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Charitable Trust: Recent Initiatives

Two children sat with a sheep

Supporting community projects and services

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 £11M and made a positive difference to education, research, social welfare and poverty relief. 

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust’s donations during 2025 totalled more than £1M and gave support to 28 rural causes across the UK. It is estimated by beneficiaries that, collectively, donations from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust during 2025 will have directly helped more than 382,000 people across the UK.

Supporting vital services in 2026

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has recently announced its first round of donations for 2026 - totalling £424,000 and giving support to 13 rural causes across the UK. This is the first of two rounds of funding which will be delivered across the year. The Trust expects overall donations for 2026 to have reached at least £1m by the end of the year.

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 mental wellbeing.

Jim McLaren MBE, Chairman of NFU Mutual and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, said:

“Farming and rural communities are at the heart of our heritage, and we are proud to support charities that help them thrive. This funding will make a meaningful difference to people and communities across the UK, supporting everything from rural poverty relief and farming resilience to agricultural education and wellbeing. Through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, we are honoured to champion organisations whose work is transforming lives and strengthening rural communities for the future.”

The organisations set to benefit from these latest donations are:

  • Addington Fund
  • Chasing the Stigma
  • Commonwork Trust
  • Farmstrong Scotland
  • The Farming Community Network (FCN)
  • Farms for City Children
  • Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Scholarship
  • Oxford Farming Conference
  • Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust
  • RSABI
  • The Institution of Engineering and Technology
  • Tir Dewi
  • Wales YFC

One of this year's recipients, Farms for City Children, is celebrating a special milestone – 50 years of inspiring young people through life on the farm. The charity will use its £50,000 donation to help more children discover the confidence, curiosity and connection that come from spending time in the countryside.

Since 1976, Farms for City Children has given thousands of young people – many with little opportunity to experience rural life – the chance to live and work on farms, learn new skills, build confidence and create memories that last a lifetime.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust is proud to have supported the charity for many years, donating more than £225,000 since 2009. Alongside this financial support, NFU Mutual employees have also volunteered their time on the farms, providing hands-on support and helping the charity create life-changing experiences for more young people. Seeing the impact of these experiences first-hand is what makes this long-standing partnership so meaningful.

Corinna Csaky, Chief Executive at Farms for City Children, said:

“This incredibly generous donation by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust reflects a long-term relationship rooted in shared values and lasting impact. Together, through this gift, we are enabling children and young people to grow and thrive by connecting them with food, farming, and nature, while advancing our nature-friendly farming practices to ensure a positive impact for both young people and the environment. Thank you for your continued support of Farms for City Children and the children and young people we serve.”

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 Felix

Since 2021, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust donated a total of £500,000 to food redistribution charity FareShare. In June 2026, FareShare and The Felix Project officially came together as one new charity — called Felix. By combining their strengths under one name, Felix is on a mission to create a UK where no good food goes to waste. Working with retailers, suppliers and farmers, Felix rescues surplus food and gets it to the people and communities who need it most.

Find out more about the Trust’s support for Felix

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. The latest donation from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2025 will enable this important awareness activity to continue.

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. 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 NFU Mutual Charitable Trust's support for Samaritans’ ‘Our Farming, Our Future’ project in Wales during 2024 and 2025: Our Farming, Our Future | Samaritans Wales

Support for The Royal Countryside Fund

NFU Mutual has been a long-standing supporter of The Royal Countryside Fund and since 2020, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has donated £395,000 to the charity to support its Farm Support Groups and their future farming/ resilience programmes.

For a number of years, NFU Mutual has also 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 2026, NFU Mutual is proud to have hosted The Royal Countryside Fund on its stand at Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland. At the reception, local farmers could hear first-hand about the charity’s farming support programmes. There was also the opportunity for guests to meet other farmers and advisers in their region.

Find out more about The Royal Countryside Fund and its farm resilience iniatives. 

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