The Rothschild Foundation is looking for a consultant to support the development of a funding strategy that contributes to the agricultural transition  towards more regenerative farming practices which are kinder to the environment.

We are looking for someone with knowledge and experience of the food and farming sector and who is committed to a more resilient future for farming practice in England.

The brief provides further information on the project, including timeline and budget.

Project Background

As a long-standing supporter of environmental causes and family connection to farming and the land, the Rothschild Foundation has funded a number of sustainable food and farming initiatives.  This has been part of a general commitment to addressing some of the challenges posed to the environment, health and welfare of the current food system. Grant-making has supported individual organisations working to tackle child health, food insecurity alongside support for regenerative agriculture and local food partnerships.

Food and farming are increasingly being recognised as the next frontier of the climate change agenda.  Whilst the RF’s approach to date has enabled us to fund many worthwhile organisations doing brilliant work, we recognise the need to refine our funding priorities with the aim of delivering greater environmental outcomes and deepening our contribution to addressing climate change through our funding.

Having reviewed our past funding in this area, we have the support of our Trustees to develop a funding programme aimed at sharpening our focus on the agricultural transition towards ‘regenerative’ farming practices which are kinder to the environment. This work builds on pre-existing relationships but also proposes to delve deeper into where philanthropy could make a difference. The Foundation currently has approximately £3M to dedicate to this area of work and we are interested in where this level of resource could be used to catalyse impact.

Project scope

The Rothschild Foundation seeks consultancy support to work alongside the Rothschild Foundation Grants Team to develop a funding strategy which supports the agricultural transition towards ‘regenerative’ farming practices.  This includes researching where the Foundation’s resource could have tangible impact and recommending a number of strategic initiatives which our Trustees could consider for initial investment.  We are interested in building our approach to evaluation and learning and so some advice on how we could take this forward would also be welcomed.

We are particularly interested in supporting activity that is proving to have an impact that could be scaled up or in collaborating with others to kick start new activity that addresses a gap. An understanding of what others are funding in this area and how our funding could complement this is also of interest.

We are prioritising activity in England but are eager to learn from effective initiatives in the devolved nations and internationally.

We hope to work alongside a partner that has excellent knowledge of the agricultural landscape and the stakeholders who are committed to delivering a more sustainable future for farming practice in England.   The Foundation funds not-for-profit organisations but we appreciate that our role could also involve convening and advocacy with the public and private sector.

Deliverables:

Regular meetings with staff at the Rothschild Foundation. We require the consultant to work collaboratively, particularly with the Director of Grants and wider Grants Team.

A written report, including an Executive Summary, presented in a format that can be shared with Trustees and external audiences of the Foundation. This should include a funding strategy rationale and overview of other funders undertaking similar work.

Recommendations for future investment from the Rothschild Foundation and the potential impact that could be achieved.

Presentation and discussion of findings with the Rothschild Foundation Grants Team, CEO and, potentially, Grants Committee.

Timeline

The deadline to respond to this brief is 5pm on Wednesday 12^th July 2023.

Interviews to assess suitability for this work will take place virtually on Wednesday 19^th July 2023.

The written report and recommendations should be delivered to the Rothschild Foundation by Tuesday 10^th October 2023.

Response

Please reply by email detailing your name and organisation (if applicable). You should outline your experience of consultancy and knowledge of the food and farming sector and include your C.V.

Please express your particular interest in this topic and why you would like to work with the Rothschild Foundation.  Details of two referees should be provided.

All applications should be sent to [email protected] by 5pm on Wednesday 12^th July 2023.

Budget

The budget for this work is up to £10,000, including all expenses, exclusive of VAT.