FAQs

We primarily support primary schools which meet our eligibility criteria and they should be local to a Greggs store to allow for collection of free bread donated to every Breakfast Club. Typically, we prioritise schools in an area of high need where the school population is 40% FSM or more. 

You can apply to become a Breakfast Club by filling out our online application.

We will not provide funding for a Breakfast Club alongside another provider. However, if the funding from the other provider is due to end, we can support an application.

Breakfast Club schools can apply to be considered for a start-up grant to fund set-up costs and then a termly payment based on the average number of pupils attending. The termly payment covers food items and we leave it up to schools to decide on the right mix of food to suit their pupils. All schools also receive free bread from their local Greggs store. One of the benefits of being a Greggs Breakfast Club is access to our hardship programme to support families with small hardship grants. All Breakfast Club schools can also access our free education programme, Agents of Change.

Providing appropriate staff cover for the Breakfast Club is the responsibility of the School and Greggs Foundation funding cannot cover this. We do encourage volunteering.

We primarily support primary schools and to make sure we can direct funding to areas of need, we typically support schools with a higher percentage of FSM, usually in the 40% range. 

Schools are required to complete and return a monitoring report every term to allocate and release funds.

It’s important that we have an up-to-date contact at every Breakfast Club school. If you have a change in personnel, please just email breakfastclubs@greggsfoundation.org.uk and we can update your contact details.  

We are very transparent in our grant support to organisations through 360 giving and all details of currently funded organisations can be found here.

Greggs in the Community grant funding is dependent on new outlets opening, with repeat funding applications for existing organisations available. If you are a community organisation located close to a Greggs Outlet and would like to be considered, please email grants@greggsfoundation.org.uk for information.   Please note, Greggs Outlets look different from Greggs shops and feature red branding on the signage.

We know through consultation with the charity sector that core running costs are the most difficult area of a budget to secure. We are motivated by helping organisations to be more sustainable and offer better quality services to all their beneficiaries. A grant to meet core funding means charities can maintain services and retain staff.

We can consider the following costs:

• Contributions towards bills, i.e. electricity, gas, rent, rates

• Contributions towards core salaries (managers or administrators rather than project workers or sessional staff)

• HMRC costs relating to the core salaries only

You can read more about the organisations we support here, but organisations successful in receiving funding are focused in the following key areas:

• Addressing direct needs in the local community

• Tackling food poverty

• Providing food and support for individuals

Greggs in the Community grants are funded by a portion of the profits from a Greggs Outlet. We only fund organisations in the close vicinity of a Greggs Outlet and can offer grants of £20,000 per year.  If you are in the close vicinity of a Greggs Outlet (shops with the red branding on the external signage) and would like to be considered for funding, please get in touch with us at grants@greggsfoundation.org.uk for an informal chat. 

North East Core Funding is a grant programme open to charitable organisations based in North East England only and is there to support charities local to where Greggs was originally founded.

Greggs in the Community grants are charitable organisations in the close vicinity of a Greggs Outlet to ensure that a portion of the profits donated by Greggs Outlets goes directly back into the community in which they are based. 

The programme supports not-for-profit organisations in the North East of England in the counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Teesside.  We will consider organisations that work in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods or organisations supporting otherwise disadvantaged people, particularly those that work with the following priority groups:

• People with disabilities

• Homeless people

• Voluntary carers

• Older and isolated people

If you represent a generic community organisation, for example one that doesn't support people with a specific disadvantage, the organisation must benefit people who live in a disadvantaged area. We will calculate the level of disadvantage using indices of deprivation and if your local area doesn't fall within the most disadvantaged 10% of areas as a minimum it is unlikely to be considered.

What will improve your chances of being successful in your application for North East Core Funding?

Smaller organisations with fewer employees are prioritised and organisations with a proven track record.  We are more likely to support well managed organisations in need than those in a healthy cash position. 

We look for organisations that can demonstrate one or more of the following outcomes if successful with a grant.

• New and/or improved programmes/services

• Improved organisational sustainability

• Increased number of beneficiaries reached

• Maintained delivery of programmes/service

We can only accept applications from referral partners pre-approved by the Greggs Foundation.This includes social organisations such as charities registered with the Charity Commission, housing associations and social services acting on behalf of a family or individual in need. We are not currently accepting applications to be approved as a a referral partner for hardship grants.

Our Hardship Fund is also available to all schools in our Breakfast Club network. We do not accept applications directly from individuals.  

Applications are usually assessed weekly and you can expect a response within three weeks of your application. If you have not heard from the Greggs Foundation within three weeks of making your application, you can assume that it was unsuccessful. 

If an application is unsuccessful, organisations can apply again for the family/individual after 12 weeks.

No. We only support one application for an individual of family for the hardship fund per calendar year. An additional application can be made in the following calendar year. 

We try and be flexible with what we can support with depending on the needs of the individual or family. However, the Hardship Fund will support applications to receive the following items:

• Cooker/Oven                          

• Washing Machine

• Fridge/Freezer

• Vented Tumble Dryer

• Bed frame and mattresses (supplied direct by Dreams)

• Clothing Voucher (£50 maximum for an individual and up to a maximum of £150 for a family)

• Supermarket Food Voucher (£50 maximum for an individual and up to a maximum of £100 for a family)

• Utility Voucher (up to a maximum of £100)

• Small Kitchen Appliance Voucher

All appliances are delivered new and direct to the individual/family but please note we do not include installation or set up fees in the grant. 

The following is examples of costs which cannot be supported by the Hardship Fund:

• Unspecified costs

• Repayment of loans

• Bankruptcy petition fees

• Holidays

• Funeral expenses

• Medical equipment

• Computer equipment