New funding now available!
Local Food, a new and exciting grants programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is now open for applications as of the 17 March 2008. To find out more please call the Changing Spaces Advice Line on 0845 3671 671 or visit www.localfoodgrants.org

The Soil Association does not have any funding to distribute itself, but from spring 2008 community groups in England involved in local food will be able to get their hands on a share of £50 million.
Managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and 15 consortium members, on behalf of the BIG Lottery Fund, 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 Soil Association is a consortium member and has been involved in securing this new funding for local food projects.

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:

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

There are 3 levels of grant varying from £2,000 to £500,000. The fund will be open to applications in spring 2008. See www.localfoodgrants.org for regular updates.