Food Security Research Grant
Indigenous-led research supporting food security in isolated northern communities.
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Food Security Research Grant by the numbers
Since launching in 2022 the Food Security Research Grant
Funding
Total to date:
$3.8 million
2025-2028:
$2.3 million
Delivery
Phase 1:
5 funded and
completed projects
Phase 2:
9 funded projects underway
Impacts
Explore solutions
to food sovereignty challenges
Influences policy
to address food security gaps
About the grant
Nutrition North Canada's Food Security Research Grant is funding Indigenous-led projects that focus on food security and food access inequality in isolated northern communities.
This research addresses key questions and challenges with respect to food access inequality, the dynamics of existing federal food access programs and food insecurity among Indigenous Peoples living in isolated communities.
Indigenous partnership, ownership of information, knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the guiding insights from traditional knowledge systems are an integral part of the design of the research grant. All research funded under the grant must either be directed by Indigenous stakeholders or conducted with clear partnerships between academics and Indigenous communities.
Phase 1 of the grant awarded funding to 5 successful applicants on April 1, 2023 and invested $1.5 million to generate additional insight and knowledge on the effects of the Nutrition North Canada (NNC) retail subsidy and inform ongoing improvements to support equitable access to store-bought food
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the grant will run from 2025 to 2028 and is investing $2.3 million to support research to help guide policy interventions that seek to reduce food insecurity. Phase 2 is supporting research in the following research areas:
- alternative food subsidy program models to support equitable market (store-bought) food access, nutrition, food security, and food sovereignty in isolated northern communities
- impact of supply chain logistics and ownership on food quality, availability, and price
- harvesting, informal economies, and pathway to improving access to traditional and market food
Phase 2 Funded Projects
Foxe Basin Kivalliq North Sapujiyiit Guardians of the Sea Society
Project: Inuit Voices on Food Security: Evaluating Nutrition North Canada and Piloting Community-Led Hunting Supports
Description: This project looks at how Inuit families in Chesterfield Inlet and Coral Harbour access store‑bought and country food, and where gaps and barriers exist. Inuit Guardians will work with Elders, hunters, youth, and families to share experiences and ideas through interviews and workshops. The project will also pilot a community‑led soup kitchen using harvested food and develop recommendations to improve food security, self‑reliance, and fairness in programs like Nutrition North Canada.
Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment & Training Services (KKETS)
Project: Understanding Food Insecurity Response Options in Remote Northern First Nation Communities
Description: This project supports First Nations‑led solutions to food insecurity in remote Matawa First Nations. Building on earlier research from Phase 1, it will study and support three community initiatives: a community‑owned butcher shop, a greenhouse project, and traditional subsistence activities. The research will identify what helps or hinders these initiatives and share lessons on how to implement culturally relevant food security solutions.
Niksik
Project: Comparative Analysis of Food Security Models and Metrics in Nunavut
Description: This project examines whether online food retail can make food more affordable in Nunavut communities. It focuses on Arctic Fresh, a social enterprise that delivers subsidized food directly to households. By analyzing costs, savings, wages, and community experiences, the project will assess how well online and local food models work and provide evidence to improve food subsidy policies.
Pirurvik Preschool Society: Inuuqatigiitsiarniq
Project: Growing Food, Growing Children – Strengthening Arctic Food Security through Early Childhood Education and Community Training
Description: This Inuit‑led project explores how growing food locally—through a greenhouse linked to a preschool—can improve food security in Pond Inlet. It combines early childhood education, family involvement, and community training to support nutrition, well-being, and Inuit Knowledge Sharing. The research will show how local food production can complement Nutrition North Canada and strengthen food sovereignty in northern communities.
Sambaa K'e First Nation
Project: From the Land, Garden, and Store: Dene-led Pathways for Food Security in Sambaa K'e
Description: This Dene‑led project strengthens food security in Sambaa K'e First Nation through hands‑on learning and research. One part focuses on intergenerational cooking classes that teach how to prepare traditional, garden, and healthy store‑bought foods. The second part examines how to improve the community‑owned store by addressing supply chains, freight costs, and Nutrition North Canada subsidies, with the goal of reducing costs and supporting long‑term food sovereignty.
Southeast Resource Development Council (SERDC)
Project: Community Food Systems Assessment and Strategy Development in Remote SERDC Communities (partially funded)
Description: This project will assess food systems in Little Grand Rapids, Manitoba, by mapping both Indigenous and retail food sources. Through interviews and community gatherings, the project will identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to improve food security. The community will use this information to develop a shared vision and priorities for building a stronger, more sustainable local food system.
University of Toronto/Toronto Metropolitan University
Project: Community-Informed Modeling of Interventions to the Nutrition North Canada Subsidy Program
Description: This project will test potential changes to the Nutrition North Canada subsidy using computer modeling, without affecting current benefits. Working with four northern communities, researchers will model different subsidy options, including lessons from Greenland's food system. The results will help Indigenous leaders understand how different subsidy approaches could improve affordability in both monopoly and non‑monopoly retail settings.
University of Victoria
Project: Feeding resilience: understanding how households navigate food access in the face of instability in Nunavut and Nunavik
Description: This project studies how households in Nunavut and Nunavik manage food access during times of instability. Using data from community food programs, retail spending, and income supports, it will examine how factors like seasonality, inflation, and service disruptions affect food choices. The project brings together researchers and community partners to identify how food programs, subsidies, and social assistance can work better together.
University of Waterloo
Project: Evaluation of Community Harvesting and Distribution Pathways and their Impacts on Programs
Description: This project evaluates how community harvesting programs affect food affordability, diets, health, and sharing in Inuvialuit communities. Local community researchers and harvesters will collect data and test a one‑year pilot harvesting program. The findings will help improve harvester support programs and strengthen community food security using both data and local knowledge.
Contact us
If you are interested in receiving more information about Nutrition North Canada's Food Security Research Grant, please contact the program at nutritionnordcanada-nutritionnorthcanada@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca.