Overview of funding requirements and key milestones.
Seed funding is the financing required for the initiation and set-up phase. The purpose of this phase is to establish a strong value proposition that will appeal to other funders. Therefore, the seed funding should be used to develop the exploratory study, implementation plan and approach to recruitment (Step 1 of the five-step model). There are a number of possible avenues for seed funding, not all of which will be appropriate for all markets.
Government actors often play a role in seed funding due to the potential of PPPs to leverage private sector resources towards delivering social and policy objectives. However, reliance on government funding may leave the PPP vulnerable to competing policy priorities or changing governments.
International organizations and international aid or development funding can also play a role in some markets, particularly if a food waste PPP has a focus on redistribution and alleviating food security.
Trusts and foundations can be another source of seed funding, especially if their objectives align with the PPP, although it can be an unpredictable source of funding that does not always fit the scope and time frame of what is needed to deliver a PPP.
Private sector funders could be appropriate in some cases. Reaching this funding opportunity may require re-framing the objectives of the PPP to better appeal to their objectives. For instance, the measurement and reporting of food waste in a PPP involves upskilling a cohort of businesses, with food waste reduction carrying financial, social and environmental benefits to those businesses. This is not an exhaustive list, and some of these funders may also be appropriate for bridge Short and long-term funding depending on the local context.
