Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2026

The purpose of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is to offer free spaces at holiday clubs for school aged children in Croydon who are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme 

The application process to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme 2026 is now open.

We are actively looking for local partners such as:

  • charities, schools
  • children’s centres
  • sports providers
  • leisure centres

 and others to participate in the delivery of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme during 2026.

How to apply    

Organisations are invited to apply to deliver provision during 1, 2 or 3 of the school holidays at Easter, Summer and Christmas 2026. Maximum grants of up to £30,000 for Summer 2026 and up to £7,500 for Easter and Christmas 2026 are available to successful applicants.

Apply now


The deadline to submit your application is 23.59pm on Wednesday 28 January 2026.  Late applications will not be accepted.

Support

For more details on the 2026 Holiday Activities and Food Programme, download the HAF Programme specification 2026 (PDF, 480KB)  or visit the DfE website.

If you have any questions email us at: HAFprogramme@croydon.gov.uk.

A downloadable version of the HAF 2026 application form (PDF, 3.6MB) is also available to help you prepare your application.

We have also produced a HAF 2026 Progarmme FAQ document (PDF, 360KB).

Notes on the HAF 2026 Programme

Funding in Croydon for the 2026-2027 HAF Programme is slightly less than previous years. This reduction makes the application process more competitive.  Applicants will need to be more mindful of the reduced budget when making their application. Considering potential savings where possible, to enable access for as many children as possible.

Organisations are able to propose delivery for:

  • 4 days
  • 8 days
  • 12 days
  • the full 16 days during the Summer 2026 period

4 days delivery will be required during Easter and Christmas.

The application and evaluation process has been revised and this is set out fully in the specification. We ask that all applicants to ensure  they are familiar with this before preparing an application.
 

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