Renfrewshire Council

What the Community Food Fund is

The Community Food Fund is a £50,000 fund for organisations based in Renfrewshire that are developing or running projects to provide food to our local community.

The purpose of the fund is to support organisations to adapt from emergency response to dignified access to food and community resilience and recovery.

Any community or voluntary organisation with a constitution and a bank account can apply.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available. Please do not apply for more than you need for your project.

It is unlikely there will be further funding after this.

What the fund can be used for

The funding can be used to meet increased demands due to rises in the cost of living. 

This can include:

• purchasing food, including bulk purchasing ingredients to prepare meals
• improving quality, dignity, or sustainability - for example, linking with community gardens to provide fresh fruit and vegetables
• supporting recruiting and retaining volunteers
• providing relevant training, such as food hygiene
• transport
• equipment like refrigeration
• premises or venue hire
• other support, like teaching cooking skills
• engaging and consulting service users to inform your work.

As this is one-off funding, you should be clear about the longer-term plans for sustaining your service after the funding has been used.  

The funding can't be used for direct financial support for households.

What money, benefits, or financial support you could get

How to apply

Email us at tacklingpoverty@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you would like to apply. We will contact you for a brief discussion about your project and send you an application form.

Applications for the fund close on Friday 12 August 2022.

You will need to give us details about your organisation and your project on the application form.

Section 1 - your organisation

Give us details about your organisation and what you do.

Section 2 - what you would like funding for

Use this section to explain:

• how you've identified the need for your project
• what exactly you will do with the funding
• who your project will support
• how many people it will help
• how you will know you are making a difference.

This information is used to evaluate your application, so it is important you explain how you meet the criteria for this fund.

Section 3 - supporting paperwork

You must include all these documents with your application:

• a bank statement dated within the last three months
• a copy of your most recent annual accounts or income and expenditure statement, no less than 15 months old, dated and signed as approved. 
• a signed and dated copy of your organisation's Constitution or Memorandum 
• signed and dated copies of your Articles of Association.

If you are a new organisation, you'll need to submit estimates of income and expenditure for the first 12 months. 

We cannot evaluate applications that don't include the correct paperwork. 

Section 4 - signatures

If you are filling in a paper copy of the form to post, you can sign this section of the form. If you are applying online, you can submit your signature later.

How we assess applications for funding

We will assess projects based on:

• adherence to the dignity principles developed by Nourish Scotland and the Poverty Truth Commission
• an understanding of local needs
• targeting people and households on low incomes
• connecting people to other support, in particular income maximisation
• supporting individual and community resilience
• inclusivity and easy access to the service
• compliance around food safety and environmental health where appropriate
• how purchased food will contribute to a balanced diet.

We will also consider the geographical spread of applications in the allocation of funding.

What happens after you apply

Council officers and a representative from Engage Renfrewshire will assess applications based on the funding criteria outlined above. They will submit their recommendations to the Leadership Board, who will decide the funding allocations at its next board meeting on Wednesday 14 September 2022.

After the board meeting, we'll let you know if your application has been successful. If it is, you'll need to agree to the terms and conditions of the grant. We'll then arrange payment of the grant to your organisation.  

We will monitor the outcomes of your project and other initiatives supported through the fund. This is part of a wider evaluation of the local response to food insecurity in Renfrewshire.