The Foodbank Fundamentals Fund supports grassroots organisations whose core purpose is providing food and alleviating food poverty in their local community. It is designed to help foodbanks and other food providers meet essential needs and maintain their services at a time of continued demand.
Funding can be used for essential food and hygiene supplies, equipment such as fridges and freezers, storage, and fuel for delivering food to people who are isolated. Grants of up to £1,000 are available in the 2026 round.
Requirements:
Applicants must:
- Be a not-for-profit group whose primary purpose is providing food or food aid.
- Be based in the UK, with the project benefiting people in the UK.
- Have an annual income of £250,000 or below.
- Have governing documents confirming the organisation’s not-for-profit status.
- Have an up-to-date safeguarding policy covering its service users.
- Be able to name two safeguarding leads.
- Have a bank account in the group’s own name that accepts cheques.
- Deliver the food provision directly rather than acting as a grant-making intermediary.
Examples of eligible organisations include foodbanks, community pantries, social supermarkets, soup kitchens and breakfast clubs. If food provision is not already a core part of the organisation’s work, it is not eligible.
If an applying branch or project belongs to a parent organisation with income above £250,000, it can potentially qualify if it has its own bank account, independent annual accounts and its own constitution.
Funding Priorities:
The fund is focused specifically on helping grassroots food providers maintain and improve their ability to provide food to people experiencing need. Priority is therefore given to practical essentials such as food, hygiene products, refrigeration and storage, as well as fuel for food deliveries to isolated community members. The fund is intended to address immediate operational needs of food providers rather than support general community activity or wider organisational running costs.
What They Will Fund:
Funding can be used for:
- Essential food.
- Baby food and formula.
- Basic hygiene products.
- Toiletries.
- Nappies and baby wipes.
- White goods such as fridges and freezers.
- Storage equipment.
- Essential fixtures and fittings, such as shelving and containers.
- Fuel costs for delivering food to isolated members of the community.
A combination of these costs can be included in an application.
What They Won’t Fund:
The fund will not support:
- Organisations that do not currently provide food as a core service.
- Food or refreshments for one-off events.
- Food for regular social activities where food provision is not the primary purpose.
- Promotional or advertising costs.
- Fundraising costs.
- Grants that benefit only one individual.
- Membership fees, such as FareShare subscriptions.
- General running costs.
It also excludes organisations based outside the UK, groups that have already received Asda Foundation funding in 2026, third-party grant-makers, public bodies including schools and academy trusts, animal welfare organisations where that is their main focus, and organisations with a clear political-party affiliation. Religious organisations whose services are only open to people of a particular faith are also excluded.
How To Apply:
You can apply using the button below through their online application form.
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