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If you’re a Vancouver nonprofit working to improve food security, whether it’s fighting hunger, building urban gardens, supporting Indigenous or newcomer communities, or teaching about healthy food - funding is a constant challenge. The good news? There’s a wide variety of grants available at the city, provincial, and national levels, plus corporate and foundation support. Some focus directly on food, while others fund projects with food security as part of a bigger community goal.

Here’s a 2025 list of top food security grants for Vancouver organizations, with essentials for each and tips to get you started. Check deadlines carefully, as some only open for a short time each year!

Vancouver City Green Grants

• Next intake: Fall 2025
• Amount: Up to $50,000 per project
• Who can apply: Registered non-profits, registered charities, and First Nations Bands
• Project requirements: Must address both climate action and equity, benefit Vancouver residents, and last 1-2 years
• Greenest City Grants
  This grant is for community-driven projects that advance climate action and equity. If your food security work also helps with climate adaptation—think community gardens, zero-waste kitchens, or local food initiatives—this one’s for you.

Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF)

• Next intake: Fall 2025
• Amount: Up to $100,000
• Who can apply: Non-profit organizations (with priority for Indigenous and Black-led/focused groups)
• Project requirements: Strengthen community food security, increase access to local, nutritious, culturally appropriate food, focus on infrastructure or equipment
• Local Food Infrastructure Fund
  LFIF is a federal program. Projects could include things like buying freezers for a food hub, building garden beds, or purchasing vehicles for food delivery.

NEW: Foundation for Black Communities – National Food Systems Grant

• Phase 1 (Planning): Up to $15,000 (open June 17 – July 25, 2025)
• Phase 2 (Pilot): $200,000–$500,000 (Winter 2025–Fall 2026)
• Who can apply: Black-led, Black-focused, or Black-serving non-profits/charities anywhere in Canada
• Focus: Access to land, markets, tools/technology for Black food producers and communities; education and intergenerational knowledge-sharing
• Eligible projects: Culturally relevant food security or food sovereignty initiatives for Black Canadians
• National Food Systems Call for Expressions of Interest
  This two-phase grant is a unique opportunity for Black-led or Black-serving organizations to design visionary, community-based food system projects. Submit an Expression of Interest by July 25, 2025 for a chance at a planning grant, then develop a proposal for larger pilot funding.

Vancouver Foundation Grants

• Next intake: Various throughout the year (check their site)
• Amount: Varies by grant
• Who can apply: Registered charities or qualified donees
• Focus: Social determinants of health (including food security), neighborhood and systems change, equity
• Vancouver Foundation Grants
  While not always labeled “food security,” the Vancouver Foundation funds many projects that address food access, social connection, and health. Look at programs like Neighborhood Small Grants or Systems Change Grants.

ISPARC – Food Systems Program Grant

• Next intake: 2026, but check for annual cycles
• Amount: Varies
• Who can apply: Indigenous communities and organizations
• Project requirements: Food-related activities (wages, planning, infrastructure, education)
• ISPARC Food Systems Grant
  For Indigenous groups, this supports broad food system activities: gardens, harvesting, community meals, and more.

Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC)

• Next intake: January 2026
• Amount: $5,000 to $100,000+
• Who can apply: Non-profits focused on land use, food production, sustainability
• Focus: Research, demonstration projects, land access, planning for food production
• REFBC Grants
  REFBC is great for projects at the intersection of food security and land use—community farms, urban agriculture research, food planning, and policy.

Vancity EnviroFund & Community Partnership Program

• Next intake: Rolling
• Amount: Up to $25,000
• Who can apply: Non-profits, Indigenous groups, some co-operatives
• Focus: Environmental sustainability, local food systems, climate action
• Vancity Grants
  Vancity’s grants support innovative and sustainable approaches to food. Community gardens, composting, and education programs all fit.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

• Next deadline: July 15, 2025
• Amount: Up to $8,000
• Who can apply: Registered charities, schools, municipalities, Indigenous communities
• Focus: Environmental education, green spaces, community gardens, school gardens
• TD FEF Grant
  This grant can help launch or expand community gardens or green spaces that boost food production and environmental awareness.

President’s Choice Children’s Charity – Power Full Kids

• Next intake: Opens each spring
• Amount: Up to $2,000 per site (school meal equipment), larger for targeted investments
• Who can apply: Public schools
• Focus: School nutrition, meal equipment
• PC Children’s Charity
  Only public schools can apply, but this is ideal for schools wanting to boost their food programs or kitchen equipment.

Walmart Canada Community Grants

• Intake: Rolling, apply anytime
• Amount: $1,000 (varies)
• Who can apply: Local non-profits, schools, sports teams, community groups
• Focus: Local community needs, including food security
• Walmart Canada Grants
  Simple application—these small but flexible grants can support anything from emergency food boxes to youth garden projects.

Metro Vancouver Agriculture Awareness Grants

• Next intake: Spring 2026
• Amount: Up to $6,000
• Who can apply: Non-profits in Metro Vancouver
• Focus: Public education about local food, agriculture, farming
• Metro Vancouver Agriculture Grants
  Perfect for outreach and educational events about food production, local farms, or food skills.

Extra Tip:

Other funders, like United Way BC and local credit unions, sometimes offer short-term or emergency grants for food security—always check their websites or sign up for grant alerts.

Tips for a Successful Grant Application

1. Read the Guidelines—Twice!
   Each funder has unique priorities. Show how your project directly matches their mission, using their language.

2. Have Clear, Measurable Outcomes
   Instead of “improving access to food,” say how many people you’ll serve, how you’ll track progress, and what success looks like.

3. Partner Up
   Collaborations (with schools, Indigenous organizations, food banks, or farms) can make your project stronger and show community buy-in.

4. Tell Your Story
   Use real stories from your community. Funders love to hear about actual impact, not just numbers.

5. Budget Carefully
   Double-check your numbers and explain why each cost is necessary for your impact.

Funding is competitive, but with a thoughtful project and a clear application, your food security program in Vancouver can grow stronger every year.