School Health Grant for Youth: Applicant guide

Are you aged 16 to 19 and enrolled in secondary or post-secondary school? Are you looking to make a positive difference in your school? Do you have a passion for healthy living?

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is offering time limited micro-grants of $1,000 to youth like yourself to develop youth-driven projects that encourage and promote youth healthy living in a school-setting. Micro-grants will be awarded to fund eligible projects on a first-come, first-served basis.

As part of its mandate, PHAC aims to help all people living in Canada, including youth, live healthier lives. One way that PHAC achieves this is by funding projects that help people control, maintain and improve their health. This is called health promotion.

A part of health promotion is health equity, which involves ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to be healthy. It is important because not everyone has the same opportunities or faces the same challenges when it comes to their health. For example, youth who live in remote areas or those from equity-deserving groups may face barriers to accessing health related resources. Health equity is about recognizing these differences and working to remove barriers so that everyone can achieve good health. Incorporating health equity in your project activities will help you to consider how diverse groups of people may access and experience them. This can help enhance the reach and impact of your project by making it more inclusive.

Why fund youth-led projects? Youth know best about the health and well-being issues that concern and affect them. Youth also have the right to actively participate in identifying health issues that involve themselves and their peers. With this grant, you as a youth can promote health in your school by developing youth-led projects. The projects can support your peers to make healthy choices and live in healthy ways now and in the future.

Members of official language minority communities are encouraged to apply to this grant.

PHAC's Youth Policy and Partnerships Unit (YPPU) oversees this grant to support youth in creating healthy living initiatives in school settings.

Learn more:

• School health
• The Public Health Agency of Canada's mandate

The School Health Grant for Youth aims to fund projects that encourage, support and empower youth to make healthy choices and live in healthier ways by doing one or both of the following :

• teaching participants about important topics
• sharing resources and information to support healthy living.

By providing direct funding to youth like yourself, you will be able to define your own goals. You can develop projects that appeal to your peers and address health issues in your school context. This opportunity can also empower you to put your ideas into action while gaining valuable life skills such as leadership and project planning.

Activities funded through the School Health Grant for Youth will help to promote youth health in a school setting with a focus on 1 of 4 priorities.

Check out these previously-funded projects for ideas.

Positive mental health and well-being

Example: Bring in an expert to host a workshop on resiliency and other skills that promote positive mental health. Example topics could include mental health challenges for newcomers and coping strategies for navigating culture differences.

Example: Host a learning event aiming to inform participants about essential skills to:

• build resiliency
• manage their emotions
• maintain positive mental health

Themes could focus on:

• mindfulness
• stress management
• where to access resources within the school and community

Healthy eating and nutrition

Example: Support students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to develop healthy eating habits that support health and well-being. Organize a cooking workshop and use Canada's food guide kitchen to help you find recipes for meals to cook. Provide participants with a book of recipes and other healthy eating information from Canada's food guide. Information could include:

• adjusting recipes to meet your needs
• cooking with plant-based protein foods

Learn more:

• Food guide kitchen

Example: Arrange for a registered dietitian to speak at a school assembly about using Canada's Food Guide to support healthy eating. The presentation could focus on how to include cultures and food traditions in healthy eating.

Learn more:

• Cultures, food traditions and healthy eating

Physical activity

Example: Organize a workshop led by a professional that informs youth about the health benefits of limiting sedentary behaviour to support healthy development. Encourage participants to brainstorm ways to replace sedentary behaviours and stay active throughout the day together. To encourage participation during the workshop, host an instructor to lead a fun movement session.

Example: Host an inclusive wellness week with daily physical activities highlighting different, accessible ways to be active throughout the day. Encourage participants to think about ideas on how to make activities accessible for all, including individuals with disabilities. This will promote health equity and inclusivity. At the end of the week, create a poster that can be shared with your peers with tips for staying physically active and inclusive.

Reducing substance-related harms

Example: Host an awareness event for youth about the health effects of vaping and share resources for students who hope to quit or reduce their harms.

Example: Organize a workshop on preventing and reducing substance-related harms, focused on reducing stigma and holding non-judgemental conversations.

To be eligible for a micro-grant, you must be an eligible applicant with an eligible project.

4.1 Applicant eligibility

You are an eligible applicant if you are:

• a youth between the ages of 16 and 19
• a student currently enrolled in either secondary school or post-secondary school in Canada
• a citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
• not a federal government employee at the time of applying

Note: teachers and school administrators are not eligible to submit a grant application.

To receive funding from PHAC, you must have a valid bank account under your own name. Funding will be sent directly to this account. Please note that bank account information of anyone other than yours (as the youth applicant) will not be accepted.

4.2 Project eligibility

Your application must clearly explain how your project meets each project eligibility criteria be considered eligible for funding.

Successful projects will be youth-led initiatives that clearly meet the following 10 eligibility criteria:

1. The project must align with 1 of the 4 program priority areas.
2. The project activities must be one or more of:
   1. teaching participants about important topics
   2. sharing resources and information to support healthy living

   The application must detail the topics to be covered, the information or resources to be shared, or both (as applicable to your project).

3. The project must be designed to promote youth health.
4. The project must take place in a school-setting.
5. The project plan must include a description of the planned project activities.
6. The project must be designed to positively impact the target audience, and the impact must relate to health promotion.
7. The project must include health equity considerations to make sure project activities are inclusive and will meet the needs of diverse youth, such as:
   1. racialized youth
   2. Indigenous youth
   3. 2SLGBTQI+ youth
   4. youth with disabilities
8. The project plan must describe how social media will be used to share project results.
9. The applicant must outline how they plan to allocate the full $1,000 grant, and the expenses must be appropriate to directly support the project activities.
10. The project plan must not include any ineligible activities or expenses as outlined in Section 4.4 Ineligible activities and expenses.

Learn more:

• 4.4 Ineligible activities and expenses

4.3 Expense eligibility

The project expenses must be related to and directly support your project activities. This section will help you understand what the School Health Grant for Youth can and cannot fund and will guide you in preparing your budget.

When preparing your budget, be sure to clearly describe the items you expect to spend your grant money on to support your project activities. Simply listing "materials" or "incentives" in your budget is not enough. We need details about how you plan to spend the funds.

Equipment purchased using grant money must remain the property of your school for future use. Equipment can also be rented. Cost effectiveness should be considered when deciding whether to purchase or rent.

Volunteers

These are people who offer their time and do not charge a fee for their participation in your project. You may provide them with a small payment, called an honorarium, as a token of appreciation for their participation. An honorarium cannot exceed $300 per person.

For example, a volunteer guest speaker, or a community Elder who opens or closes an event.

Contractors

These are individuals who charge an hourly rate or set fee for the service that they provide. For example, a fitness instructor who is paid an hourly rate to instruct a fitness class or a professional who leads a workshop.

Materials and supplies

For example:

• printing fees
• craft supplies
• items for demonstrations
• name tags for participants
• snacks for participants or volunteers

Equipment

For example, renting:

• cooking utensils
• sports equipment
• audio-visual equipment
• accessibility supports that accommodate participants' needs

Incentives

Incentives for youth to participate in your activity or event. For example, a trophy or reusable water bottles with healthy messages.

Communication and dissemination

For example:

• posters
• webinar fees
• social media ads
• informational pamphlets

Rental space

Only if your school does not provide it for free. For example, renting the gym or field for your activity.

4.4 Ineligible activities and expenses

Ineligible activities and expenses are things that you are not able to use grant money for. Applications containing these activities or expenses will not be approved for funding.

• School infrastructure projects and associated expenses, for example building, maintaining or upgrading structures at your school such as a:
  • stage
  • greenhouse
  • basketball court
• Activities designed for profit-making or fundraising of any kind, whether it be to:
  • generate profit for yourself or your youth team
  • fundraise for your school or a community organization
• Payment to yourself, school staff or any members of your youth team
• A project that is conducted on behalf of a community organization
• School food programs and associated expenses
• Food to support project planning meetings
• Field trips
• Furniture
• Travel expenses including:
  • hotels
  • parking fees
  • fees for buses
  • rideshare services
  • paying for mileage
• Memberships to private venues (for example, gym memberships)
• Pure research projects (researching something just to understand how it works without applying the knowledge to solve a problem)
• Unidentified miscellaneous costs
• Activities determined to have privacy, safety or legal implications

PHAC is committed to funding projects that promote diversity and inclusion. We will not consider projects that discriminate on the basis of:

• sex
• age
• race
• creed
• colour
• religion
• disability
• marital status
• national origin
• actual or perceived sexual orientation

Contact us if you have any questions about eligible or ineligible expenses or activities.

Email: school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca

You can apply for a micro-grant of $1,000 for your project in your school. We anticipate funding approximately 71 grants.

Although we can only provide grants of $1,000, 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 or donations from organizations. In the budget table of the application, you should only include items that you plan to fund through the School Health Grant for Youth.

All funds must be spent, and projects must be completed between January 15, 2025, and June 30, 2025. Projects that are planned to take place outside of this timeframe will not be considered for funding. Please plan your project activities accordingly.

We are currently accepting applications.

Funding for eligible projects will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be accepted until:

• funds are fully expended, or
• December 20, 2024, at 11:59 AM EST

We will review applications and email applicants with decisions and next steps.

1. Request an application form by emailing us at school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
2. We will email you the application form within 5 business days.
3. Fill out the application form in full once you get it.
4. Print and sign the completed form by hand. If you are a minor in your province or territory please ensure that your parent or guardian has also signed the form.
5. Scan the signed form.
6. Email the scanned form with the subject line "Application" to school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca.

Email: school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca

You can submit only 1 application per call for applications. Students from the same school cannot submit duplicate applications. Each application must be unique. If multiple applications are received for the same project, only the first eligible application will be approved.

If you are a minor in your province or territory, your parent or guardian will also need to sign your application for it to be considered for funding.

You must get approval from your school administration to apply and carry out your project. This ensures your idea aligns with school policies and practices. You may wish to use our poster on our website to help start this conversation.

You must provide your school's name and address on the application form.

You can work as a team or partner with a school club to create your idea, fill out the application, and run the project. If you are applying as a team, 1 person will submit the application and receive the funding and completion certificate.

Learn more:

• Youth Grant poster

We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email within 10 business days (Monday to Friday). Applications that are incomplete will not be considered for funding.

We will review your application to see if it meets all eligibility criteria as described in section 4.0 – Eligibility.

Funding decisions will be made on a first come first served basis for eligible applications. Unfortunately, due to the limited amount of funding that we have available, not all applications will receive funding.

We will notify you of our final decision by email. We will communicate with you using the email address that is included on your application form.

If your project is approved, you must complete a direct deposit form to receive your funding. You must submit your direct deposit form by the deadline provided or your funding may be delayed or canceled.

All funding decisions made by PHAC are final.

Once you receive your grant funding, you can begin your project to be completed between January 15, 2025, and June 30, 2025.

Submitting false or misleading information, or misuse of funds, may result in recovery of funds. Further, you may not be eligible for future project funding.

If your project isn't selected, it's not a reflection of you or your ideas, and there are still many ways to make a difference, like:

• applying for other youth grants
• asking your school office for help
• reaching out to your school or community organizations

We're inspired by every application and encourage you to reapply in the future.

Learn more:

• Section 4. Eligibility

You are required to publicly share information about your project by posting your project results on social media within 30 days of project completion. Publicly sharing project results:

• encourages community discussion around these innovative health promotion activities
• enables other Canadian youth to find, share and draw inspiration from your projects

You can report publicly by posting on one or more popular social media platforms such as:

1. Instagram
2. X
3. LinkedIn
4. Facebook

The following hashtag must be used when you post: #YouthSchoolGrant

You must email us a screenshot of your social media post within 2 weeks of your posting with the subject line "School Health Grant for Youth – Project Report".

Email: school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Please include the following information in your social media post:

• Brief description of project activities
• Approximate number of participants
• When your project took place
• The outcomes of your project including any successes or failures

Feel free to post as a thread and add images.

Example post

On December 5th, 78 students joined our Youth Healthy Eating Project at our school. A registered dietitian spoke about mindful eating, and participants received informational pamphlets on nutrition. The event was a hit, with students finding it engaging and informative. Next time, we'll boost promotion to reach even more youth! #YouthSchoolGrant

You can post from any account you choose, such as:

• your personal account
• a school or team account
• the account of a trusted adult

You are not required to submit receipts for purchases made 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.

There are laws and considerations for sharing personal information, such as photos, videos or contact details. If you are publicly sharing these in your project, including on social media, make sure you have consent from the individuals involved. If you are unsure which consents to obtain, ask someone at your school for guidance.

Once your project is complete you will be asked to complete a short survey to provide feedback on your experience with the School Health Grant for Youth. This survey is optional, and your responses will be anonymous.

If your project is approved for funding, your name, the amount awarded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the general nature of your project activities will be made publicly available by the Public Health Agency of Canada as part of proactive disclosure requirements. This information will be shared on the Open Government Portal.

Once we receive proof of your project report through social media, we will send you a signed completion certificate.

Learn more:

• Open Government

Email us if you have any questions at any point during the process, using the subject line "School Health Grant for Youth".

We will do our best to respond to your questions. To be fair to all applicants, we cannot give individual guidance on project ideas while the application period is open.

We also ask that you please add our email address to your email account's 'safe senders' list to prevent our emails going to your spam or junk folders.

Email: school.health.grant-subvention.sante.scolaire@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Example 1

Organize an inclusive physical activity series that is accessible for youth with disabilities, featuring a different activity each day. The program will encourage participants to consider ideas on how to make physical activity more accessible for individuals with disabilities. It will promote health equity, inclusivity and will share information on the health benefits of physical activity.

Expenses:

• $400: Rent adaptive sports equipment, like:
  • accessible gear
  • wheelchair-friendly soccer balls
• $300: Payment for coaches and trainers to lead inclusive sports activities.
• $100: Handouts on health equity and the benefits of inclusive sports.
• $100: Posters, flyers or social media ads to promote the event and encourage participation.
• $100: Healthy snacks and water for participants.

Total amount requested: $1,000

Example 2

Organize a cooking workshop led by a registered dietician. The workshop will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make healthy and nutritious food choices. It will use Canada's Food Guide to select meals, teaching participants how to prepare balanced and healthy dishes. Each participant will be provided with their own healthy recipe book.

Expenses:

• $400: Purchase healthy ingredients for the cooking workshop.
• $300: Payment for a registered dietician to lead the workshop.
• $175: Purchase necessary kitchen tools, like:
  • spoons
  • mixing bowls
  • measuring cups
• $50: Flyers, posters and social media ads to promote the workshop to students.
• $45: Healthy snacks and water for participants during the workshop.
• $30: Printing fees for recipe books

Total amount requested: $1,000