Local Food programme

Local Food is a £50 million programme that will distribute grants to a variety of food-related projects to help make locally grown food accessible and affordable to local communities.

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens has been instrumental in developing the programme, working with a large number of other organisations over several years before plans came to fruition.

The funding programme will now be managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and the 15 consortium members, on behalf of the BIG Lottery Fund. 

Benefits

Communities will benefit from improved health and well-being through exercise and better nutrition; strengthened local economies through the creation of social enterprises; and more sustainability through the better use of resources such as food redistribution and composting.

Local Food has five themes:

• Enable communities to manage land sustainably for growing food locally
• Enable communities to build knowledge and understanding and to celebrate the cultural diversity of food
• Stimulate local economic activity and the development of community enterprises concerned with growing, processing and marketing local food
• Create opportunities for learning and the development of skills through voluntary training and job creation
• Promote awareness and understanding of the links between food and healthy lifestyles.

Not for profit community groups including FCFCG members can now apply for grants. More details will be made available through this website and our publications, and you can visit www.localfoodgrants.org too.

 

Local Food Grants Events

14 July 2008 - South West, Bristol

19 August 2008 - East Midlands, Nottingham

22 September 2008 - North West, Manchester

Hit the funding buttons and avoid the grants pitfalls with these guidance sessions for applications to the Local Food Grants Programme.

All events are free to attend, but require a £50 deposit, which wil be returned on the day. To reserve your place you will need to download a booking form from the Local Food website at www.localfoodgrants.org and return a hard copy to the address provided with the £50 deposit. Cheques payable to ‘RSWT’. You will need to be a registered user of the Local Food website. If you are not, please register here.