Farmer Welfare Grant
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Award
£1,000 – £600k
Total fund Up to £1.5m
Deadline
Closes in 17 days (9 September 2026)
Where
England
Summary
Defra are launching a Farmer Welfare Grant with a total value of £1.5m which will run from November 2026 to March 2029 for projects which support the mental health and wellbeing of those in the agricultural industry. The funding is intended to help rural and agricultural charities and organisations deliver practical support that strengthens both personal and business resilience across the sector.
Who can apply
To support the work of English charities and/or third sector not for-profit organisations to deliver work to support farmer health and welfare. These could be organisations that work with members of the farming community directly (engagement/outreach) or provide information/online services to help farmers access further tailored support. Both larger/national as well as smaller/regional organisations are eligible to apply. Any English charitable and/or third sector not for profit organisation that believes they can deliver a suitable project that meets the technical criteria is able to apply for the funding.
Full details
Background Agriculture is a difficult and demanding industry and the stress factors vary by sector. Results from the ‘Big Farming Survey’ (2021) conducted by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution show a clear link between the physical and mental health of farming people and the health of the farm business. Farmers who believed the prospects for their farming business were poor were more likely to suffer from poor mental health and anxiety. The survey found that farmers and land managers have higher levels of mental ill-health than the population average, with over half of the farming community thought to be experiencing anxiety and 30% possibly or probably depressed. Alongside this, there is evidence to show that demands on farmer welfare charities have been increasing. It is important that Defra continues to work in partnership with agriculture welfare charities and other support organisations to ensure agricultural workers have ongoing access to trusted support groups and their resources. Scope/Aim This funding will support targeted interventions to strengthen personal and business resilience in the agricultural sector. We are aiming to fund projects that focus on improving agriculture workers’ mental health and welfare and reach more farmers and farming families who need support. We want grant recipients to develop support that responds to the specific needs of farming communities. For this reason, we are not prescribing the types of activities or approaches applicants should propose.