School Health Grant for Youth: Questions and Answers

If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, please email the Youth Policy and Partnerships Unit at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca.

The Questions and Answers document will be updated to reflect any new questions received from applicants that are not already answered. Please be sure to check back regularly for new information!

Part 1: General information

How many grants will be given out?

We anticipate funding approximately up to 100 grant applications.

Where does this money come from?

This grant is administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). PHAC's Youth Policy and Partnerships Unit (YPPU) provides direction and oversight of this School Health Grant for Youth to support youth in developing initiatives that encourage and promote healthy living in their school and community. More information on how PHAC supports school health can be found on our School Health Page.

What if I cannot receive emails from the Youth Policy and Partnerships Unit?

Some school boards block students' school email accounts from receiving external emails as a protective measure. Because of this, please ensure that you use a personal email account when you email your completed Application to the YPPU. We also ask that you please add our email address (school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca) to your email account's 'safe senders' list to prevent our emails going to your spam or junk folders.

If I am awarded grant funding, will my project activities be eligible to fulfill my school's requirements for volunteer or community service hours?

Yes, it might be eligible, however this will vary by project and school board. We encourage students to check their school's eligible activities for volunteer or community service activities to make sure, or ask the school administration if you're unsure. If your school board has provided a form to track student volunteer or community service hours, this form will often contain examples of eligible and ineligible activities.

Part 2: Project planning

What can I spend the grant money on?

Please refer to the Applicant Guide (Section 8.0).

Who should my mentor be and what is their role?

Although not mandatory, you are encouraged to work with a mentor. Your mentor can be a trusted family member or friend, community leader, teacher, guidance counsellor, principal, school administrator, sports coach, or other instructor (for example, gymnastics, piano, dance, etc.).

Although you (and your team, if you have one) are still driving the project, your mentor can provide guidance, motivation, leadership, support (including emotional support) and can help answer questions you may have.

Can I partner with a club or council within my school?

Yes. As long as you (and your team, if you have one) are leading the project, you can partner with a club or council within your school.

Can I partner with an organization outside of my school?

Yes. Since the objective of this grant funding is to improve healthy living in your school and/or community, as long as your project benefits your peers in your school and/or community, you can partner with an outside organization.

Does my project have to take place at the school?

No, this is not required. The objective of the grant is to provide direct funding to empower youth to develop their own projects which address health issues within their schools and communities. Your project activities can take place outside of the physical school (for example, at a local community center) but must still be designed by youth from the school that you currently attend. For this launch, since funding will be received late in the school year, the project can also take place during the summer.

Can I use grant money to fund a class or school field trip?

Yes, as long as your Application clearly describes how the field trip supports activities that promote well-being in 1 of the grant's 4 priority areas (positive mental health and well-being, healthy eating and nutrition, physical activity, or reducing substance-related harms), this could be eligible. The field trip must also incorporate a health promotion focus using education and awareness, skill-building, and/or providing informational resources to support 1 of these 4 priority areas. Lastly, field trips must occur within your school or local community, and should be a day trip (not overnight). As long as your project proposal and budget meet these criteria, you can include a field trip in you project proposal.

What if the total cost of my project exceeds the funding amount I am applying for?

Although the maximum amount of grant funding we can provide is $1500, we understand that some projects might cost more than this. We encourage you to be creative to find more funding through other means to cover the remainder of your project (for example, other grants, donations from organizations, etc.). In the budget table of the Application you should only include items that you plan to fund through the School Health Grant for Youth.

Part 3: Application process

I am a teacher, or someone who works in a school. Can I apply for this grant on behalf of my students?

No, this grant is meant for youth only and the Application must be completed by a youth. It cannot be completed or submitted by a teacher, school administrator, mentor, or parent/guardian. If you are a teacher or school administrator and are interested in this grant, we encourage you to provide mentorship and support to a youth who wishes to apply.

Do I need to let my school know I am applying to this grant?

Yes. Please notify your school administration (a Vice Principal or Principal) before you submit your Application. This is also required if your project will take place in your community. To help ensure that your idea is in line with your school's policies and practices, please provide your school administration with a brief overview of your proposed project. Your school administration may be able to offer you some helpful advice and guidance. Some schools may have specific requirements to approve projects and others may simply wish to be notified. Please check what you will need to do with your school administration. You may wish to use our poster on our website to help start this conversation.

How do I know which amount of funding to apply for?

Please refer to the Applicant Guide (Section 4.0).

How do I sign the Application?

Only applications that are signed either by a signature or an e-attestation can be accepted. Please refer to the Application (Section E) for further details on how to sign.

Can my teacher sign on behalf of my parent/guardian?

No, your parent/guardian must sign your Application if you are a minor in your province or territory. We cannot accept Applications signed by a teacher. Please click here to see provincial and territorial definitions of a minor.

What if I run into technical difficulties with the Application?

Please email YPPU at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca for assistance.

Do I need my own bank account?

Yes, in order to receive funding from PHAC, you must have your own bank account under your name. This means that you cannot use an account that you share with your parents or siblings, or use a friend's account on your behalf. You also cannot use your school's bank account. The name on the bank account must match the name on the submitted and signed Application.

If you do not have your own bank account but still want to apply for this grant, please email YPPU at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca for assistance.

We plan to develop and implement our project as a team: how do we apply as a group?

Sounds great! We encourage you to work as a team to develop your idea, complete the Application and carry out the project. Please note that if you are applying as a team, 1 individual must submit the Application on behalf of the group. If the Application is approved, the youth who submitted the Application will receive the grant funding.

Can I apply to the grant if I have participated in an engagement session or have received funding through the School Health Grant for Youth in the past?

Yes!

How do I complete the Application form?

The Application will ask you to complete 3 questions in the form of a paragraph or bullet points and to complete a project expense table. For each question, please make sure to include information to answer all the sub-questions. For the project expense table, please be sure to include only eligible expenses (see Section 8.0 of the Applicant Guide) and make sure the total of all your expenses equals the exact amount of funding you are applying for. We also have some example expense tables in our Applicant Guide and example projects on our website that you can use to help guide your thinking. Please review your final Application form before submitting it to ensure that all mandatory sections have been completed. Unfortunately, incomplete Applications will be automatically withdrawn.

I am a teacher of youth with disabilities and/or neurodivergent needs and they do not feel comfortable applying for this grant. How can I support them?

Since this grant is meant for youth applicants only, it cannot be completed or submitted by a teacher, school administrator, mentor, or parent/guardian. However, you can use this grant as opportunity to work with your students to explore ideas that they may want to pursue. If that youth is not comfortable applying, they could partner with another student in the school who could then apply. You can also act as a as a mentor and a youth ally.

How will my Application be graded?

When we are reviewing Applications, we will not be focusing on proper sentence structure, grammar and so on. Instead, we will be looking at the information you provide to assess how your project matches up with PHAC's mandate and encourages healthy living by teaching participants about important topics, sharing resources and information, and helping participants develop healthy skills. Plus, your project should focus on 1 of the 4 priority areas (positive mental health and well-being, healthy eating and nutrition, physical activity, and reducing substance-related harms). Please also make sure you have completed all mandatory sections and checkboxes before submitting your Application. Unfortunately, incomplete Applications will be automatically withdrawn. Please refer to the Applicant Guide (Section 9.0) for more information on the review process.

Part 4: Approval process

What if my Application does not get approved?

Unfortunately, because we have limited funding, we are not able to approve all the great Applications we receive. If your project is not selected, it is not a reflection of you, your team, or your amazing ideas! We are inspired by every Application we receive and encourage you to reapply in the future.

If my Application does not get approved, what else can I do with my idea?

If your Application is not approved for funding, there are still many other ways to get involved and make a difference in your school or community! Consider applying to another youth grant, (for example, micro-grant opportunities for youth through Canada Service Corps), reaching out to your school administration and/or community organizations (for example, local community centres, local businesses, libraries, etc.) or your school office to see if they can help.

Part 5: Project implementation

Can I change my project after I submit my Application?

Sometimes plans need to change due to situations outside of our control. Changes to your project that are still similar to the original intent of your submitted ideas and budget would be acceptable. If your Application is approved and you do find yourself in this situation, please email YPPU at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca and we can discuss further at that point.

Part 6: Funding

What if I don't spend all of my grant funding by the end of the project?

All funding as outlined in the budget submitted with your Application should be spent. However, we recognize that sometimes plans need to change due to situations outside of our control; in those cases, please email YPPU at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca and explain the changes in your budget and your new project plans. If, at the end of your project, you do have a small amount of money remaining, please reach out to YPPU via email and we can assist you further.

Part 7: Project completion

Do I need to submit receipts for purchases I make with grant funding?

Since this grant opportunity is a one-time opportunity to help youth fund their ideas and projects, you are not required to submit receipts for purchases you make with grant funding. However, please keep a copy of your project-related receipts and documents, in case there are any follow-up questions from PHAC. We also ask that you follow your submitted budget as closely as possible.

Can I request a document that proves I was successful in this grant opportunity for use in future applications (such as for a job, scholarship, university, college, etc.)?

Once we receive your Project Report, YPPU will send you a signed completion certificate for your records.