Aims/priorities: The funding aims to strengthen links between farms and charities to help solve the problem of food surplus on farms with the objective of helping organisations fight hunger in communities.
Proposals need to:
- Build stronger collaborations with farmers to access surplus food.
- Expand logistical capacity to transport and distribute rescued produce efficiently.
- Invest in critical infrastructure such as refrigeration, storage facilities, and transport vehicles to keep food fresh and safe for redistribution.
- Procure packaging and labelling equipment to streamline the handling of surplus goods.
Who can apply? Not-for-profit organisations in England that redistribute surplus food to charities for a discounted or free food offer can apply.
Redistributors working in partnership would be considered. This could enable large redistributors to work with small redistributors at a local level, utilising the large redistributors’ distribution and storage networks and contacts, while bringing in localised redistributors. Applicants must be from the not-for-profit sector but can utilise the commercial sector to deliver the outcomes.
Applicants must have credible plans to form relationships with farmers to access the surplus.
Grant amount: There is a total budget of £15 million.
The minimum grant is £20,000.
The maximum grant is £14.642 million.
Application process: The application window runs from 7 February 2025 to 13 March 2025 (11:55am).
Funding award notification and funding start date are 14 May 2025.
All relevant documents and the online form are available on the Defra e-Commercial system. (Defra is using Atamis for this grant competition.)
Deadline: Thursday 13 March 2025
Contact information: Tel: 03459 33 55 77
Website: £15 million food surplus fund now open for applications - GOV.UK