McConnell Foundation Announces New Institutional Food Procurement Fund
Posted: January 24, 2014
Categories: Food in the News / Funding Opportunities / GoodFoodBites / Opportunities
The McConnell Foundation has just announced a new Sustainable Food Systems funding stream for institutional food procurement. The program will fund projects that will build on public institution’s purchasing of healthy, local and sustainable food to transform existing food systems: “Hospitals, long-term care facilities, universities and schools have a critical role to play in food system change, both because they are publicly funded and because stakeholders such as students, patients, doctors and parents can influence the purchasing policies and practices of these institutions toward greater sustainability.”
The Foundation has launched this program in recognition of the success of certain hospitals, schools and cafeterias in their efforts to transform purchasing practices in this way. The program seeks to support the wider implementation of these types of demonstrative projects by supporting work in individual institutions to develop new practices and supplier relationships which ensure that more healthy, local and/or sustainable food is served.
Access the Request for Proposals or read more details about the fund on the McConnell Foundation website:
- Fund objectives
- Applicants and Partnership Requirement
- Activities Supported
- Learning Group
- Funding and Cost Sharing
- Criteria
- Definitions
Applications will be accepted until 5 pm on Friday, April 4, 2014.
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The Fund guidelines state that: “Project partners must include two or more members of the public sector institutional food value chain, meaning institutions, producers, processors, distributors, and contract caterers. Partnerships with organizations (including not-for-profits and charities) with supply chain, communication or other relevant expertise are strongly encouraged. Project partners are organizations that are actively involved in the project planning and implementation. There must be one lead applicant and financial manager, which should be a charitable organization or municipality but is not necessarily the institution.”
There are many networks and directories that you can access to learn about potential partners. Consider getting in touch with Farm to Cafeteria Canada, the Ontario Edible Education Network, Food Secure Canada, Ontariofresh.ca, or Sustain Ontario members.