Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: A grant of up to $100,000 for individual food rescue and/or relief organisations and up to $300,000 for coordinating organisations
- Application opened: 26 August 2025
- Application closed: 21 October 2025, 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 administered by Environment Protection Authority.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Food rescue and/or relief organisations, and coordinating organisations including not-for-profits, NSW councils, NSW local government regional waste groups or regional organisations of councils.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Eligible projects must:
- be submitted using SmartyGrants by 4pm on Tuesday 21 October 2025
- divert an increasing amount of rescued food (i.e., more than is currently rescue in a typical week) from landfill to the community
- increase 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.
If applying as a Coordinating Organisation, your project must also:
- develop a new or expand an existing network of Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations across a region
- grow the network each year. For example, if a new network, then aim to support at least 3 Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations in the first 12 months and more than 5 thereafter. If you will be supporting less than this, you must clearly explain why.
- maintain the network each year. For example, if the participating Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations change, it is the responsibility of the Coordinating Organisation to maintain a network of least 3 Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations.
- increase your network partners’ capacity to rescue, store, process and/or redistribute rescued food that would otherwise be sent to landfill and include monitoring and reporting on these outcomes
- facilitate regular communication and collaboration within the network, including an agreed method for sharing resources.
When the project can start and end
The project must be completed by 1 May 2027.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
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.
Start the application
Applications must be submitted using SmartyGrants by 4pm on Tuesday 21 October 2025.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: EPA CEO
Applications close 4pm 21 October 2025. Assessment will be October 2025 with notification of outcome expected in November 2025.
Support and contact
Contact NSW EPA Organics unit