as part of this project, additional storage for further seed storage at BGSV is possible if awardees wish to use it. This is not a condition of these grants but offered to help build capacity.
• BGSV can also offer seed germination testing. If this is required, depositors will need to send two lots of seeds (one for testing and one for storage). Seeds for testing and storage go through different quarantine processes. They must be sent separately, and this will be arranged between the awardee.

Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve Grants

These grants are only available for institutions based in the Caribbean and Central American region, as defined by the Caribbean and Central American Botanic Gardens Network (please note Mexico is included). Grants of up to USD $4,500 are available to help institutions to improve or support one or more of the vital areas across the botanic garden as defined by BGCI’s Botanic Garden Accreditation as well as to carry out the implementation of the Plant Conservation Strategy for the Caribbean Region. The grants are graciously provided by The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP).

Criteria

• Grants are available only for institutions based in the Caribbean and Central American region as defined by the Caribbean and Central American Botanic Gardens Network (please note Mexico is included).
• Institutions may submit more than one application per grant cycle, but they must be for different projects (maximum of 2 applications per institution in one year – this is across all grants).
• We invite applications from botanic gardens, arboreta and botanical institutions that hold permanent ex situ living collections (as defined per GardenSearch).
• Grants are open to BGCI Member Institutions only. Institutions that are not members may apply, but a membership fee must be paid before the grant is disbursed.