The NSW EPA is working to reduce good quality food from being sent to landfill. Food Rescue Grants are available to expand food rescue and relief capacity to safely manage increasing amounts of rescued food in NSW.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Grants up to $500,000
- Application opened: 18 March 2024
- Application closed: 19 April 2024, 4:00 pm
Program objective
The objectives of this grant are to:
- increase the diversion (i.e. rescue) of quality food suitable for human consumption from landfill; and
- support NSW food rescue and relief organisations to expand their capacity to manage increasing amounts of rescued food to provide to the community.
This program is funded and administered by Environment Protection Authority.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Organisations providing Food Rescue and/or Food Relief support in NSW, and not-for-profit organisations, local councils, local government regional waste groups, and regional organisation of councils are encouraged to read the grant guidelines to check their eligibility.
Types of projects funded under this grant
The EPA are looking to support solutions that will increase the amount of rescued food in NSW. That is, different ways of collecting and using more good quality food from donors, rescuing it from being wasted and sent to landfill.
When the project can start and end
Projects are to be completed and with all final reporting submitted by 1 May 2027 or earlier.
The project must be completed by 1 May 2027.
Example projects
If you are a not-for-profit organisation providing Food Rescue and/or Food Relief, you may have identified the need for a new electric vehicle to increase collections and safe food storage in transit. Or a need to increase your refrigeration, freezer areas or shelving for safe food storage.
Or perhaps you are not-for-profit organisation, local council, local government regional waste group, or regional organisation of council operating in NSW that has identified a need to increase streamlined food rescue collections using a coordinated regional approach and new technology to support the coordination.
What co-contributions are required
Funding will be up to 90% of eligible project costs. A co-contribution of at least 10% towards eligible project costs is required. This co-contribution can be financial or in-kind contributions, or a combination of the two.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Eligible projects must:
- be submitted using SmartyGrants https://epa.smartygrants.com.au/
- divert an increasing amount of rescued food (i.e., more than is currently rescue in a typical week) from landfill to the community
- increase your capacity to rescue, store, process and/or redistribute rescued food that would otherwise be sent to landfill
- be delivered in NSW by an eligible applicant
- be adequately resourced for the life of the proposed project, having the ability to manage and complete the project including the budgeting, reporting and acquittal requirements
- include education aimed to increase food donation, rescue and/or relief awareness and amounts of rescued food
- disclose any other funding from other government programs relating to this project; and
- be completed and with all final reporting submitted by 1 May 2027 or earlier.
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: EPA CEO
Applications will undergo an eligibility check before being reviewed by an independent grant assessment committee using the criteria set out in the grant guidelines.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is May 2024
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is May 2024
Support and contact
Contact NSW EPA Organics unit