Guidance

Seed Sourcing Grant

The Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) provides support for activities that enhance the quality, quantity, and diversity of tree seed sources in England.

From:
Forestry Commission
Published
22 September 2022
Last updated
24 April 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England

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

Your proposal can 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

Applications are open. Deadline: 11:55pm Tuesday 19 August 2025.

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 forestry reproductive material (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 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:

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:

  • staff costs including project delivery staff, researchers, contractors and technical advisors: personnel rates can include overheads that directly support the project but cannot be identified as a direct cost
  • seeds and saplings
  • consumables and temporary infrastructure required for management of seed stands for example, fencing
  • contribution towards necessary equipment: for items over £500, the contribution offered will be at the evaluation panel’s discretion
  • travel and subsistence for grant activity carried out in the most economically and sustainable way possible

If you need access to Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) seed or data contact MSBUKSeeds@kew.org for costings before submitting your application.

Data relating to UK tree seed collections held at the MSB can be found at the UK National Tree Seed Database.

We cannot fund:

  • ongoing maintenance of seed stands or seed orchards after the project delivery window
  • insurance for capital items or staff
  • 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. 

Attend the ‘how to apply’ webinar

Our grants team will guide you through the SSG application process at our ‘how to apply’ webinar on Thursday 12 June 2025 (2pm). Book a space at our webinar.

This is a competitive grant so it is possible that not all eligible applications will receive funding.

In your application form, you will need to provide details about your organisation and your proposed project. You must also provide written responses to 8 assessed questions that will be scored by the SSG evaluation panel. Your finance spreadsheet should itemise project costs and funding applied for. All costs should be exclusive of any recoverable VAT.

Local authorities, universities or public bodies may need to submit evidence of financial viability. Check the ‘How to complete your application’ page for details.

If you need to amend your application before the deadline or withdraw your application, email ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Assessment process 

All eligible applications will be scored by an evaluation panel. For details on how applications are assessed, refer to ‘How to complete your application’.

The evaluation panel will have access to information about the delivery of previous SSG grant agreements and may use this to help score your application.

Additional information requests

The panel may issue an ‘offer in principle’ if they need more information. You will have 2 weeks to respond, and your response will be used to decide the outcome of your application.

Application responses

You will be notified of the funding decision by Tuesday 30 September 2025.

If successful, we will issue you with a grant agreement. Important:

  • do not begin your project until you have signed and returned the agreement to the Forestry Commission
  • you cannot claim for expenditure outside of the funding period

Reporting and payments 

Making claims

You can claim funds:

  • at the end of each financial year
  • at 2 other times of your choosing during each financial year

You must have received items or completed work before you can claim for them.

End of year or end of project reports must accompany each end of year claim, while progress reports are required with other claims to show work has been carried out according to the grant agreement.

Your reports should detail:

  • achievement against stated outcomes and outputs
  • lessons learnt
  • any need for further development

Payments may be withheld or reclaimed if reports are not submitted on time.

Payment process

  • claims are paid in arrears by BACS transfer
  • payment will be made within 22 working days of claim approval
  • all claims must include supporting evidence (i.e. invoices/timesheets)
  • invoices must be addressed to the grant recipient organisation
  • cash payments are not accepted

Useful resources 

For questions about the FRM system, contact FRM@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Data relating to UK tree seed collections held at the MSB can be found at the UK National Tree Seed Database.

For previous rounds (rounds 1 to 3), tree seed species strategies (PDF, 864 KB, 64 pages) were produced for 21 ‘priority’ species. For this round (round 4) these have been replaced by the SSG eligible species and activities. However, you may find the strategies useful as they outline ideal approaches to enhancing seed sources.

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) ran an online event ‘Seed Sourcing for Trees of the Future’ in 2022. You may find their recordings useful:

Further information 

The Forestry Commission reserves the right to:

  • change the deadline for applications
  • make changes to the application process at short notice
  • amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of the funding application process

All changes are recorded on this page (tap ‘+ show all updates’). Where changes are made after the opening date, the lead applicant will receive communication directly by email. Material changes (for example to the closing date or eligibility rules) will also be communicated via the Forestry Commission’s eAlert.  

Neither the Forestry Commission nor its respective advisers, directors, officers, members, partners, employees, other staff, or agents:

  • make any representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the accuracy, reasonableness, or completeness of this guidance
  • accepts any responsibility for the information contained in this guidance
  • accepts liability for any loss or damage (other than in respect of fraudulent misrepresentation) arising as a result of reliance on such information or any subsequent communication

Intellectual property rights and rights to genetic resources 

Intellectual property and rights to genetic resources shall remain with grant recipients. Grant recipients should have appropriate material supply agreements in place with the landowners and other interested parties involved in sourcing and final planting locations of material to cover ownership of the resulting genetic resources and intellectual property rights.

Long term use of the seed stands and seed orchards 

All seed stands and orchards funded by the SSG must be registered on the Register of UK Basic Material. They will undergo usual  FRM inspections (see Marketing Forest Reproductive Material for forestry purposes for more detail).

If inspections reveal that a seed stand or orchard is not being properly maintained during the grant period, the Forestry Commission reserves the right to reclaim funds.

Definition of FRM terms 

Basic material

The plant material from which FRM is derived and consists of seed stands, seed orchards, parent material held by tree breeders in archives, individual clones and clonal mixtures.

Forest Reproductive Material (FRM)

Can consist of fruit, seeds, and cones; all parts of plants obtained by vegetative propagation including embryos; and plant produced from any of these.

Qualified (FRM)

Derives from the selection of superior individual trees which have not undergone any form of testing.

Selected (FRM)

Collected from stands showing superior characteristics for example better form, growth rate, health.

Source-Identified (FRM)

This comes from general or specific locations within a single region of provenance or native seed zone with an altitude band but with no specific superior qualities recognised.

Tested (FRM)

Derives from the selection or individual trees or stands which have been evaluated for genetic quality or, in comparison to accepted standards, have been shown to be superior.

Contact us 

If you have questions about the SSG or the application process, contact us at ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Find out how to make a complaint or appeal.

Updates to this page

Published 22 September 2022
Last updated 24 April 2025 show all updates

  1. The grant has re-opened and the page has been updated accordingly.

  2. Updated the page to reflect that the Forestry Commission intends to reopen the grant for applications in 2025.

  3. Changed the case studies link to the main collection page.

  4. Applications are now closed.

  5. Information about 'Seed Sourcing Grant: how to apply' webinar has been removed as it is out of date.

  6. Page updated to reflect the grant has re-opened for applicants.

  7. Updated SSG content ahead of third round reopening. Minimum project value reduced from £10,000 to £2,000, video guidance from Seed Sourcing for Trees of the Future added, and year in which funding is available changed to 2024/25 only.

  8. Updating the information to note that the grant application window has now closed.

  9. Added the Seed Sourcing Grant Webinar recording.

  10. Updated made for new funding round.

  11. Updated ahead of new application round, updated Tree Seed Species Strategy document.

  12. First published.

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