Food Security Fund supports projects to improve food security in Eeyou Istchee
The $100,000 fund supports initiatives aiming to improve food security, especially for individuals or families in need, or people living on a low-income. The deadline to submit a request is February 28th, 2021

Food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate amounts of nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate food to maintain a healthy and active life.

Eligible initiatives
The initiatives eligible to this funding must aim to improve physical and economic access to nutritious foods (i.e. improve availability or cost of food).
For example, eligible initiatives could include:
- Harvesting, food preparation & service of traditional meals at traditional camp
- Community harvesting activities (hunting, fishing, gathering of berries and plants)
- Hunting services (e.g. for elders, single parent or low-income families) or Generous Hunters’ Program
- Community kitchen, collective kitchen, soup kitchen, group purchasing or Community Food Center
- Initiative to reuse food surplus and reduce food waste from a store or restaurant
- Food sharing initiatives, including community freezers, refrigerators or food pantry
- Collective or community gardens, community fruit trees & berry bushes
- Solidarity store, coop, local & affordable food market, seasonal market
- Community butchering service
- Vegetable & fruit discount program
- Development of a food bank program
- Meal programs or meals on wheels (e.g. for elders, people isolated or sick)
- Collective grocery delivery service or transportation service to closest grocery store
The following types of initiatives are not eligible:
Emergency food basket or food vouchers, Short-term projects (Christmas Baskets), Special Events (Feasts, Holiday Meals, Festival, Health Promotion events), Workshops, information sessions or cooking classes, Research projects.
ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS
- Non-profit and community organizations
- Cooperatives and social economy enterprises
- Aboriginal organizations eligible for provincial funding (e.g. Cree Nation Band Councils)
AVAILABLE FUNDING
A total amount of 100,000$ per year is available for Eeyou Istchee
- Most of the fund will be allocated for initiatives aiming to address social, cultural, physical and economic factors of food security (75% or more)
- A maximum of 25% of this fund will be available for Emergency Food Aid
A maximum of 10,000$ will be allocated per initiative
More than one initiative per organization could be funded
ADMISSIBLE EXPENSES
Fees directly related to the food security initiative (e.g. healthy foods, equipment, transportation, salary or honorarium, childcare service during activity, expenses to subsidize hunting/fishing activities)
SELECTION PROCESS/CRITERIA
A committee will review projects submitted
Priority will be given to initiatives that:
- Aim to address social, cultural, environmental & economic factors of food security
- (e.g. initiatives aiming to make food affordable, easily accessible, culturally ap- propriate)
- Have potential medium/long-term impacts
- (e.g. programs rather than one-time event)
- Encourage social participation and inclusion (e.g. volunteering, creating work opportunities for people on social income or with disabilities, etc.)
- Aim to reduce poverty and social exclusion (e.g. socially and culturally inclusive) Aim to provide healthy foods (rather than unhealthy/processed foods)
- Encourage environmentally-friendly practices (e.g. use of reusable dishes) Encourage harvesting or use of local or traditional food
Applicants of the selected initiatives will be informed in the weeks following the end of the call for proposal
REPORTING
Selected applicants will need to provide a report at the end of the year | Reporting Template