Bee Kearns
Content and Communications Manager at Neighbourly
In 2022 the Lidl Community Fund was established to support small charities and community groups, helping to address food insecurity and hunger on a local level. Recognising that many people and organisations are struggling, Lidl teamed up with Neighbourly to provide targeted funding to those on the front lines that are supporting people in need.
A Growing Impact
Now entering its third year, the Lidl Community Fund has run nine funding rounds, opening a new application window each quarter. The programme has been extremely well-received and is highly sought after by its network of connected good causes across the UK.
The fund has provided grants ranging from £500 for emergency food provisions, to £5,000 for larger capacity-building projects, and up to £20,000 for transformational initiatives, delivering deeper, long-lasting impact into the community.
To date, £1.17 million has been distributed, supporting more than 950 good causes and 288,000 people nationwide. With a particular focus on social welfare, the top Sustainable Development Goals supported by the fund are 1 (No poverty), 2 (Zero hunger) and 3 (Good heath and well-being).
Evolving to Meet Changing Needs
The Lidl Community Fund has evolved over the last three years to maximise impact, in particular by adjusting grant sizes in response to economic conditions and the needs of the local community. Key enhancements include:
- Introducing larger £20,000 grants in 2024 to deliver transformational, big-impact projects.
- Responding to inflationary pressures by removing the smaller £200 grant tier to concentrate resources on delivering more impact.
- Streamlining the application process to make it easier for organisations to apply.
- Updating reporting requirements to gather deeper insights on the difference the grants are making.
The flexibility to adapt the programme parameters is critical to ensuring the Fund can pivot to meet evolving community needs.
Neighbourly: Delivering Benefits Through Partnership
Delivering grant programmes with Neighbourly allows Lidl to efficiently support local communities nationally by leveraging technology to strengthen existing grassroots partnerships. The Neighbourly team provides end-to-end programme management, so support can be delivered to the heart of communities in a straightforward and timely manner.
By accessing Neighbourly’s network, Lidl is also able to tailor its funding rounds to target specific themes. This may relate to strategic drivers in different locations or on a nationwide scale, and has previously included priorities such as holiday hunger, hygiene products, and support for community gardens/allotments.
Community Impact in Action
The Lidl Community Fund has supported a diverse range of local causes, with some recipients having been awarded multiple grants over time, empowering them to continue improving service delivery and impact.
Alongside the fund, Lidl has also supported local causes through its festive Toy Bank Funds and a Hygiene Poverty Fund. Lidl has also worked with Neighbourly since 2017 on its back-of-store food surplus redistribution scheme ‘Feed It Back’, as well as the launch of its in-store Customer Donation Points through Neighbourly, with many other retailers following suit.
Looking ahead, the Lidl Community Fund will continue to deliver grants to frontline organisations tackling food insecurity through effective, tailored ways across the UK.
