School Food Infrastructure Fund

Eligible ultimate recipients must meet all the following criteria to be considered for funding:

• Applicant must be a registered nonprofit or charitable organization.
• Applicant must provide school food programming within a school environment.
• Applicant must provide financial statements that have been audited by a licensed public accountant. *

* Agencies with annual revenues under $250,000 may submit financial statements signed by the Treasurer in lieu of audited statements.

Priority is given to applicants serving students from lower-income families, visible minorities and Indigenous communities. 

• Municipal or school bodies
• Local governments
• Health authorities
• School boards/districts and/or schools
• Governmental and quasi-governmental organizations
• Academic and educational institutions
• For-profit entities

Second Harvest will be focused on providing funding to nonprofit and charitable organizations to purchase and install infrastructure and equipment that increases the capacity of community organizations to produce, process, store, and distribute food for school food programs.

There are no minimum or maximum requests for this grant application. Proposals will be assessed based on their cost-effectiveness, feasibility and overall impact.  

Projects must have a useful lifespan of at least 2 years after the project completion date and be used to support the delivery of school food programs.

Please note, grants awarded through SFIF funding CANNOT be used towards any of the following:

• Refundable costs. Any project-related costs that are eligible for reimbursement from another source cannot be claimed for reimbursement and should therefore be excluded from the project budget. For example, if your organization qualifies for a rebate or refund on HST or has secured additional funding that will offset the project cost, these amounts must be excluded from the budget submitted with this application.
• Administration costs.
• See additional guidelines in the chart below.

Food Production

Eligible Costs

• Gardens
• Food forests
• Vertical and/or hydroponic gardens
• Seeds, soil, compost

Ineligible Costs

• Aquaponics and Aquaculture Equipment
• Livestock
• Storage shed
• Water hook-up (from the city/municipal water source

Transformation, processing, preparation of food

Eligible Costs

• Essential cooking equipment, such as combination (combi) ovens, steamers, large and small kitchen appliances
• Food preparation equipment, such as large capacity food processors, prep tables, mixers, slicers
• Washing equipment, such as a commercial dishwasher, or equipment necessary to maintain hygiene standards with respect to food preparation
• Receiving bay, loading dock
• Kitchen tools (e.g. knives, cutting boards) and cookware

Ineligible Costs

• Food (perishable and non-perishable)
• Speciality coffee equipment
• Donut makers
• Deep fryers
• Hand sinks
• Cleaning supplies (e.g. mops, brooms, cloths)
• Consumable supplies (such as dish soap, hair nets, jars, lids, vacuum seal bags, takeaway containers, personal protective equipment)

Refrigeration and storage of food

Eligible Costs

• Industrial refrigerators, freezers, walk-in cooler/freezer
• Blast-chill or cook-chill equipment
• Root cellar
• Refrigerated or insulated shipping containers
• Packaging equipment, such as vacuum sealers
• Food storage racks
• Shelving for food storage areas
• Bulk storage containers for food/bins

Ineligible Costs

• Any equipment pertaining to the storage of non-food items

Transportation and distribution of food

Eligible Costs

• Vehicles including cargo van, refrigerated vehicle (eligible vehicles can be electric and can include related infrastructure) specifically to support school food programming involving multiple schools (e.g., including distribution to schools)
• Trailers, refrigerated or non-refrigerated

Ineligible Costs

• Food trucks
• Passenger vehicles (for example, pick-up trucks/minivans)
• Lease of vehicles
• Transportation expenses (gas, maintenance)

Other Costs

Eligible Costs

• Contracted installation (only eligible for SFIF-funded equipment)
• Freight and duty charges
• One-time initial training for operation of a specialized piece of equipment funded under the project
• Shipping
• Site preparation, including removal and disposal of an old piece of equipment
• Minor renovations, including updating electrical wiring, plumbing or ventilation, specifically in order to install commercial grade equipment and meet safety standards; equipment must also be funded under the project.
• Other materials and supplies related to the installation of funded equipment.

Ineligible Costs

• Administrative costs
• Computer and software equipment
• Costs associated with ongoing operations (for example, labour, staff, rent, insurance, utilities)
• Costs related to marketing activities or business promotion
• Furniture
• Generators
• Salaries, honorariums, consultant fees, gift cards
• HVAC systems
• Lease of equipment
• Major renovations to substantially adapt or refurbish an existing space
• Major construction, including additions or new buildings
• Purchase or lease of land or buildings
• Signage
• Training/technical assistance (e.g., to develop skills and expertise in nutrition, meal planning or food preparation)
• Taxes (federal and provincial)
• Warranty fees (for extended warranty, vehicles)

• Location and Population Served: Are you a registered charity or non-profit organization? Are you supporting under-served student populations?  Are you supporting remote or rural communities? How many individual students are expected to be reached? How many meals do you expect to serve?
• Activities and Timelines: Will the proposed activities increase your capacity to support and/or deliver school food programs and increase access to nutritious culturally appropriate foods for students before March 31, 2026?
• Budget: Does the budget reflect reasonable costs for the proposed activities?  Are expenses related to the successful delivery of school food programming within school environments?
• Impacts: Does the proposed project increase capacity to support and/or deliver school food programs, improve availability and access to nutritious and culturally appropriate foods and contribute to strengthen community food security?
• Funding qualification: The applicant has not already received SFIF funding through; Breakfast Club of Canada, Food Banks Canada, Mazon Canada, Farm to Cafeteria Canada, Food Depot Alimentaire, Food First NL, Saskatchewan School Board Association, United Way BC, or United Way East Ontario (includes provincial and local affiliates).

• Please be prepared to submit a grant budget that itemizes how you will spend the funding amount you are applying for.
• For projects that involve infrastructure or equipment expenses exceeding $25,000, at least one (1) cost estimate must be obtained and submitted. The ultimate recipient is responsible for retaining these quotes and subsequent receipts for a minimum of seven (7) years after project end, in case of an audit.
• (Optional) 1-2 letter(s) of support from existing partners endorsing your application (e.g. program delivery partners, program participants, board members, food suppliers, etc.)
• Applicant must provide financial statements that have been audited by a licensed public accountant. *

* Agencies with annual revenues under $250,000 may submit financial statements signed by the Treasurer in lieu of audited statements.

The Second Harvest Grants Management Team conducts a due diligence review to assess applicant eligibility, ensuring they meet required criteria and have submitted complete applications. Eligible applications are then reviewed and scored based on a standardized evaluation framework, with assignments made according to relevant categories or regions. Final funding decisions are made based on overall scores and reviewer feedback. Successful applicants are notified of the outcome, required to complete necessary agreements, and receive funding based on a structured disbursement plan.

Successful applicants will be required to complete an interim report and a final report on completion of their project, before March 31, 2026.

‍

How to Apply

If you have read through our guidebook and are ready to apply for this funding opportunity, please access the application by clicking the appropriate link below.  

• English Application Portal 

• French Application Portal 

If you have any issues accessing the application portal or need assistance completing your application, please reach out to our Grants Coordinator at grantadministrator@secondharvest.ca or call 1-833-639-2616.

Join our information session on Wednesday, April 9 at 2pm ET to learn more about the application process. Click here to register.