Food Rescue grants

By 2030, food, garden, and textile waste is estimated to generate 3.1 million tonnes of CO2-e landfill emissions across NSW, and without intervention this waste is set to increase. The NSW Government set a target to halve organics waste sent to landfill, including through increased support for food rescue and relief.

The Food Rescue Grant program builds on lessons learnt from the food donation programs delivered from 2013-21 under the Waste Less, Recycle More funding. A total of $6.2 million was awarded to 62 infrastructure and education projects, recovering 11,000 tonnes more surplus food in NSW each year, the equivalent of 22 million meals.

Round 1 of this grant program allocated $2.9 million to support the NSW food rescue and relief sector to expand its capacity to safely manage increasing amounts of rescued food. Grants are intended to support new infrastructure, equipment, education and collaboration to divert additional quality food from landfill.

In combination with this grant program, the EPA is delivering a range of resources to support food donation, rescue and relief, including:

• establishing the Food Rescue Rebates program, a simplified funding alternative for smaller food rescue and relief projects
• resources for businesses and Bin Trim waste assessors to connect more food donors with food rescue and/or relief organisations
• developing online resources, case studies and food donation, rescue and relief information
• updating guidance on ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates
• updating guidance on the Civil Liability Act 2002.

For the purpose of this grant program:

Capacity​ means the amount of a Rescued Food that is physically able to be rescued, stored, processed and/or redistributed by the grant applicant.

Coordinating Organisation​ means not-for-profit organisations, local councils, local government regional waste groups or regional organisation of councils acting on behalf of or coordinating a group of three or more Food Rescue and/or Food Relief Organisations as a network participating in the grant project. In this instance, coordination includes, but is not limited to, growing or developing a regional network, facilitating regular communication and collaboration between the network, developing or promoting platforms to share resources and collect data on rescued food, as well as build local knowledge and provide support to improve operational efficiencies.

EPA​ means the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority.

Food Donor ​means a business who donates good quality food suitable for human consumption to Food Relief and/or Food Rescue Organisations.    

Food Relief Organisation​ is a not-for-profit organisation that provides free or low-cost Rescued Food directly to the community (e.g. meals, community kitchens, hampers, pantries etc.), and meets the following criteria. A Food Relief Organisation must:

• operate, and have operated, in NSW with an active Australian Business Number (ABN) of at least 6 months;
• be actively listed on https://askizzy.org.au/ or www.serviceseeker.com.au indicating food support services or can clearly demonstrate why they are not listed on these free search directories under food support; and
• be registered on https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities.

Food Rescue Organisation​ is a not-for-profit organisation that collect and distribute rescued food from Food Donors and either deliver it directly to Food Relief Organisations or store it in warehouses, ready for distribution to Food Relief Organisations, and meets the following criteria. Noting a Food Rescue Organisation many also be a Food Relief Organisation, a Food Rescue Organisation must:

• operate, and have been operating, in NSW with an active Australian Business Number (ABN) of at least 6 months; and
• be registered on https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities.

Rescued food​ means good quality food suitable for human consumption that originates from a Food Donor thereby preventing it from being disposed to landfill.

Eligible applicants must be:

1. operating in NSW with an active Australian Business Number (ABN) for at least 6 months
2. the entity that will take responsibility for the delivery of the grant project and associated costs
3. primarily rescuing or planning to rescue food from businesses captured under the new FOGO mandates, such as:
   • supermarkets
   • premises in which food or drink is prepared or provided including:
     • correctional complexes, including correctional centres
     • centre-based childcare facilities
     • educational establishments including schools, universities and TAFE
     • hospitals including public hospitals, private health facilities and mental health facilities
     • seniors housing for which the council does not collect their waste
     • food and drink premises such as restaurants, cafes, takeaway food and drink premises, pubs and bars
     • hotel or motel accommodation
     • registered clubs that hold a club licence under the Liquor Act 2007
     • premises used for a mobile catering business within the meaning of the Food Act 2003, Part 8, Division 3, but excluding premises at which the food is served
4. a NSW:
   • Food Rescue Organisation; or
   • Food Relief Organisation; or
   • Coordinating Organisation.

If applying as a Coordinating Organisation you must also:

• provide a signed letter or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a minimum of 3 Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations as proof of their intent to participate in the grant project before the signing of a Funding Deed.
• if changes to the number of participating Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisation occurs, it is the responsibility of the applying Coordinating Organisation to maintain support for at least 3 Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisation in the first year of the project.

Organisations that have previously received funding under Round 1 of this Food Rescue grant or an EPA Food Donation infrastructure or education related funding under Waste Less Recycle More are eligible to apply for this grant program on the basis that they will deliver new or expanded operations not covered by previous funding.

A Coordinating Organisation applicant can only receive funding once under this grant program.

We are looking for practical on-the-ground projects that increase the amount of rescued food in NSW.

For example:

• If you are a single Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisation, you may have identified the need for a new electric vehicle to increase collections and safe food storage in transit. Or increased refrigeration, freezer areas or shelving for safe food storage.
• You may have identified a need to increase streamlined food rescue collections using a coordinated regional approach and new technology to support the coordination.

Eligible projects must:

1. be submitted using SmartyGrants by 4pm on Tuesday 21 October 2025
2. divert an increasing amount of rescued food (i.e., more than is currently rescue in a typical week) from landfill to the community
3. increase capacity to rescue, store, process and/or redistribute rescued food that would otherwise be sent to landfill
4. be delivered in NSW by an eligible applicant
5. 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
6. include education aimed to increase food donation, rescue and/or relief awareness and amounts of rescued food
7. disclose any other funding from other government programs relating to this project; and
8. be completed and with all final reporting submitted by 1 May 2027 or earlier.

If applying as a Coordinating Organisation, your project must also:

9. develop a new or expand an existing network of Food Rescue and/or Relief Organisations across a region
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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
13. facilitate regular communication and collaboration within the network, including an agreed method for sharing resources.

The following regions of NSW have been identified as a priority areas. Applications supporting these areas will be prioritised over other regions.

• Berrigan
• Bland
• Brewarrina
• Carrathool
• Coolamon
• Coonamble
• Hay
• Kiama
• Lockhart
• Mid-Western Regional
• Murrumbidgee
• Oberon
• Walcha
• Warren
• Warrumbungle
• Wentworth
• Yass Valley

If intending to apply for funding as a Coordinating Organisation, before applying, it is recommended applicants review the online Healthy Cities Illawarra - Regional Food Donation Coordinator Pilot report and guide.

Eligible project costs include:

• infrastructure and equipment that will contribute to increased capacity of a Food Rescue and/or Food Relief Organisation to rescue, store, process and/or redistribute increasing amounts of rescued food from food donors to the community. This may include, but is not limited to:
  • the purchase or lease of delivery electric vehicles (preferred) such as refrigerated vans or small trucks (including stamp duty, registration, compulsory third party insurance and freight if included in the initial cost of the vehicle)
  • in-vehicle refrigeration
  • upgraded refrigeration and/or freezer equipment to improve energy efficiency
  • warehouse shelving
  • forklifts and stationary machinery.
• vehicle branding sticker wrap to promote food donation, rescue and/or relief
• food donation, rescue and relief related education and resources
• staff salaries and project management expenses are eligible for funding. Applicants must demonstrate how they calculated the amount of grant funding allocated. For example, a Coordinating Organisation may need a new staff member and need more than 50% of their grant to cover the cost of establishing the new role, with the remaining funding focusing on increasing the Food Rescue and/or Food Relief Organisations efficiencies and capacity to manage additional rescued food.
• costs associated with technology and/or new system development to improve operational efficiency, including data collection and storage of data
• costs associated with feasibility studies to assess opportunities for building a Food Rescue and/or Food Relief Organisation’s operational capacity to manage increasing amounts of rescued food. This may be through the identification of operational efficiencies, assessment of existing and proposed infrastructure etc. Feasibility studies must demonstrate how increased capacity can be sustained in the long term without ongoing government funding, including how to manage ongoing costs. For example, a cost benefit analysis comparing freighting to leasing or purchasing an electric vehicle would also need to include how to manage ongoing expenses without future government funding.

All equipment must be owned or leased by the applicant. All vehicles must be kept or garaged and registered in NSW and insured in the name of the applicant.

If intending to lease or purchase a vehicle with grant funding the applicant must demonstrate this is the best operating model for the organisation. We encourage the applicant to consider lease to buy options, noting the grant can only be used to lease the vehicle until 1 May 2027. We note that funding cannot be used for early termination fees or end of lease fees.

Successful applicants must use project funding solely for eligible project costs specified in the Funding Deed for the project, otherwise reimbursement to the EPA may be required. See Grant conditions below.

Ineligible projects and costs include:

• infrastructure, equipment and activities that:
  • are already purchased before the Funding Deed is signed
  • are outside of NSW
  • do not include rescued food
  • are intended for use with non-food items
  • are intended for food other than for human consumption
  • are considered a single-use item, e.g. plastic takeaway containers or plastic disposable tablecloths
• food waste disposal, e.g. composting equipment, or food waste reuse opportunities, e.g., remanufacture, valorisation, animal feed production. Please refer to the EPA Bin Trim program for waste support options.
• the purchase of food or land
• operational expenses including e.g. rent, fuel, electricity, insurance, services, housekeeping
• statutory requirements such as development consent, operating licenses, or compliance
• education, research and marketing costs not directly related to the project
• financial auditor costs such as third-party accountants providing endorsement on the project’s expenditure and costs associated with the development of the grant application.

Applications that do not satisfy all eligibility conditions will be deemed ineligible and will not be funded. Only eligible project costs, under an eligible project will be considered.

This is an open and competitive grant program with no guarantee that applications will be funded or funded in full.

Reporting and acquittal must be submitted online using SmartyGrants.

Successful grants will be paid in three milestone payments. The successful applicant will submit the required evidence for each milestone (detailed in the Funding Deed) and if approved by the EPA, may be eligible for grant milestone payments. Milestones payments include:

• Milestone 1:​ 50% of the grant amount will be paid on execution of the Funding Deed and agreed evidence of how the project will progress and data tracking will be achieved.
• Milestone 2: ​40% will be paid after the EPA approves grantee required reporting, including evidence of expenditure and evidence of the project progress and data tracking.
• Milestone 3:​ 10% final payment after the EPA approves grantee required reporting including final evidence of expenditure and outcomes including the additional amounts of rescued food diverted from landfill.

Milestone reporting is to be submitted online via SmartyGrants. The Milestone 3 report, or parts of it, may be published on the EPA website to encourage knowledge sharing.

Grantees will have the opportunity for regular project meetings with the EPA to discuss questions, roadblocks, and new situations that may affect the project outcomes, budget, or timeline etc.

After completion of the grant program and payment of the final milestone payment, grantees may be asked to participate in a Food Rescue survey to review the program, released at the discretion of the EPA.  Feedback will be used to assess the success of the program in meeting objectives and shape future program design. Informal feedback may also be sought to input into the EPA’s annual review of the Food Rescue grant program.

In addition to eligibility requirements, successful applicants will need to sign and return a Funding Deed confirming commitment to comply with conditions of the funding, including:

• continue to comply with the eligibility criteria for the length of the grant agreement or pay back the funding
• reporting as described in the reporting and milestone payments section (above)
• hold appropriate insurance and public liability coverage for the duration of the grant
• acknowledge the support of the NSW Government on publications relating to the project, in accordance with the Funding Deed; and
• invite an NSW Government representative to any launch or public event associated with this funding.

See the Funding Deed template (PDF 754KB). Although the terms of the Funding Deed are non-negotiable, minor changes may be made to:

• the Special Conditions, if required by the grant assessing committee; and
• Schedule A – Approved Project Activities, Table A.

Applications were checked for eligibility before being reviewed by an independent grant assessing committee using the criteria set out below. The dot points provide additional information on the types of expected information (at a minimum) for each criterion.

In 2023, Healthy Cities Illawarra completed a Regional Food Donation Coordinator Pilot.

If considering a coordinator role, we recommend considering the final report and guide.