Climate Action Fund: Food Systems

Climate Outreach is keen to join a strong, community-led consortium applying to the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund: food systems programme. We are a UK charity with 20 years’ experience helping organisations engage people and communities in climate action, grounded in robust social science and values-based communications.

Our expertise sits at the intersection of climate, fairness and public engagement. We specialise in understanding how different people relate to climate change – including food, land and nature – and translating that insight into practical approaches that build trust, participation and lasting support for change. We have worked with community organisations, charities, local authorities and national NGOs to support work that is inclusive, locally rooted and capable of influencing wider systems.

Within a food systems consortium, Climate Outreach could add particular value in areas that the Fund explicitly prioritises: telling the story of the work in ways that inspire others; meaningfully involving communities; and supporting systems change that lasts beyond the life of the grant. We could contribute research and insight to understand community values and barriers around food, land use and access to healthy food, particularly for people experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination. We could also support co-design processes, helping partners work with communities to shape narratives, decision-making and governance in genuinely participatory ways.

Potential delivery roles include developing shared narratives for the programme; supporting community organisations to communicate their work locally and nationally; designing learning and reflection processes across the consortium; and helping evidence and communicate impact to funders, policymakers and peers. Our role would be complementary, working alongside delivery partners with deep on-the-ground expertise in agroecology, food growing, distribution and community food spaces.

If you are building a consortium and think our skills could strengthen your bid, we would love to explore this together. Please get in touch with Zoe Macalpine, Chief Income Officer, by 2 March at zoe.macalpine@climateoutreach.org.