Circular Food Innovators Fund
The Circular Food Innovators Fund (CFIF) launched in 2024 to support local small businesses deliver projects that will help build a more circular food system in Toronto.
The first phase focused on helping businesses set up and expand reuse systems that replace single-use and take-away items with reusable foodservice ware.
Offered by Economic Development & Culture Division (City of Toronto)
Amount
CFIF Projects: starting at $5,000 and up to a maximum of $35,000 per applicant; Green Workforce Projects (additional): starting at $500 and up to a maximum of $5,000 per applicant; 50 per cent paid on signing the Fund Agreement and the final 50 per cent on acceptance of the final report
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
Applicants must be:
- For-profit businesses, including business-to-business and business-to-consumer models
- Registered charitable and not-for-profit organizations, including Business Improvement Areas and academic institutions
About the funding
The City considered funding requests for:
CFIF Projects
- Starting at $5,000 and up to a maximum of $35,000 per applicant.
- A maximum of $250,000 of funding is available for CFIF Projects.
Show all funding details
Green Workforce Projects (Additional)
- Starting at $500 and up to a maximum of $5,000 per applicant.
- A maximum of $25,000 of funding is available for Green Workforce Projects.
Funding provided by the City of Toronto was one-time, project-specific and was not considered an annual source of funding by the applicant.
The City did not guarantee that the total amount requested by a successful applicant was granted. The decision to fund all or part of an applicant’s proposed project(s) depended on its alignment with the City’s strategic priorities, assessment criteria and overall demand for funds, among other considerations.
Before receiving any funds, successful grant recipients were required to sign a Fund Agreement with the City:
- Fund Agreement (CFIF only) for recipients of CFIF Project funding only
- Fund Agreement (Combined) for recipients of both CFIF and Green Workforce Project funding
Recipients were awarded 50 per cent of the total grant value following the submission of a signed Fund Agreement with the City at the outset of the CFIF Project (and Green Workforce Project, if applicable). The final 50 per cent of the grant funds was disbursed at the conclusion of the CFIF Project (and Green Workforce Project, if applicable) when a final report (including receipts for expenditures) was submitted and accepted as complete by the City.
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