Team Grant: Funding Research for Evidence in School Food and Health (FRESH) (2026)

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, all the requirements stated below must be met:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be an independent researcher or a knowledge user affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution or not-for-profit organization with the capacity to carry out the proposed research.
2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds by the funding start date.
4. The tripartite leadership team must be co-led and include each of the following in a Principal Role (one NPA and two Principal Applicants (PAs), comprising at least one member from each of the following categories:
   1. An independent researcher;
   2. A senior decision-maker with the ability and mandate to make/influence decisions regarding SFPs or policy across any scale/level (school board, municipal, Indigenous government, FPT). For example, this may include a school board director, the director of a community-based or philanthropic organization involved in SFPs, an authority in a school food environment, an Indigenous health authority representative, or a decision-maker from an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge mobilization mandate; and
   3. A knowledge user who has lived experience of, or expertise with, school food environments, food systems or SFPs. For example, this may include a practitioner, community member/leader/partner, educator, public health professional (e.g., nurse, social worker, community worker), program coordinator or participant, advocacy group, or a person with lived experience such as youth, parents or other caregivers.

*If the NPA is an independent researcher, then the knowledge user must be identified as one of the PAs. If the NPA is a knowledge user, then the independent researcher must be identified as one of the PAs.

5. The NPA and all Principal Applicants (PAs) must have successfully completed one of the Sex and Gender Training Modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion by the full application deadline (see How to Apply for more details).

   *Organizations as NPAs: For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete the training module on the organization's behalf.

6. An individual cannot submit more than one (1) application to this funding opportunity as an NPA. If the NPA submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the subsequent application(s) submitted based on timestamp of submission.
7. For any research applications involving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis populations or research areas, the team must include:

   • at least one (1) principal applicant (NPA or PA) who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or who can provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples or both (see How to Apply).

     AND

   • at least one (1) of the following individuals on the research team (in any role): Indigenous Elder, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous person with lived/living experience, or an Indigenous scholar.

Summary

School food programs (SFPs) provide children and youth with meals and/or snacks at school, often at no-to-low cost for participating families. These programs can serve various functions, including supporting positive health outcomes and health equity, improving students' academic performance and fostering connections with culture and traditional food systems, all of which can have positive lifelong impacts. In Canada, SFPs largely fall under the jurisdiction of provinces and territories (PTs), with wide variation in programming across the country, reflecting diverse regional priorities and approaches to SFP delivery, both within and across jurisdictions.

The Team Grant: Funding Research for Evidence in School Food and Health (FRESH) aims to generate actionable, high-quality evidence to inform and improve school food policy, programming and practice across Canada. This funding opportunity supports intersectoral, interdisciplinary research led by a tripartite leadership team composed of researchers, decision-makers, and knowledge users.

Eligible research must focus on SFPs in all their diversity within the Canadian context, so long as the programs are delivered to children and youth during the school year and in schools or school-like settings (e.g., elementary schools, secondary schools, community centres, etc.). A broad range of research methods and approaches are welcome, including but not limited to: cross-jurisdictional or comparative studies; implementation science; mixed-methods; longitudinal studies; quasi-experimental designs; econometrics; policy studies; community-engaged research; systems research; and Indigenous and decolonizing methodologies. Research proposals must explicitly focus on the link between SFPs and population health and health equity.

In line with the NSF-Policy, successful FRESH Teams must take an equity focus with respect to research outcomes (SFPs' potential role in reducing health inequities); research priorities (assessing the extent to, and ways in which, equity is embedded in the design and delivery of school food policies and programming); and research processes (research methods and team composition, if applicable).

Overhead

n/a

Pre-application deadlines

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Submission Process:

Registration due directly to CIHR via ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on June 25, 2026. No RMS needed for this step.

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on October 2, 2026. Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in enough time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the internal RSO deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

Do not submit through ResearchNet until RSO's signature has been granted!! 

Once institutional signature has been obtained, a copy of the CIHR signature page will be available via the RMS record, under Documents. Upload the CIHR signature page and routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on October 7, 2026.

WEBINAR

CIHR will be hosting the following webinars to support participants with the requirements of this funding opportunity and to answer questions on how to apply.

When: Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM MT | Join
Duration: 90 minutes

NOTE: This funding opportunity uses the tri-agency CV (TCV). For opportunities requiring the Tri-Agency CV, a Research Contributions attachment, or a Most Significant Contributions statement, applicants can refer to the Narrative CV Support webpage. 

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application