Royal Countryside Fund (PPL)

PCF’s vision is of a confident, robust and sustainable agricultural and rural community which is universally appreciated for its vital contribution to the British way of life and fit to support future generations. PCF is a subsidiary of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF), and is supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

The Fund runs a variety of programmes, including:

• The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme: offers free business skills training to family farmers across the UK. The programme is open to dairy and livestock family farm businesses and takes a whole-farm and whole-family approach.
• Farm for the Future: helping 1000 family farm businesses to understand more about upcoming policy changes, and provides tools to make changes and adapt.
• Supporting Rural Communities: the flagship PCF grant programme, which awards £500,000 each year to support projects that enhance the viability and sustainability of rural communities.
• Farm Support Groups: PCF centrally co-ordinates 40 farm support groups nationwide, allowing them to share knowledge and ease collaboration for best practice.
• Research: Since 2016, PCF has commissioned a number of pieces of research into the issues and challenges that face rural areas, farming families and communities across the UK countryside. Currently, PCF is investigating how auction marts can serve communities better, and researching processes at abattoirs.
• Helps communities in crisis through its Emergency Fund.

PCF enables rural communities to become more self-sufficient and viable, particularly to encourage community-led solutions. They support innovative ideas for improving community support services which have sprung up in hamlets, villages and small towns. To learn more about the work of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, please click here.