Exbury Gardens Trust

Exbury Gardens Trust, established in 1989 through a deed rooted in Lionel de Rothschild's horticultural legacy, stewards the world-renowned Exbury Gardens in Hampshire, a globally significant botanical collection famed for rhododendrons and azaleas. Its core mission is to preserve, improve, develop, and open the gardens for public benefit, advancing horticultural science, knowledge, and learning, with trustees' discretion for other charitable purposes. Guided by values of stewardship, public access, education, and conservation, the Trust invests in garden maintenance, capital projects, educational programs, and community engagement, primarily channeling funds to Exbury Gardens Limited, the operational entity.

It prioritizes horticultural education, biodiversity conservation, historic landscape preservation, and public access, benefiting the general public, enthusiasts, researchers, schools, and marginalized groups through nature-based initiatives. Supported activities include operational sustainability, interpretive programming, and innovative projects like the Rare Space Garden for rare dementias awareness, promoting health, wellbeing, and inclusion via horticulture.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding is directed exclusively to Exbury Gardens Limited for projects in Hampshire, specifically the gardens and environs—no external charities or organizations qualify, regardless of size, income, or legal status. Grants are substantial, often exceeding £300,000 annually for core costs and improvements, decided ad hoc at trustee meetings without deadlines or public processes.

Distinctively place-based and family-stewarded, the Trust eschews broad grant-making for singular impact at Exbury, differentiating it through heritage focus, educational excellence, and flexible use of gardens for wider public good, excluding unrelated charities, non-Hampshire activities, or operational relief beyond its core mission.