Funding projects that strengthen our food system and reduce food insecurity for people and communities as well as supporting ways of producing enough healthy, affordable food without harming the planet.
Provided by:
The National Lottery Community Fund
Funder website:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/
Maximum value:
£7,000,000.00
Objective of fund:
You must meet one or more of our aims
Your project must work towards systems change in the way that:
community organisations grow and produce food – using agroecological methods
food gets distributed – aiming for equitable access to healthy, affordable food for all
offers people and communities different food options – especially those experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination
Who can apply
You must apply as part of a partnership
All organisations in your partnership must be a:
registered charity
company limited by guarantee (with a not-for-profit clause or registered as a charity)
community interest company (CIC)
charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO)
community benefit society
co-operative society (with a not-for-profit clause and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority)
public body (such as a local authority, town, parish or community council)
school, college or university - as long as the project benefits the wider local community
Who should be in your partnership
Your partnership can be:
local, regional or national
based in one of the UK countries, or working in more than one UK country
new or already established
We want to fund partnerships that:
involve the communities they work with in the design and delivery of the project
ensure equitable access to project funding and resources
consider capacity building and good governance
share what you learn across the sector and with other projects we fund
work across different sectors
include expertise in areas like food systems and agroecology, climate, environment, nature, communications, learning and evaluation, and community representation
Restrictions
We will not fund profit-making organisations
For example, an organisation that can share profits privately.
We welcome partnerships that include private sector partners who provide match funding or pro bono support.
This support should strengthen your project and help increase its impact.
If you already have funding from us
You can still apply. We’ll look at how this funding would work alongside your other funding when we assess your application.
If you’re a school or working with a school
Your project must benefit the wider community, not just teachers, pupils, or parents.
We do not usually fund school-based activities that:
improve school facilities or equipment
support staff training
are part of the curriculum
the school is expected to deliver anyway (such as teaching core subjects)
take place during school hours (before or after school, or during lunch, may be OK)
Board or committee member requirements
To apply, your organisation must have at least 2 board or committee members who are not related. If you're a company, you must have at least 2 directors who are not related.
We consider people to be related if they are:
married or in a civil partnership
in a long-term relationship or live together
related by blood or through a partner
Eligible Expenditure
You can apply for funding to cover things like:
staff costs, including sessional workers
costs that help you support communities and smaller partner organisations
anything that supports effective partnership working – like costs for partnership meetings, administration and management
organisational development such as staff training, improving governance, upgrading IT or sharing learning
transport
utilities and running costs
volunteer expenses
learning and evaluation
equipment
translation or interpretation costs, for example to deliver your project in Welsh
contributions to overheads – though these should be proportionate to your project request. Learn more about full cost recoveryrheads – though these should be proportionate to your project request.
some capital costs
How to apply
Contact us and we’ll arrange an initial conversation
Contact us by email on climateactionfund@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk and include your:
lead person’s contact details – full name, email address and phone number
organisation name
We’ll arrange a time to talk to you about your project idea. And we can let you know if this funding is likely to be right for you.
Useful Links
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/climate-action-fund-food-systems