City of Kingston Food Framework

Vegetables for sale including cucumbers, beans, and peppers. A crate of carrots in a warehouse. A family cooking together.

Fund your project to enhance Kingston’s local food system

As part of the City of Kingston’s Food Framework, three funding streams are available for new and existing initiatives that directly support the local food system. This pilot funding is part of a larger strategy to grow an inclusive and sustainable food system that ensures all residents have equitable access to healthy, affordable and culturally relevant foods.

Eligible projects will align with one of three funding streams:

  1. Food access programs (e.g., direct food services or products to individuals facing food insecurity, collaborations between organizations to efficiently share resources, etc.)

  1. Small capital and infrastructure enhancement (e.g., small-scale building improvements to enhance service delivery)

  1. Innovative projects and pilot initiatives (e.g., new models for food access, food literacy, urban and rural agriculture, technology-driven solutions, etc.)


These guidelines were developed to respond to needs in the community. We welcome all ideas from interested applicants; please reach out to us if you’re unsure how your proposal aligns with one of the above funding streams.

Eligible applicants:

  • Registered non-profits

  • Registered charities

  • Volunteer organizations

  • Social enterprises

  • For-profit organizations (for projects that have a tangible community benefit)

  • Business partnerships

Ineligible organizations and requests include:

  • Charitable contributions
  • Groups or events that are discriminatory, encourage illegal activity, compromise public safety, fundraising, express political views or violate City bylaws, policies or procedures
  • Municipal governments

Learn more and apply

Background information

In May 2025, City Council approved the City’s Food Framework, a guiding document to help strengthen the local food system and align food initiatives in the region. The Framework is built around five interconnected pillars: food production, infrastructure and distribution, food access, education and literacy, and governance. Learn more about how we worked with community partners to develop the Food Framework.

Vegetables for sale including cucumbers, beans, and peppers. A crate of carrots in a warehouse. A family cooking together.

Fund your project to enhance Kingston’s local food system

As part of the City of Kingston’s Food Framework, three funding streams are available for new and existing initiatives that directly support the local food system. This pilot funding is part of a larger strategy to grow an inclusive and sustainable food system that ensures all residents have equitable access to healthy, affordable and culturally relevant foods.

Eligible projects will align with one of three funding streams:

  1. Food access programs (e.g., direct food services or products to individuals facing food insecurity, collaborations between organizations to efficiently share resources, etc.)

  1. Small capital and infrastructure enhancement (e.g., small-scale building improvements to enhance service delivery)

  1. Innovative projects and pilot initiatives (e.g., new models for food access, food literacy, urban and rural agriculture, technology-driven solutions, etc.)


These guidelines were developed to respond to needs in the community. We welcome all ideas from interested applicants; please reach out to us if you’re unsure how your proposal aligns with one of the above funding streams.

Eligible applicants:

  • Registered non-profits

  • Registered charities

  • Volunteer organizations

  • Social enterprises

  • For-profit organizations (for projects that have a tangible community benefit)

  • Business partnerships

Ineligible organizations and requests include:

  • Charitable contributions
  • Groups or events that are discriminatory, encourage illegal activity, compromise public safety, fundraising, express political views or violate City bylaws, policies or procedures
  • Municipal governments

Learn more and apply

Background information

In May 2025, City Council approved the City’s Food Framework, a guiding document to help strengthen the local food system and align food initiatives in the region. The Framework is built around five interconnected pillars: food production, infrastructure and distribution, food access, education and literacy, and governance. Learn more about how we worked with community partners to develop the Food Framework.

  • Food Funding Streams

    Learn more about the three food funding streams and what types of projects are eligible.

    1. Food access programs

    This funding stream supports organizations providing direct food services or products to the community, to businesses and to individuals facing food insecurity. Its purpose is to increase access to nutritious food for individuals and families, meeting immediate needs while fostering long-term community well-being. Projects must have clear metrics for evaluating their impact on food access.

    Funding tier:

    • Ongoing food operations and support (up to $10,000): For established programs that provide food access on a regular basis. These funds will support food pantries, food markets, food boxes and meal programs.

    • Pilot funding (up to $30,000-$50,000): For new initiatives with innovative approaches to meal provision and food access. This funding encourages collaboration in areas such as volunteer coordination, resource sharing (e.g., drivers for food delivery) and collective bulk purchasing to reduce food costs. Joint applications between two or more organizations are encouraged.

    2. Small capital and infrastructure enhancement projects

    This funding stream supports small-scale capital projects for buildings or spaces that provide food access. These projects ensure that food programs can operate effectively and efficiently, enabling them to reach more people and improve service delivery.

    Funding tier:

    • Capital (up to $20,000 - $50,000): For small renovations or items such as refrigeration units, food delivery vans or kitchen equipment.

    3. Innovative projects and pilot initiatives

    This funding stream supports projects that explore new models for food access, food literacy/education, rural and urban agriculture, food-sharing initiatives and technology-driven solutions (e.g., an app to help redistribute surplus food).

    This funding stream supports initiatives that transform the way food is accessed, distributed and shared, empowering communities to become more resilient. These initiatives offer scalable, long-term solutions to food access in the community. Priority will be given to projects that support a sustainable food system and have a positive community impact.

    Funding tier:

    • Pilot (up to $30,000 - $50,000): For new initiatives that introduce innovative solutions to food access and insecurity. These projects should have clear evaluation metrics to assess their success and scalability.

  • Background: Food Framework

    An inter-departmental team developed the framework, aligning with Council’s strategic priorities and building off work by the PhD-Community Initiative research in 2024. The framework includes five pillars (Food Access, Food Infrastructure & Distribution, Food System Governance, Food Education & Literacy and Food Production) each with an environmental scan of current activities, initial recommendations and key performance indicators.

    As part of the community food inventory, staff have already developed two important resources for the community:

    • A list of local low-to-no-cost food resources, including but not limited to Community Food Programs, community garden locations, cultural food stores, farm stands and low-cost grocery stores (Community Food Resources | Open Data Kingston).

    • A Food Supports webpage with direct links to food charities that members of the community can visit should they be interested in donating (Food Supports | City of Kingston).

    Recognizing the role of the municipality in the context of a food framework, the plan will emphasize the importance of strategic partnerships to encourage collaboration.

    Community engagement

    Staff engaged with key groups such as the Rural Working Group, the Food Policy Council, EDI committee, Economic Development partners and Public Health to align goals, identify actions and programs and to incorporate their feedback into the framework.

    Additional funding

    As part of the 2025 operating budget, a one-time contribution of $200,000 for food programs was approved. This is in addition to the $100,000 in remaining 2025 ‘Fines For Food’ funding, bringing the total food program budget for 2025 to $300,000. Staff were directed to report back to Council in spring 2025 with a proposed plan for how to allocate these funds.

    Based on the findings and recommendations in the various areas of the framework and the engagement with partners, staff proposed a funding application process with four funding streams: meal provision and food access, small capital and infrastructure enhancement, innovative projects and pilot initiatives, and food business start-up grants.

    Next steps

    The Food Framework and food program funding was endorsed by City Council on May 20, 2025. The document can be viewed on the City of Kingston's website.

    Staff will begin implementing the recommendations and collaborate with partners, organizations, agencies, associations and businesses within the community. The framework is a living document, and we'll continue to connect with external programs, strategies and goals to expand upon the municipal role, identify the gaps that exist and measure progress over time. Staff will report back to Council annually on the food framework implementation.

Page last updated: 22 Aug 2025, 11:17 AM