The National Garden Scheme

Analysis

The National Garden Scheme is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Guildford. It was registered in January 2006, 20 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05631421). It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The National Garden Scheme reported income of £5.8m and spending of £5.5m, spending 95% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £4.0m to £5.8m (+46%), an average of +9.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2024, when income rose by 27%. Over the whole period it spent 97% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, The National Garden Scheme sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 99% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Anglo-American Charity Limited (£5.8m), The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust (£5.8m) and The Chellaram Foundation (£5.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 47%, charitable activities 47% and investments 6.5%. Charitable activities took 73% of spending and raising funds 21%. Grants to other organisations totalled £3.9m. Reserves of £1.1m would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 14 people.