Nando's has launched a new micro-grant program, co-funded by the manufactuer of Coca Cola, to offer a range of funding opportunities to charities.

The piri-piri chicken giant has launched DTRT-y Cash (pronounced Dirty Cash) programme, which is a £150,000 charity micro-grant programme, designed to offer micro-grants of up to £500 to charities.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the world's largest manufacturer of Coca-Cola products, is supporting the programme, which will award members of Nando's No Chuckin' Our Chicken initiative, or a specific charity or cause nominated by a Nando's team members.

It is designed to support charities in funding specific projects, such as improving services or creating new courses to enhance community access to skills.

“In everything we do, we always aim to do the right thing and help the communities in which we work in any way we can," Nando's head of sustainability, Sam McCarthy said.

"That is where the idea of DTRT-y Cash came from. I’m so excited about this fund, it’s something that we have been talking to the team at CCEP about for some time and it’s great we’re able to work with a supplier of ours in this way. It was also important to us that we launched this fund across our No Chuckin’ Our Chicken food donation network and support the charities and causes closest to our hearts.

"These micro-grants are going to help so many grass-roots causes, we wanted to make widespread impact and help as many people as possible.”

Nando’s No Chuckin’ Our Chicken initiative was created in 2013 to help local charities feed communities whilst reducing food waste, through a partnership between each Nando's restaurant and a chosen local charity.

Each Nando’s restaurant can apply for funding on behalf of its chosen charity. An expert panel across Nando’s and CCEP will assess each entry and award funding to the successful applicants.

The available funding will be distributed over three years, with a total of £50,000 available in the first six months and £25,000 every six months thereafter.

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