The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has announced its first round of donations for 2023, totalling more than £450,000, and giving support to 15 rural causes across the UK.
This is the first of two rounds of funding which will be delivered across the year, with the Trust expecting overall donations to reach at least £1m by the end of 2023.
This latest round of funding will help to deliver a range of initiatives, including rural poverty relief, helping small farming businesses to thrive, educating and mentoring young people, and supporting the UK’s air ambulance network.
Organisations set to benefit from the donations include Access to Farms, Addington Fund, Farms for City Children, Oxford Farming Conference, NFU Education and RSABI.
Others include Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, The Farming Community Network and Wales Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.
The donations will be available immediately, allowing the organisations to continue to provide their crucial support services.
Nick Turner, group chief executive of NFU Mutual, said: "Supporting local communities has always been very important to our members, and so NFU Mutual is committed to making a positive impact through our charitable giving programme.
"These latest donations from the Trust will help support members and their communities in many different ways. We are very proud to be championing the work of these great causes."
The Royal Countryside Fund, a charity which empowers family farms to thrive, will be using their donation of £60,000 to help Farm Support Groups and ensure they can continue providing a vital service to their local communities.
Keith Halstead, executive director at the Royal Countryside Fund, explained how the Trust’s donation will be making a difference.
"This funding has allowed us to increase capacity across the network, supporting hundreds more farming families each year on a wide range of issues from business advice through to pastoral support.
"As farming families continue to face uncertainty, we are proud to offer them practical assistance when they need it most."
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust is one of the main ways the UK’s leading rural insurer NFU Mutual provides charitable donations.
Its work forms part of NFU Mutual’s £3.25m charitable giving pledge to support its members and their communities during 2023.
Applications for the Trust’s November round of donations are now open, and details can be found on NFU Mutual’s website.
