Projects we’ve funded

Funding Round 2025.

Over 2025, we focused on establishing ourselves as an independent organisation, Black Food Funding Limited, and designing and launching our second round of funding. We built on our learnings from the first round of funding. 

For the second round of funding, we focused on seeking funding proposals aligned with three different areas:

  • growers and those pushing for food sovereignty 

  • design, delivery and dissemination of research and

  • consumer and community food suppliers and providers. 

We intentionally set out an expansive definition of these terms based on the experiences of our communities - Africa, Caribbean and Black British. 

  • In total, we had 43 applications 🎉

  • The committee assessed these based on the criteria shared here.

  • The committee shortlisted 13 applicants at this stage 

  • Each shortlisted applicant was invited to submit a full proposal.

  • We received 11 full proposals at that stage.

  • The committee issued a total of 8 grants worth £195,000.

Here’s an overview of the projects we funded across the three different funding areas.

Growers and those pushing for food sovereignty

  • Land in our Names, delivering the Dandelion project, which aims to build intergenerational and community bonds through land-based workshops. There will be regular opportunities to share land and food-growing skills through volunteer-led workshops. Partnerships with Black-led and local food networks will foster collaboration and food redistribution. Finally, the Fallow Event Series will nurture a seasonal, culturally rooted connection to the land.

  • Earth Tenders will lead a project that aims to deepen their local impact by expanding work with new community groups, particularly young people and children, while strengthening their existing network of volunteers and collaborators. They aim to advance their response to food insecurity and food education by growing more produce for local distribution, sharing knowledge across generations and expanding access to their growing space. 

Design, delivery and dissemination of research

  • Sola Sodeke, leading the project PCOS Care aims to empower the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) community by providing accessible knowledge on body literacy, herbalism and nutrition to help individuals effectively manage the condition. It seeks to explore the lived experiences of Black people with PCOS, delving into their views on herbalism and nutrition as a means of intervention. A digital resource, shaped by qualitative research, will celebrate black herbal cultures and highlight their role in supporting the management of PCOS symptoms and long-term health risks.

  • London Senior Social will document and archive African and Caribbean recipes from elders. Alongside this, they will deliver health and wellbeing workshops and provide culturally sensitive meals.

Consumer and community food suppliers and providers

  • The Vegan Patty Lady will use project funding to strengthen the business by establishing a fully equipped production kitchen and launching a product extension to support business scaling.

  • Kataka, leading the Nourishing Our Roots programme, which is a Black-led, Deaf- and disabled-led, neurodiverse community programme that uses food as a tool for empowerment, training, and social justice. It celebrates African and Caribbean food traditions while creating real pathways for young people and families to thrive across Lambeth and Southwark.

  • Brixton Soup Kitchen will continue to provide hot meals and maintain a safe, welcoming environment, using food as a powerful tool to engage with the community, build trust, and offer wider support. In addition, volunteers will be supported in the kitchen, gaining hands-on experience, basic training, and guidance to help them progress towards employment or further training opportunities.

  • Core funding will underpin and enhance the work of Peckham Soup Kitchen, while the project will also trial community growing and a micro-grants approach, such as providing seeds, tools, compost, irrigation, and small grants for residents. 

Funding Round 2024.

Over 2024, we shaped our organisation, learning how to work with one another and developing our grant funding approach.

We were delighted to launch our pilot funding round in 2024 to issue an initial £80k in grants.

  • In total, we had 64 applications 🎉

  • The committee assessed these based on the criteria shared here.

  • The committee shortlisted 5 applicants at this stage 

  • Each shortlisted applicant was invited to submit a full proposal.

  • We received 4 full proposals at that stage.

  • The committee issued a total of 3 grants* worth £46,455 (£33,545 less than budgeted)**.


*Note: One proposal was not funded in its current form. The committee invited that group to explore a new core-funding grant instead, which resulted in us issuing a fourth grant.

**Note: All EOIs and full grant proposals were reviewed by the committee without visibility of the amount requested. This resulted in an underspend during this pilot round of funding. This will roll into the remaining pot of £403,545 to issue from next year. 

…

The grants we issued have gone to: 

Fermenting Cultures, led by Virginia Nimarkoh. £20k (14 months)

Virginia will be exploring the health benefits and potential market for fermented African and Caribbean foods. This grant will support the delivery of a research project into this space. 

Lime Hut Helps, led by Afiya and Saul Titus. £18,455 (12 months)

Afiya and Saul will be running an interactive food programme for Black SEND families, attending a decolonised food pilgrimage (at the Zimbali retreat) and delivering a decolonised cuisine e-booklet for the wider community. 

Spring Community Hub, led by Felicia Boshorin and Tijani Hamilton. £18,000 (15 months)

Spring Community Hub will run a 12-month volunteer-led culturally sensitive food education programme and Food Festival, celebrating Southwark’s diverse Black food cultures. 

Share the Cost Global, led by Norrisa Gayle. £10,000 (12 months)

Norrisa will be investing in future sustainability and stability of the communiTea Cafe, creating safe spaces for social interactions that address food insecurity with culturally appropriate, nutritious meals.