Project Giving Back
Enabling charities to establish gardens at Chelsea Flower Show for awareness and fundraising
Project Giving Back (PGB) was founded by two private philanthropists who wanted to support a wide range of charitable causes whose work suffered during the global pandemic and continue to be affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show annually attracts over 168,000 visitors, and a global audience of millions via TV and media coverage, many with significant giving potential, making it an unrivalled opportunity for fundraising and awareness-building. Exhibiting at the show is a prestigious but costly opportunity, often out of reach for UK charities.
In recent years, PGB has awarded grants worth over £20m to fund 42 gardens, each representing a different charitable cause. Through collaboration with professional gardeners, charities benefit from a powerful storytelling platform.
The model offers a form of creative philanthropy in which good causes receive a gift of opportunity rather than direct funding. Benefits include extensive media exposure, engagement with celebrities and high-net-worth individuals, and the chance to host exclusive fundraising events and reach thousands of show visitors. Furthermore, it nurtures emerging horticultural talent, enriching the industry while ensuring impactful storytelling through garden design.
The RNLI raised around £800,000 from its garden; St Mungo’s £40,000, and Mind estimated that the media value from its presence at the show was in the region of £7m.
A key criterion for selection is the charity’s ability to relocate the garden after the show. Locations include hospitals, schools and community spaces, making the natural environment and beautiful design accessible to a wider audience and leaving a lasting legacy for each charity.
A trustee of Muscular Dystrophy UK said that seeing the impact of the garden on the public and listening to stories from people affected by the condition was amazing. “I don’t think we can underestimate the wider impact the publicity will have had on our community. Rather than Saturday being the end of the show, it was just the start of a new journey for the charity.”
Charity Awards judge Priya Singh, chair of NCVO, said the idea was an ingenious way of helping charities to build profile and capture public interest.
Judge Karin Woodley, CEO of Cambridge House, said the programme was a great example of democratising access to the natural environment and making it possible for diverse audiences to engage with inspiring design and green spaces. “I think that wider environmental engagement is almost more important than what it achieves for the charities,” she said.
CC Reg. no. 1198478
