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Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Grants Officer, School Garden Grants

School Food Matters
Remote working with occasional in-person meetings at our offices in Richmond

Posted: 13 Mar 2025

Deadline: 23 Mar 2025

Compensation: £165 per day

Living Wage employer

Paid Part-time Flexible hours Fixed term / contract Remote working

Job description

Background

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools. Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy. Since 2013, we have partnered with Whole Foods Market to deliver a range of programmes for the Whole Kids Foundation, the charitable arm of Whole Foods. One of these programmes is our School Garden Grants Programme, which provides schools with funding to transform lifeless outdoor spaces into thriving gardens where students can grow fresh fruit and vegetables.

For 2025, we have a total grant fund of £70,000 to distribute amongst schools in seven London boroughs. Each school can apply for a maximum of £2,000 to create an edible growing space situated within school grounds.

Tasks and Responsibilities 

• To process up to 80 grant applications from schools
• To score all the applications against agreed criteria to produce a shortlist for judges
• To keep accurate records of all applications
• To answer any enquiries from applicants
• To liaise with our partners in up to seven London boroughs
• To organise a judging panel (this will be online or in person at the School Food Matters office)
• To process approved grants and unsuccessful applications
• To work with our Finance Manager and Office & IT Assistant
• To develop a programme evaluation and produce an interim report to Whole Kids Foundation
• To work with our Senior Partnerships and Programmes Officer to ensure a smooth handover on completion

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of working with Airtable or another database
• Experience of managing a programme with multiple partners/organisations
• Experience of managing online meetings on a variety of platforms with multiple attendees
• A high standard of computer literacy
• An understanding and knowledge of school gardening projects

Desirable

• Experience of managing a grant programme
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with strong attention to detail
• Excellent organisational skills
• Demonstrable ability to plan and prioritise own workload with minimum supervision
• Ability to demonstrate initiative and work well under pressure
• Ability to plan ahead and work within agreed timeframes
• An interest and enthusiasm for the charity sector and SFM’s mission!

Please note: School Food Matters is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment. If you are offered employment, you will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service record check.

School Food Matters is a London Living Wage employer and is committed to creating an inclusive work environment, where our team members are supported in expressing themselves and delivering their best work. So, however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if the role is one that would make you excited about coming into work every day.

School Food Matters is only able to employ people who are entitled to work in the UK and cannot assist with work permit or immigration issues. We are unable to help find accommodation in London.

Application information

Once you have thoroughly read this job description and had a careful look at our website including our charter, please complete the application form here. The electronic form can be saved but you may also find it helpful to use the word document here as a template.  Please could you also tell us how this freelance role will fit with your other work commitments.

Applications must be submitted by midnight on Sunday 23 March 2025. Interviews will be held at our offices at The Bridge, 7b Parkshot, London TW9 2RD during the week beginning Monday 24 March 2025.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs