Seed Sourcing Grant (currently closed)

The Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) supported projects that enhanceenhanced seed stands and orchards available for collection. You cancould apply for up to £75,000 per year for eligible species and associated activities.

Your proposal cancould include:

• identifying and registering additional seed stands
• making seed stands or orchards more productive or easier to collect from
• creating new seed stands or orchards

About the fund 

The SSG supports the development of high-quality tree seed sources in England to ensure the availability of planting stock to meet government tree planting targets.

The grant funds projects that will increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of seed stands and seed orchards on the forest reproductive material (FRM) Register of UK Basic Material. For more information, see Marketing FRM for forestry purposes.

Research and stakeholder engagement has identified species and associated activities that require support due to uncertain seed availability and limited quality seed sources on the register. The grant covers 100% of costs for eligible species and associated activities.

Who can apply 

Any UK-based organisation or individual private landowner can apply if they show how the grant will enhance English seed stands and orchards.

Eligible applicants include:

• public and private sector tree nurseries and tree seed suppliers
• research institutes including public sector research establishments
• landowners (private, public and NGOs)
• agents can make an application on behalf of landowners
• NGOs working on tree improvement and seed production
• private landowners applying for eligible activity on their own land
• both successful and unsuccessful applicants from previous rounds can reapply

Forestry England and Forest Research are not eligible to apply but may be subcontracted by eligible organisations to complete grant related work.

Available funding

The SSG has up to £600,000 available to support projects at 100% of costs. 

Funding limits

• minimum project cost: £2,000
• maximum cost per financial year: £75,000
• you can submit multiple bids in each round

Project timelines

• projects can span up to 3 financial years (to March 2028)
• you must clearly define which outputs will be delivered by March 2026
• funding beyond March 2026 depends on next government spending review
• if future funding isn’t secured for 2026/27 and 2027/28, multi-year agreements will be terminated at the end of 2025/26 with at least 1 month notice

Completion deadline

Agreements are likely to be issued in September/October 2025. All items must be received and work completed by 27 March 2028.

Before applying, ensure you can complete all activities within this timeframe. You cannot claim for any spending after this date.

Longer-term projects

If your project extends beyond 27 March 2028, you can apply for the activities that will be completed within the SSG funding period.

Your application should:

• show what outputs will be achieved in the funding period
• explain how these contribute to the grant objectives
• outline any future plans beyond the funding period
• demonstrate how your SSG-funded work would contribute to these long-term plans 

Changes implemented for 2025

• the priority species list has been replaced with SSG eligible species and activities
• all eligible species and associated activities will be funded at 100%, species not on the list are not eligible
• new guidance is available on minimum requirements and recommended approaches for eligible activities
• multi-year funding beyond March 2026 can be applied for, but is subject to the next government spending review
• the £75,000 maximum funding limit now applies per project rather than per organisation

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for funding:

• the seed stand or seed orchard must be in England
• the project proposal must be for an eligible species and associated activity outlined in the ‘SSG eligible species and activities’ list
• activities must be associated with one of the eligible FRM categories
• the work must not have started before funding approval and must only begin after a funding agreement is in place

Eligible species and activities

Read the list of SSG eligible species and activities for details of species and associated activities eligible for funding. This list details minimum requirements, recommendations and examples for:

1. Management of seed stands and seed orchards, to improve seed production and/or facilitate seed collection.
2. Desk and field studies to identify and bring additional seed stands onto the Register of UK Basic Material.
3. Planning and planting of new seed stands, and their registration on the Register of UK Basic Material.
4. Planning and planting of new seed orchards and their registration on the Register of UK Basic Material.

You can combine multiple eligible activities in your proposal (for example, identifying new stands and managing them).

For stands or orchards with multiple species:

• each species must meet the requirements individually
• each species must be registered separately
• consult the Forestry Commission’s guidance on Basic material consisting of mixed stands

Eligible categories of FRM

The funded activities must either involve or result in the following types of basic material/categories of FRM:

• source-identified seed stands
• indigenous source-identified seed stands
• selected seed stands
• tested seed stands
• qualified seed orchards
• tested seed orchards

Specific requirements for native/naturalised and non-native species are outlined in SSG eligible species and activities.

Eligible costs

You can claim for:

Personnel costs

You can claim for personnel costs including project delivery staff, researchers, contractors and technical advisors.

Personnel rates can include overheads that will be incurred as a result of undertaking the project.

When calculating overheads bear in mind that SSG is a competitive process. Your project and associated costs will be assessed against applications from other organisations.

Consumables

Consumables can also include temporary infrastructure required for management of seed stands, for example, fencing.

Equipment contributions

You can claim for contribution towards necessary equipment.

For items over £500, the contribution offered will be at the evaluation panel’s discretion.

Travel and subsistence

You can only claim travel and subsistence specifically for SSG related grant activities.

Travel and subsistence must be carried out in the most economical and sustainable way possible.

Seeds and saplings

You can claim for seeds and saplings required to plant a new stand or orchard.

Ineligible costs

We cannot fund:

• ongoing maintenance of seed stands or seed orchards after the project delivery window
• insurance for capital items
• repairs and ongoing maintenance to existing or purchased equipment
• overhead costs that will not directly impact and support the project
• costs incurred outside of the project delivery window
• costs involved in preparing your application or work on another grant scheme
• work that has been started or carried out before a grant agreement has been signed
• capital items relating to seed processing or storage
• business as usual seed collection

How to apply 

You need to email us a completed:

• application form
• finance spreadsheet
• evidence of financial viability (if applicable)

Send these to ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk by 11:55pm on Tuesday 19 August 2025.

Go to the SSG application form page where you’ll find these forms and further guidance on how to complete the application form and spreadsheet. 

Watch the ‘SSG how to apply’ webinar recording for detailed information on how to complete and submit your application documents:

Watch the video: SSG how to apply