The council said they will contribute £100,000 but they are also asking for donations from businesses, organsiations and individuals too.
Claire Douglas, the leader of the council, said: “This is the first stage in actually putting that structure around community funds that means that we can fundraise and have an entity to carry those donations.
“Free school meals are an element of that but we also hope to run the fund for other projects as well. We need to do things differently in this city in order to deliver for the people and the things that they would like to see from us as a local authority.”
A pilot scheme to deliver free school meals will begin at Westfield Primary School next year.
Councillor Bob Webb, who previously acknowledged it would take around £3m to fund the pledge, added: “It’s an ambitious step to deliver, in partnership, our pledge on free school meals and that is important. I’ve talked many times about mobilising the city, this is what that mobilisation looks like.
“Poverty leads to poorer health outcomes. It’s affecting impoverished people disproportionately and that is not something that we can accept. And that’s something that we, as an administration, are focusing on tackling.”