Charitable Trust: Recent Initiatives

The Trust provides charities with grants to support the running costs of various projects and services.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust is an independent charity NFU Mutual set up in 1998 to support other charities and organisations working in the interests of agriculture, rural communities and the countryside, and it’s one of the main ways NFU Mutual support good causes who operate nationally. Since it was first set up, the Trust has distributed donations totalling more than £9.7M and made a positive difference to education, research, social welfare and poverty relief.

Supporting vital services in 2024

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust’s donations during 2024 totalled more than £1M and gave support to 23 rural causes across the UK. It is estimated by beneficiaries that, collectively, donations from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust during 2024 will be directly helping more than 382,000 people across the UK.  

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 mental wellbeing.

Announcing the 2024 donations, Jim McLaren MBE, Chairman of NFU Mutual and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, said: “NFU Mutual is committed to making a positive impact for our members and wider society through our charitable giving programme. We are very proud to be championing the work of these great causes through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.”

The organisations to benefit from donations during 2024 are:

• Addington Fund
• FareShare
• The Farming Community Network
• Farms for City Children
• Farmstrong Scotland
• Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Scholarship
• LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)
• Mental Health Innovations
• NFU Education
• NFYFC
• Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust
• Open Farm Weekend UFU
• Oxford Farming Conference
• Papyrus
• RABI
• Royal Countryside Fund
• RSABI
• Rural Support
• Samaritans
• Scottish Association of YFC
• Tir Dewi
• Wales Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs
• Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster 

Our work to advocate the work of supported causes

In addition to giving financial donations, we look for opportunities to advocate the work of supported causes by championing key issues through awareness campaigns and events. Find out about some of our recent advocacy initiatives below:

Support for the UK Sepsis Trust

In 2023, NFU Mutual launched an awareness campaign in partnership with The UK Sepsis Trust, following a £70,000 donation made by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2022. The campaign supports the charity’s vital work and is sharing key information about sepsis symptoms with the farming community.

Find out more about the Trust’s support for the UK Sepsis Trust

Support for Samaritans

Samaritans has received donations from the Charitable Trust since 2020, totalling £315,000. This has supported Samaritans to reach those most at risk and those in rural communities. As part of this support, we’ve been proud to champion the charity’s awareness campaigns, like Brew Monday, by encouraging our people to reach out to each other over a comforting hot drink. 

In addition to charitable donations, through NFU Mutual’s Customers with Additional Needs (CWAN) programme, we’re also working with Samaritans to organise and develop a range of empathy training sessions for employees and the Agency Network. 

Find out more about the Trust's support for Samaritans

Support for FareShare

Since 2021, The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has donated a total of £350,000 to FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste.

Find out more about the Trust’s support for FareShare, and our work to champion the charity's surplus with purpose campaign. 

Support for The Royal Countryside Fund

NFU Mutual has been a long-standing supporter of The Royal Countryside Fund (formerly known as The Prince’s Countryside Fund) and since 2020, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has donated £325,000 to the charity to support its Farm Support Groups and their future farming/ resilience programmes.

For a number of years, NFU Mutual has been hosting receptions for the charity at Summer agricultural shows to extend support for the charity by aiding the recruitment of farmers to its farm resilience initiatives. In 2024, NFU Mutual is proud to have hosted The Royal Countryside Fund on its stand at Balmoral Show, Royal Cornwall Show, Great Yorkshire Show and The Royal Welsh Show.

At each reception, local farmers could hear first-hand about the charity’s farming programmes. There was also the opportunity for guests to meet other farmers and advisers in their region, and to talk to The Royal Countryside Fund about signing up to the Farm Resilience Programme or Farm for the Future Programme. 

During 2025, we will be continuing this support and will be hosting the charity at Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland. Find out more about The Royal Countryside Fund and its farm resilience initiatives.

To explore more about the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust please visit our main information page.