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Islington Food Fund 2026

Does your work support a people-powered shift toward a more sustainable and dignified model of community food provision that can alleviate food insecurity in the borough? Apply to the Islington Food Fund 2026 call.

Download the Islington Food Fund call

A call for applications to Islington Food Fund 2026 grants

Islington Giving and Islington Food Partnership are working in partnership to distribute Islington Food Fund grants. We are inviting applications from existing organisations in the borough, to provide support to those experiencing food insecurity and help towards strategies aimed at tackling food poverty.

This is a call for Round 5 2026 grants that food aid providers in Islington only are eligible to apply for. The programme will again focus on the theme of sustainability, and we are asking all eligible applicants to tell us how the funds support a people-powered shift toward a more sustainable and dignified model of community food provision that can alleviate food insecurity in the borough.

Context

Launched in December 2022 with an initial £150,000 investment from Google.org, the Islington Food Fund was created by Islington Giving to tackle food insecurity and support local communities. Over three years, a total investment of £501,089 has helped strengthen the borough’s food aid sector and respond to the challenges local people face in accessing food.

In 2025, the fund evolved to reflect a growing movement towards community-led food projects, including social supermarkets, pantries, larders, food clubs and cooperatives. These approaches offer more than emergency food support: they promote choice, dignity and access to nutritious, affordable food, while helping build sustainable community resources.

The Islington Food Fund aims to support this shift, championing approaches that meet people’s immediate food needs while helping them address the underlying challenges they face. By investing in local projects and working collaboratively, we want to help build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable food system where everyone in Islington can access good food with dignity.

Who can apply?

The Islington Food Fund 2026 is only open to food aid providers funded in 2025. We are interested in supporting some foodbanks and other food services that are in the process of effecting change to a sustainable model of operation or transitioning projects funded in 2025 by the Food Fund and are already on that journey and need additional funding to achieve the set goals of the project, and invariably supports their journey towards a sustainability footing.  

What can you apply for? 

  • Transitioning journey: If you have already started that journey and were funded by the Food Fund in 2025, please tell us what has been achieved and what further steps are required towards reaching your set goals.
  • Small grants to deliver food activity: If you are a foodbank and would be applying for this grant, please tell us how you are planning to remain sustainable, given the external financial environment. Grants of up to £2,500 are available. We can only fund up to nine food aid providers/foodbanks under this category. Therefore, your application may not be successful on this occasion.
  • Islington Food Strategy and overarching development support: Applicants are encouraged to refer to the guidance shared following the Community of Practice meeting in October 2026
  • Food Safety: Please tell us if you are registered with Islington Council’s environmental health team to provide a food service. If you are, have you received a food hygiene rating for the service? 

How to apply

Budget

The budget for this programme round is £120,000 – a much smaller budget to the last round, as this is not Google funding but funding directly from Islington Giving. However, we are targeting the fund to build on the legacy of the Food Fund programme covering the last three years of the programme.

Deadline

All applications and Expression of Interest forms should be received no later than 5pm on Monday 16th November 2026.

Decision making timeline

The grant application process opens on Tuesday 20th October 2026 and the panel will meet to assess and decide on the award of funding in the week beginning 23rd November 2026. Applicants will be informed of decisions by the end of November 2026.

Data and monitoring

We will require successful applicants to provide monitoring reports. A monitoring form outlining the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the project will be provided at the award stage to enable you to collect relevant data and report on progress and milestones.

Please email victor.momodu@cripplegate.org.uk if you have any questions.

“The Islington Food Fund aims to at tackling food insecurity and supporting more sustainable, dignified approaches to community food provision. Sustainability was a thread in these developments, as were issues around dignity, access to nutritious and affordable food offer and choice.

This Fund is provided by Islington Giving.