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Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme

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Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme

LEAP: Funding Real Food and Farming Businesses

What is LEAP?

LEAP supports small-scale agroecological food and farming enterprises with funding and business mentoring. We work with established community businesses, cooperatives and social enterprises and those just starting out, supporting them to  get to the next stage in their development.

We support all types of agroecological and community-based food and farming businesses, from micro-dairies and bakeries to ethical supermarkets and veg box schemes. We work with people who share our commitment to transforming the food system at a grassroots level.

What does LEAP offer?

We offer low interest, flexible and affordable unsecured loans for amounts between £10,000 and £100,000 together with grants. We also offer a tailored mentoring package to ensure that you are ready to take on a loan. The structure and focus of this support will vary from one organisation to another, but could include business planning, financial modelling, governance, social impact delivery and community finance.

Who do you fund?

Our vision is a well-managed and properly capitalised, small, mixed, agroecological farming sector. Generally, we want to pursue small on a large scale, supporting cooperatives, social enterprises and community businesses that are at an early stage of development but have already built up their local community of support.

We will invest throughout the value chain from “farm to fork”, supporting food and farming enterprises that utilise or support agroecological methods of production, are rooted firmly in their own communities trading largely through local markets. We prioritise enterprises that have the potential to deliver the greatest social and environmental impact over the long term.

We’ve supported mushroom growers, wholefood shops food waste cafés, veg box schemes, micro-dairies and everything in between. This has enabled them to invest in their businesses in a multitude of ways – from new polytunnels, packing sheds, delivery vehicles, tools and machinery to websites, IT and new members of staff.

Resources by the Loans for Enlightened Agriculture Programme

Find additional resources on the Real Farming Trust website here.

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