About us

When our countryside thrives, we all do. But, life in the countryside can be challenging. Hardworking family farms and rural communities face social, environmental and economic pressures that threaten the livelihoods they love. They shouldn’t have to face these challenges alone. And with us, they don’t have to.

That’s why HM King Charles III founded our charity, The Royal Countryside Fund, back in 2010 – to recognise the real challenges that come with rural life and do something about it. We know that change can happen because we see it every day. And it starts with real people with local knowledge, passed down through generations. By working alongside farming families and rural communities, we can truly understand their individual needs and shape our support to match.

Through our locally based programmes across the four UK nations, we help farming families discover achievable ways to build more financially and environmentally resilient farms now, and for generations to come. We also empower rural communities – combining their ideas with our funding and guidance to grow community-led projects that will stand the test of time. So far, we’ve supported over 5,000 farming families, and invested more than £12.7 million in more than 550 rural community-led projects.

Bringing people together is at the heart of everything we do. We know that when local people, places, and partners join forces, incredible things happen. We’ve made a commitment to be the go-to partner for farming families, rural communities, and everyone who values the vital role they play in shaping the future of the countryside. We want to bring as many people with us on this journey. Which is why we share our on-the-ground learnings to spur on progress on a national scale.

When our countryside thrives, we all do.