Good Food Governance
By Michael Lloyd-Jones
The latest Bristol Good Food 2030 story is by Michael Lloyd-Jones from Bristol Local Food Fund. Find out how local community groups and charities addressing food insecurity can apply for funding from the £110K raised by the Anti Banquet event (and wider Bristol Local Food Fund fundraising) until Monday 17 June.
The overwhelming success of the first Anti Banquet back in February, and wider Bristol Local Food Find (BLFF) fundraising, have enabled us to open our second round of grant applications for community food projects. The unique event and ongoing support from donations will allow BLFF, and our partners Quartet Community Foundation and Feeding Bristol, to distribute a total of £110,000 to projects across the city addressing food insecurity.
BLFF is a voluntary project with the aim of creating a city of food justice where everyone has access to nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food, regardless of their background or situation. We fundraise from people and businesses across Bristol, reallocating funds to community food projects tackling food insecurity.
Applications to access these essential funds are now open through the website of our partner Quartet, and will close on Monday 17 June. Those applying must support one or more of the five priorities outlined in Bristol’s Food Equality Strategy and Action Plan, including projects that promote: Fair, equitable access; Choice and security; Skills and resources; A sustainable local food system; and put food at the heart of decision-making. The grant will fund any costs related to the activity, project or service applying, given that it addresses food justice issues.
The funds will be allocated through ‘participatory grantmaking’ where people who have lived experience of food insecurity will make decisions about which community food projects the funding is awarded to. Made up of six people, this Citizens Panel has held meetings to discuss the grant-giving process, where they have explored the impacts of food insecurity and ways to support food justice.
In total, there is £110,000 in grant funding available, with no limit to the amount not-for-profit organisations and community groups can apply for. The Citizens Panel aims to spread the funding across the city, and expects average grant sizes to range between £5,000 – £10,000.
The grant will prioritise applications from groups supporting people and areas most affected by food insecurity, including single parents, Disabled people, people from Black and minoritised ethnic groups, carers, people identifying as LGBTQIA+, and young people (aged 16-24). Once submitted, the panel will review all applications, deciding on which projects will receive the funding based on the relevancy to the Food Equality Strategy and Action Plan and the support given to those affected by food insecurity.
We hope to continue to increase the amounts we can raise and distribute in the future, and we are currently campaigning to raise a further £150,000 by the end of 2024.
In 2022, BLFF crowdfunded and distributed £60,000 to support 18 community food projects across Bristol, including St Paul’s Adventure Playground in St Pauls, Lush Greens CIC in Hengrove and Travelling Kitchen CIC in Southmead.
St Paul’s Adventure Playground received £5,000 of funding, which was spent on free food provision for children visiting the playground. On average the playground provided 100 meals per session for local children, with 5 sessions each week.
£5,000 of funding enabled Lush Greens in Hengrove to grow 5,431 portions of fresh veg (or 1,713 kg) which was donated directly to two local food banks throughout the year, increasing access to locally grown vegetables.
Travelling Kitchen CIC, received a grant of £4,960, which was used to support a series of community cook-ups in Southmead where residents could learn new cooking skills, share a lunch together and take away some fresh meals that were batch-cooked during the session. The funding also covered costs of cookery tutors who planned and managed sessions; venue rental costs; meal ingredients; recyclable take-away containers; kitchen equipment; and recipe cards.
We can only continue to provide community food projects access to vital funds because of our supporters’ generosity. By becoming a supporter of BLFF you’ll be helping us to reach our fundraising goal of £150,000, fight against food insecurity, and make Bristol a city of food justice.
You can support BLFF by making a regular or one-off donation via this donation link.
For anyone becoming a regular supporter of BLFF, who can commit to a minimum donation of £10 per month, we’re offering an amazing range of foodie gift vouchers from the likes of Harts Bakery, Nadu, Kal Dosa, Pizzarova, Hugo’s Greengrocers, Gingerbeards Preserve, Ah-Mas Dumplings, Better Food, Eatchu, Forest Bakery and KASK.
Follow BLFF’s newsletter and social media:
If you have any questions about applying for a grant, please contact: The Philanthropy Team at Quartet Community Foundation by email applications@quartetcf.org.uk or by phone on 0117 989 7700.
So, what change do you want to see happen that will transform food in Bristol by 2030? Do you already have an idea for how Bristol can make this happen? Join the conversation now.
* Required field
