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About the Seed Sourcing Grant

The Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) is now open for applications. The SSG is a competitive grant to provide support for activities that enhance the quality, quantity, and diversity of tree seed sources in England.

The government aims to at least treble tree planting rates in England by 2025 and has set legally binding targets to increase tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of total land area by 2050. SSG will help to ensure the availability of planting stock to meet these targets. The SSG is looking to support 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. See Marketing forest reproductive material for forestry purposes for more details.

Technical experts have developed a set of recommended Tree Seed Species Strategies (PDF, 864 KB, 64 pages).

These strategies provide suggested ideal approaches to the delivery of enhanced quality, quantity, and diversity of registered Seed Stands and Orchards for 21 species which have been identified as a priority for support. Delivery of these recommended activities for the priority species is the priority for financial support from the SSG, which is reflected in the grant evaluation criteria and payment rates. However, given the likely uplift in seed requirement of all kinds to meet planting targets, the scheme is open to proposals covering all species included in the UK FRM scheme including the voluntary scheme.

Considering the projects that were awarded funding in round 1 of the SSG, we would particularly welcome proposals in round 2 to:

• identify and register Seed Stands of the following species where no such work is currently underway: beech and Norway maple
• develop new Seed Stands and/or Seed Orchards of the following species where no such work is currently underway: aspen, elder, common hawthorn, holly, Norway maple, whitebeam, wild apple

Guelder rose and wych elm were previously identified as priority species but have been removed as several projects to address these strategies are currently underway. However, they are still eligible for 50% funding as a non-priority species.

View a list of successful seed sourcing projects funded from round 1 in 2022. We are unlikely to fund work that duplicates activities already funded in round 1 so please refer to this list when considering your application.

What is the deadline for applications?

The final deadline for applications is 23:55 Monday 17 July 2023

Watch our Seed Sourcing Grant, meet the experts webinar

Watch the Seed Sourcing Grant webinar.

This webinar offers advice on putting together an SSG application and our panel of experts answered your questions.

What funding is available?

Up to 747k will be made available through the SSG between 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support activities designed to enhance the quality, quantity, and diversity of tree seed sources in England.

Proposals for projects spanning multiple financial years will be accepted and all project activities must be completed and invoiced by 27 March 2025. Projects, whether single or multi-year, must have a minimum total cost of 10,000 to be eligible for funding under the SSG. Applicants may submit more than one bid during each funding round, but each lead applicant may only apply for a maximum of 75,000 per annum, across all their bids in a given funding round.

All activities related to the 21 species seed sourcing strategies will be funded at 100%, and other projects will be funded at 50%.

Eligible activities:

1. Management of existing Seed Stands, to ensure they are productive for seed collectors. Seed stands must either already be registered on the National Register of Basic Material or should be registered on the National Register of Basic Material as part of the proposed project. This may include bringing current Source Identified (SI) seed sources under management and registering them as a seed stand as part of the project (see guidance note for further information). These must be time-bound rather than ongoing activities.

2. Desk studies and field studies to identify and bring additional seed stands onto the National Register of Basic Material.

3. Planning and planting of new seed stands, and their registration on the National Register of Basic Material.

4. Planning and planting of new seed orchards and their registration on the National Register of Basic Material.

Proposals can include a combination of activities from the list above.

To be eligible for funding:

• the project proposal must be relevant to the production of tree seed fromspecies covered by the UK FRM scheme (including those in the voluntary scheme)
• the Seed Stand or Seed Orchard must be in England
• the work to be funded must not have commenced, and must not commence until a funding agreement is in place
• activities must be associated with an eligible FRM category as detailed below

All eligibility criteria are fully described in the SSG application form and associated Guidance Notes.

Eligible categories of FRM:

• Source-Identified (SI) Seed Stands
• Selected and Tested Seed Stands
• Qualified and Tested Seed Orchards

Source-Identified (SI) Seed Sources are also eligible for funding under this grant if they meet the criteria to be registered as SI seed stands and are registered as seed stands as part of the proposed project.

Eligible costs that may be claimed for include but are not limited to:

• staff, or contractor, costs for project delivery, including for research and technical advice
• seeds and saplings
• consumables and temporary infrastructure required for management of seed stands, for example fencing
• contribution sought towards costs of equipment required to complete the projec
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