NEWS: Groundwork and Bupa Foundation Release Green Community Grants Impact Report 2025/26
Groundwork and the Bupa Foundation have published a report highlighting the community impact of the third round of Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants programme.
From sensory gardens and forest schools to urban allotments and wellbeing initiatives, Green Community Grants have improved people’s health and local environment through transformative green space projects, allowing communities to thrive.
The report celebrates the achievements of projects who were amongst the 268 schools, not-for-profits and charities awarded funding via the programme, including the creation of 844 new open spaces, 19,535 square metres of open spaces improved and 1,919 trees planted.
Saint Joseph’s Nursery School in Northern Ireland was awarded £2,000 to enhance an outdoor classroom, bringing education and wellbeing benefits to children and the wider community.
A spokesperson from Saint Joseph’s Nursery School said:
“The support from Bupa Foundation has been truly transformative for our nursery. We are seeing deeper curiosity, greater confidence, and a real sense of joy as children explore the natural world. The opportunities now available simply would not have been possible without this funding, and we are incredibly grateful for the positive and lasting impact it has created.”
Meanwhile R-Urban Poplar, Public Works in London received £2,000 for their bug club project at R-Urban Poplar, an eco-civic hub and community garden built on an unused car park which brought local young people together in a series of hands-on workshops to create new wildlife habitats for critters.
Angharad Davies, Bug Club Programme Coordinator and Director at Public Works said:
“The Green Community Grant has enabled us to work directly with young people to create meaningful, hands-on environmental projects that build skills, strengthen stronger connection to nature in their local area and most importantly get us messy!”
In 2025 the Bupa Foundation invested more than £500,000 in Green Community Grants, as part of Bupa’s #HealthyCities initiative – where Bupa employees, suppliers and customers walked close to 1 billion steps in June to unlock Bupa Foundation funding for urban regeneration.
Since 2023, Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants have directly supported more than 386,600 people across the UK and the Republic of Ireland through over £1.4m investment in local communities.
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive said:
“I’m really pleased that, through our partnership with the Bupa Foundation, we’ve been able to support this work by providing grants to a fabulous array of organisations to deliver projects making a tangible difference to the way people feel and to their ability to make healthier lifestyle choices. The Green Community Grants programme has shown that practical improvements to the environment and measurable health outcomes go hand in hand – from woodlands to wormeries, people at risk of poor health have been helped to benefit from the restorative effects of nature and the sense of wellbeing that comes from being better connected with their community.”
Stuart Brown, Chair of the Bupa Foundation said:
“In its third year, the Green Community Grants programme continues to unlock the power of local action to help create Healthy Cities and communities. Transforming urban spaces, supporting wellbeing, and strengthening communities through nature. This past year has once again highlighted the creativity and dedication of local communities. From accessible outdoor learning environments to community gardens and biodiversity projects, these initiatives are making.”
The current Green Community Grants programme is open for applications until 30 June 2026.
Notes to editors
For more information please contact: media@groundwork.org.uk
About Groundwork
Groundwork is a federation of charities with a collective mission to take practical action to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive. We support communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience in order to tackle hardship, achieve a just transition to net-zero and help nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to healthier, happier lives for all: www.groundwork.org.uk