NFU Mutual Charitable Trust funding delivers GBP 1.2m to good causes

6 January 2026

A person wearing a yellow safety vest and gloves sorts leafy greens and tomatoes into green plastic crates in what appears to be a produce storage area.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust donated GBP 1.2million to 28 good causes in 2025. The funding will help provide rural poverty relief, support small farming businesses to thrive, educate and mentor young people, and strengthen social welfare for rural communities.

Founded in 1998, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust works to promote and support charities in the United Kingdom working in agriculture, rural development, and insurance. The Trust is funded by ICMIF member NFU Mutual, which has pledged GBP 4m in charitable giving to support its members and their communities during 2025.

Jim McLaren MBE, Chairman of NFU Mutual and the Trust, said: “We know these are tough times for people living and working in farming and rural communities. This funding will help deliver a wide range of initiatives across the UK, from tackling rural poverty and supporting small farming businesses to promoting agricultural education and improving health and wellbeing. We’re proud to stand behind these important causes through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.”

One of the local causes supported by the Trust is FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, which will use its GBP 150,000 donation to transport additional surplus food via a network of 8,000 charities and community groups across the UK.

Graham Kelly, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, says: “We are so grateful to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for supporting us in this two-year programme. Every day, food from FareShare is redistributed to over 8,000 charities across the UK, including homelessness shelters, schools, refuges, lunch clubs and community kitchens. This food helps support millions of people who are experiencing food insecurity, at a time when a huge amount of edible food is wasted on UK farms every year.

“The food we provide offers much more than meals, it helps to strengthen communities and enable local groups to provide services that change lives, at the same time as reducing waste. Thanks to the funding from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, we can directly cover the cost of rescuing the equivalent of 2.04 million meals worth of edible surplus food, transporting it from farms to communities that need it most, including those in rural areas. Thank you for your generous support.”

Applications for the Trust’s next round of donations, which will be awarded in June 2026, are now open. More details are available on NFU Mutual’s website.