Deadline: 04-Oct-2024

The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is accepting submissions for the School Food Infrastructure Fund (SFIF) Program to support not-for-profit organizations to improve infrastructure and equipment for school food programming across Canada.

Program Objectives

• Through the further distribution of funds by a limited number of not-for-profit organizations to approved community-based organizations, the SFIF will:
  • support the purchase and installation of infrastructure and equipment that increases the capacity of community organizations to produce, process, store, and distribute food for school food programs
• Through this further distribution of funds, the SFIF aims to, ultimately:
  • strengthen wider community and local food systems through investments in infrastructure that expand the reach and impact of school food programming
  • help ensure that children have the nutritious meals they need to learn, grow, and reach their full potential

Funding Information

• The maximum Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) contribution toward a project will normally not exceed $8,000,000 over 2 years. Applications under $1,000,000 after ineligible costs have been removed, will not be considered for funding.

Eligible Activities

• There are 2 eligible activities for initial recipients:
  • Activity 1: further distributing funds to ultimate recipients.
  • Activity 2: administrative costs ([up to 10% of requested funding for activity 1]. This is meant to cover costs specific but not limited to:
    • designing and implementing a selection and merit review process that will help achieve School Food Infrastructure Fund (SFIF) objectives
    • managing funding agreements with ultimate recipients to further distribute funds
    • undertaking oversight of ultimate recipients in terms of their obligations
    • producing financial and other reports for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Eligibility Criteria

• You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible:
  • You are one of the following organization types:
    • Not-for-profit: Organizations that have a mandate or mission to provide community food services. They may include:
      • Sector Councils
      • Corporations
    • Not-for-profit Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis) organizations
  • You have knowledge of, experience with, and access to an established network of not-for-profit local food service organizations/community organizations that can support school food programming in low-income, Indigenous and/or visible minority communities.
  • You have a broad geographic reach within Canada (for example, provincial/territorial, or pan-Canadian/national).
  • By the application submission date, you have been in operation for at least 2 years as a legal entity (federally, provincially, or territorially incorporated) capable of entering into legally binding agreements.
• Note: Priority will be given to organizations with existing provincial/territorial, and national networks of local not-for-profit organizations involved in, or capable of, supporting school food programming.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Based on the above-referenced eligibility criteria, ineligible applicants include:
  • Schools, school boards, as well as academic and educational institutions
  • For-profit entities
  • Organizations without legal status (for example, unincorporated)
  • Consultants and other third parties that submit an application on behalf of another organization

For more information, visit AAFC.