South of England Agricultural Society

Registered charity 227033 · since 1965seas.org.uk·Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£11,000

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Society suits organisations and people working in agricultural education, countryside learning and land-based projects, including schools and Young Farmers Clubs.
No typical grant size is stated, so ask the Society what size of request it expects before you write a budget.
Only six named land-based colleges are eligible for college grants, which are invited in August with awards in October; other project and bursary applications reopen in January, and enquiries go to education@seas.org.uk.
Individuals applying for Grants for Land-Based Skills & Qualifications must be living, working or training in the South East, and recipients must engage with the Society, so people outside that area or unwilling to do so should not apply for these.

Overview

South of England Agricultural Society is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 227033).

The South of England Agricultural Society is a registered charity dedicated to funding and supporting agricultural education and countryside learning. Over £38,000 has gone to individuals and agricultural organisations for training and education. Of this, £11,000 went in grants to land-based colleges and £27,000 in grants to 76 individuals for land-based skills and qualifications. It also considers grants and bursaries outside those programmes, including for agriculture students and for land-based projects proposed by individuals, schools, Young Farmers Clubs and other groups or charities.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Society funds and supports agricultural education and countryside learning. Its grants support land-based skills and qualifications, including practical skills and management or business training, and help land-based colleges enrich their curriculum courses. It also considers applications outside those programmes, including bursaries for agriculture students and grants for land-based projects proposed by individuals, schools, Young Farmers Clubs, other groups and charities. Project examples include allotments, trips and equipment. The Society's wider educational work supports people with an interest or involvement in agriculture and other land-based industries, as well as countryside learning for children. Skills grants are for people living, working or training in the South East who need skills, certifications or qualifications to progress their career in a land-based industry. Recipients of those grants are required to engage with the Society.

Themes

Agricultural education
Countryside learning
Land-based skills training
Land-based projects

Geographic Focus

South East: Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire and 4 more counties in United Kingdom.

How to apply

For a project or award nomination under Other Grants, Bursaries & Awards, contact the Charity Support Administrator at education@seas.org.uk.

Deadlines: Land-based college grant applications are invited in August, with awards in October.

Application windows:

Grants for Land-Based Skills & Qualifications: Reopens in January
Land-based college grants: Colleges are invited to apply in August
Other Grants, Bursaries & Awards: Reopens in January

Who can apply:

Land-based college grants: The land-based colleges eligible for a grant are: Brinsbury College, Hadlow College, Sparsholt College, Plumpton College, Berkshire College of Agriculture, Merrist Wood College.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Recipients of skills grants are required to engage with the Society.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to South of England Agricultural Society.

Kent County Agricultural SocietyInvitation only Newbury & District Agricultural SocietyNo public process Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural SocietyNo public processGave £5,000 The Royal Bath & West SocietyFixed deadlines Burwarton & District Agricultural SocietyFixed deadlinesGave £3,479 The Royal Agricultural Society of EnglandNo public process Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural SocietyNo public process Three Counties Agricultural SocietyNo public processGave £49,300 Alresford and District Agricultural SocietyNo public processGave £40,000 Dorchester Agricultural SocietyRollingGave £3,420

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£1,916,276	£1,519,952	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£2,286,226	£1,955,383	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£2,341,978	£2,204,740	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£2,420,743	£2,430,907	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£2,454,631	£2,494,230	£11,000	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.