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.
Most recent recipients
What was approved
Approved for Addison Road Centre for Arts, Culture, Community and Environment Ltd.
Addi Road will increase food rescue by 1500 kgs weekly by the end of the grant and this is used to feed over 8500 people weekly across our food justice program that supports over 160 grassroots community groups, runs two food pantries and cooks over 30,000 meals for community.
$100,000 was approved by
EPA CEODate approved
December 2025Location of the project
Marrickville 2204Location of the recipient
Marrickville 2204About the grant
Applications approved
27
Applications received
58
Food Rescue Grants Round 2
Program term
31/12/2027What was approved
Approved for Adventist Development and Relief Agency Australia Ltd
The ADRA Blacktown Food Pantry has supported vulnerable community members for over twenty years. By rescuing and redistributing surplus food, the pantry reduces waste and combats food insecurity. Expanding our collection and storage capacity will enable us to handle an additional one to two tonnes of food weekly.
$100,000 was approved by
EPA CEODate approved
December 2025Location of the project
Blacktown 2148Location of the recipient
Wahroonga 2076About the grant
Applications approved
27
Applications received
58
Food Rescue Grants Round 2
Program term
31/12/2027What was approved
Approved for Albury Wodonga Regional FoodShare
FoodShare is seeking funding for a refrigerated truck to triple transport capacity for food rescue and relief operations across regional NSW. This will significantly boost collection and redistribution of perishable food in a single trip, while strengthening partnerships, reducing waste, and improving access to nutritious food for vulnerable regional communities.
$100,000 was approved by
EPA CEODate approved
December 20250About the grant
Applications approved
27
Applications received
58
Food Rescue Grants Round 2
Program term
31/12/2027What was approved
Approved for Amaranth Foundation
Upgrade our kitchen to sustainably expand our capacity to safely manage additional rescued food, and grow our meals programs to meet increasing demand from families and individuals in rural communities (100 kms radius of Corowa) in the Riverina-Murray/Murrumbidgee Region.
$63,966 was approved by
EPA CEODate approved
December 2025Location of the project
Corowa 2646Location of the recipient
Corowa 2646About the grant
Applications approved
27
Applications received
58
Food Rescue Grants Round 2
Program term
31/12/2027What was approved
Approved for Blackroo Community Indigenous Corporation
This project will benefit vulnerable families across the Upper Hunter by expanding BlackRoo’s food rescue efforts. With a dedicated vehicle and Food Rescue Coordinator, we will collect, store, and distribute more rescued food, reducing waste, feeding more families, and strengthening community connections through care, dignity, and hope.
$73,000 was approved by
EPA CEODate approved
December 2025Location of the project
Muswellbrook 2333Location of the recipient
Muswellbrook 2333About the grant
Applications approved
27
Applications received
58
Food Rescue Grants Round 2
Program term
31/12/2027What 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