Student Nutrition Program Grant Applications & Appeals

The City of Toronto awards funding to eligible schools to help them offer a healthy meal or snack to their students. The goal of the funding is to help student nutrition programs serve healthier foods, operate on more school days each week and ensure those with the greatest need have access to food, within the context of universal access for all students.

All applications will be considered for funding from two separate levels of government:

1. City of Toronto Student Nutrition Program funding.
2. Ontario Student Nutrition Program funding offered by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Information about this funding is available from the Ministry’s website.

There is limited funding available to meet the needs of all interested applicants. The priority is to increase the sustainability of currently funded student nutrition programs that continue to meet the funding criteria by providing stable government funding.

The municipal student nutrition program funding:

• Can only be used to support the cost of nutritious food for the student nutrition program, and;
• Will cover up to 20% of the total program’s operating costs.

The balance of the program costs must be raised by the funded site. These costs are often raised from parental contributions, local fundraising, other grants, and donations.

Each year, the number of programs awarded funds and their dollar amount awarded changes depending on the funds available and the nature of applications submitted. Student Nutrition Program funding allocations are based on:

• The number of students participating per day.
• The number of days the program is offered during the school year.
• The type of meal or snack served.
• The level of need in the school community.
• The total amount of funding available from the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario.

It is not possible to award funding to all qualified applicants or to all programs that received funding in the past. Funding priority is given to student nutrition programs that have received municipal and/or provincial funding within the last three years and continue to meet eligibility requirements.

• Municipal funding may be available for student nutrition programs in independent schools that have not previously received funding. For more information please visit the section below titled Funding for New Programs in Independent Schools
• All student nutrition program funding is:
  • Subject to meeting funding criteria;
  • Based on review and recommendations by Student Nutrition Ontario-Toronto, the partnership which provides oversight and support for student nutrition programs in Toronto; and
  • Determined by the funding amount provided by the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario.

To be eligible for student nutrition program funding your program must;

• Provide breakfast, morning meal, snack or lunch to school-aged children or youth,
• Physically operate in the City of Toronto, and have at least 85% of the students enrolled living in the City of Toronto;
• Offer a full-time academic program teaching elementary and/or secondary school grades, unless the program has maintained funding since 2007,
• Have facilities to safely prepare and store food, in accordance with the Ontario Food Premises Regulation 493/17, and;
• Be assessed for overall level of need of the student population.

Programs not eligible for student nutrition program funding:

• Lunch, afternoon snack or dinner programs that have not been funded within the last three years
• Programs not physically operating in the City of Toronto
• Summer programs
• Camps
• Before- and after-school programs
• Preschool programs

Breakfast and morning meal programs receiving provincially enhanced funding are encouraged to operate five days per week, offer meal programming during the morning hours and offer full meals. Other programs must operate a minimum of two days per week.

All programs receiving municipal and/or provincial funding are required to meet the criteria outlined below. Programs will be monitored for adherence to the criteria for nutritious food, food safety and financial accountability.

Serve nutritious food

• Plan a menu cycle based on the Nutrition Guideline Summary for Student Nutrition Programs that offers a variety of healthy food choices, suitable to the cultures of your community.
• A Meal at a Student Nutrition Program (Breakfast, Morning Meal, Lunch) includes at least:
  • One vegetable or fruit, plus
  • One protein food, plus
  • One whole grain food
• A Snack at a Student Nutrition Program includes at least:
  • One vegetable or fruit, plus
  • One protein food or one whole grain food
• A Public Health Dietitian is available for consultation in areas related to nutrition and menu planning. To set up a time for a phone consultation or to ask question, please email snp@toronto.ca

Safe food handling

• Always have at least one person trained in food safety on site, when the student nutrition program is operating
  • Some programs will be required to have a representative who has Food Handler Certification, on site when the program is running. A Public Health Inspector can advise of this requirement.
  • All other programs are required to have at least one person who has completed the free, online Basic Safe Food Handling for Student Nutrition Programs training offered by Toronto Public Health, on site when the program is running
  • Encourage all volunteer student nutrition program coordinators and other volunteers to complete the free, online Basic Safe Food Handling for Student Nutrition Programs training.
• A Public Health Inspector will inspect the kitchen facility and/or food preparation areas.
• For food safety related questions email: dinesafe@toronto.ca.

Universally accessible

• The program is offered to all children/youth regardless of their ability to contribute financially.
• The program is non-stigmatizing or efforts to reduce stigma are made.
• All children/youth are made to feel welcome and respected.
• The location of the program is safe, clean and comfortable.
• Measures are taken to ensure that all children/youth are aware of the program.

Ethnocultural sensitivity

• Menus and educational components are inclusive and consider the faiths, cultures and preferences of the children/youth and their families.
• Serve foods that promote faiths and cultures of students.

Financial accountability and liability

• The site must have a separate bank account for the student nutrition program. Where not possible, please contact the Toronto Foundation for Student Success or the Angel Foundation for Learning  for assistance.
• Each cheque must be signed by at least two signing officers, one being the Site Authority.
• The program must submit monthly financial and activity reports on how the grant was spent.

Budget

• A budget is completed based on the number of children/youth planning to attend the program to estimate program costs.
• Programs must operate according to the number of children/youth estimated to attend the program AND the number of days the program is operating as stated on the application.
• Any changes to numbers estimated on the Funding Application must be reported.
• A minimum of 70% of program costs should be spent on food.

Local fundraising/community partnerships

• An operating budget should be used to set targets for fundraising. Local fundraising from businesses, faith groups, charities and/or the community is required in order to supplement the funding received from this municipal and/or provincial grant.

Local program planning and consultation

• A local program committee is established to plan and administer the program and meets a minimum of twice a year.
• This committee may include, but is not limited to: school principal, parents, students, volunteer coordinators and other volunteers, as well as other interested individuals such as local business people, faith group members, community agency staff, and school board representatives.
• For a youth student nutrition program, the majority of the committee members should be youth participants.
• This committee will collaborate with the Site Authority, such as the principal or executive director.
• This committee is responsible for:
  • Choosing the type of program.
  • Approving the menu and budget.
  • Recruiting, training and coordinating volunteers.
  • Communicating with youth/parents and receiving contributions.
  • Organizing fundraising:
    • Fundraising involving food sales should be focused on healthy food choices.
    • The School Food and Beverage Policy (PPM 150, The Ministry of Education) outlines food and beverage standards related to on-site school fundraising.
  • Contributions:
    • For a youth student nutrition program, the local program committee may request non-financial contributions from youth to facilitate life skill development and to provide the opportunity for youth to be actively involved in the program, for example participation in fundraising, menu planning, cooking and clean-up.

Confidentiality

• Programs must ensure that the names of program participants and their financial contributions are kept confidential. All information on volunteers, including name, address and telephone number must also be kept confidential.

Food donations

• Donated food can be used by student nutrition programs as long as;
  • Donated food is fresh, safe to eat and meets the Nutrition Guideline, and;
  • Donated food does not originate from the emergency food system (e.g., food banks).

Other principles of program operation

When possible:

• Aim to reduce waste through minimal food packaging.
• Recycle and compost.
• Offer Ontario grown and/or produced foods.
• Incorporate nutrition education and physical activity promotion for children/youth in the program. Information is available from a number of sources, including Toronto Public Health.
• Involve youth in learning skills related to the nutrition program, for example, budgeting and financial skills or healthy food shopping.

The Toronto Board of Health recognizes that some independent schools may have a student population with a similar level of need to some public schools which offer student nutrition programs. A student nutrition program can help provide a more equitable environment for children and youth to learn and succeed. Since the 2019/20 school year, Toronto City Council approved expansion funding for student nutrition programs in eligible independent schools serving higher needs communities. This funding opportunity is intended to help offset the cost of nutritious food. If awarded, the municipal funding will cover a small portion of the student nutrition program’s costs. The remaining costs must be raised by the school/community. All available funding may not be allocated and will depend on the number of applications assessed as meeting eligibility and needs assessment criteria. Higher needs communities are defined as having a significant proportion of students living in lower income households.

Independent schools that would like to apply for first-time funding for a student nutrition program are required to complete the screening and postal code needs assessment of students enrolled in the school to determine eligibility, in addition to an application. Eligible schools can apply and receive funding for only one of the following student nutrition programs: breakfast, morning meal, snack AM.

Please Note:

• For the purposes of this funding opportunity an independent school is defined as a business or not-for-profit academic institution that operates independent of the Ministry of Education (i.e., not publicly funded).
• The application details listed above apply to all schools applying for municipal and/or provincial student nutrition program funding, including independent schools.
• If you are an independent school applying for funding for a new student nutrition program, please contact snp@toronto.ca.