Sustain Ontario - The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming

What Sustain Ontario - The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming does

Sustain Ontario is a province-wide, cross-sectoral non-profit alliance founded in 2016 that coordinates action across Ontario's food and farming system. It operates as a convener rather than a producer, organizing 90+ member organizations into self-organizing networks (Buy Local Food, New Farmers, Poverty Reduction, Edible Education, Community Food Production) and working groups (Northern Remote Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Food Waste). Its core offerings include the 'nourish to flourish' school grant program (administered with Farm Boy and Farm to Cafeteria Canada, awarding $184,000 to ~59 schools in 2026), the Food Is Science curriculum-aligned educational platform for Grades 3-9, the Ontario Food & Nutrition Strategy policy framework, the Vote ON Food and Farming advocacy campaign, a Food for Thought Lunch and Learn webinar series, and The Greenhouse resource library.

The organization's technology footprint is intentionally minimal. Sustain Ontario runs on standard web-based tools: a WordPress-derived website for content and membership management, Cognito Forms for grant application intake, email marketing for the weekly 'Good Food Bites' newsletter, YouTube for webinar recordings, and basic social media accounts. No proprietary models, APIs, or technical integrations are disclosed; the educational content on Food Is Science is static rather than adaptive.

Sustain Ontario's revenue model is a non-profit mix of three streams: recurring membership fees from individuals and organizations, donations from individuals and supporters, and grant/project funding from partners and foundations (notably Farm Boy for the school grant program and the Greenbelt Foundation and Schad Foundation for the Growing Local report). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with member networks and policy advocacy serving as the primary distribution channel and direct-to-school outreach via the grant portal serving as a secondary motion. The organization serves K-12 schools in Ontario as a primary recipient segment, food system organizations and new farmer entrants as secondary segments, and the broader Ontario public through newsletter and event engagement.

Name

Sustain Ontario - The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming

Legal name

Sustain Ontario

Website

https://sustainontario.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sustain Ontario is a province-wide, cross-sectoral non-profit alliance founded in 2016 that coordinates 90+ Ontario food system organizations, administers school food grants with Farm Boy and Farm to Cafeteria Canada, runs curriculum-aligned food literacy education, and develops Ontario food and farming policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Food Systems Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Food systems advocacy
• School food grants
• Sustainable agriculture
• Food policy network
• Food literacy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Sustain Ontario offers membership options for individuals and organizations to join their alliance and support their mission of promoting healthy, just, and sustainable food and farming systems in Ontario.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and organizations who support their mission to provide coordinated support for productive, equitable and sustainable food and farming systems.
3. Grant Funding: Sustain Ontario receives grant funding from partners (Farm Boy, Farm to Cafeteria Canada) to administer the 'nourish to flourish' school grant program, awarding $184,000 to approximately 59 schools across Ontario in 2026.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sustain Ontario is a province-wide cross-sectoral non-profit alliance that coordinates support for productive, equitable, and sustainable food and farming systems in Ontario. It administers grant programs (notably the "nourish to flourish" school grant), operates educational platforms (Food Is Science), convenes self-organizing networks and working groups, and develops policy frameworks (Ontario Food & Nutrition Strategy) to advance healthy, just food systems across the province.

Product overview

Sustain Ontario operates as a province-wide cross-sectoral alliance rather than a traditional product company. Their offerings consist primarily of grant programs (notably the 'nourish to flourish' school grant), educational platforms (Food Is Science), policy frameworks (Ontario Food & Nutrition Strategy), and collaborative networks/working groups covering food system topics from local procurement to Indigenous food sovereignty. These programs work together to advance their mission of healthy, just, and sustainable food and farming systems in Ontario.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Food Is Science: A website that supports educators to teach food literacy expectations embedded in Ontario's Science and Technology curriculum, providing experiential, evidence-based lesson plans for Grades 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
• nourish to flourish
• Ontario Food & Nutrition Strategy
• Vote ON Food and Farming 2025

Products and services

• "nourish to flourish" school grant program A province-wide grant program that awards $1,000-$10,000 one-time grants to Ontario K-12 schools to support in-school meal programs and food literacy initiatives, administered in partnership with Farm Boy and Farm to Cafeteria Canada. In 2026, the program will award $184,000 to an estimated 59 schools.
• Food Is Science An educational website that supports Ontario educators in teaching food literacy expectations embedded in the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum, providing experiential, evidence-based lesson plans, learning videos, related readings, and student resources for Grades 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
• Ontario Food & Nutrition Strategy A coordinated cross-ministerial policy framework developed collaboratively by Ontario's leading health, food, and farm groups to ensure healthy people, strong economy, resilient ecological systems, and educated children through integrated food policies and programming.
• Networks & Working Groups Self-organizing collaborative networks and working groups covering Buy Local Food, New Farmers/Harvesters/Producers, Poverty Reduction/Workers' Rights/Housing, Edible Education, Community Food Production, Northern Remote Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty, and Food Waste topics, enabling cross-sectoral coordination among Ontario's food system organizations.
• Food for Thought Lunch and Learn Series A webinar series featuring regional leaders discussing food system policy topics including local food procurement, community food growing on public land, and collaborative policy development, with past recordings available on YouTube.
• The Greenhouse Resource Library An online resource library providing tools, guides, and materials for food system advocates and practitioners across Ontario.
• Vote ON Food and Farming 2025 A provincial election campaign presenting food system policy priorities including local food purchasing, new farmer support, poverty reduction, Indigenous food sovereignty, school food programs, community food production, and food waste reduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ organizations engaged in participatory policy development process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farm BoycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Farm Boy partners with Sustain Ontario and Farm to Cafeteria Canada to offer the 'nourish to flourish' school grant program. Farm Boy provides funding support for the grant program which awards $184,000 to approximately 59 schools across Ontario to support in-school meal programs and food literacy initiatives. The partnership demonstrates a food retailer commitment to supporting local food systems and food education.
• Farm to Cafeteria CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Farm to Cafeteria Canada co-develops and co-administers the 'nourish to flourish' school grant program with Sustain Ontario and Farm Boy. They handle the online grant application portal and work with schools across Ontario to support farm-to-school initiatives and food literacy programs.
• NourishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNourish leads a network of 35+ Canadian hospitals working to increase the role of food in patient care and community well-being. Featured as a speaker in the Food for Thought Lunch and Learn Series discussing values-based procurement in healthcare settings.
• Just FoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Food is a community food organization in Ottawa working on food access and community growing. Their Director of Operations & Neighbourhood Planning, Kate Veinot, is a speaker in the Food for Thought series discussing policies for community food growing on public land.
• FoodShareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoodShare is a Toronto-based community food organization. Their Community Food Growing Senior Manager, Orlando Martín López Gómez, speaks in the Lunch and Learn series about accessing public land for community food growing projects.
• Waterloo Region Community Garden NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Waterloo Region Community Garden Network works on community gardening and urban agriculture. Their Chair Doug Jones speaks in the Lunch and Learn series about advantages of making land available for community growing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Community Food Centres Canada: National nonprofit building a network of community food centres that deliver food programs, skills training, and advocacy — directly comparable mission and operating model to Sustain Ontario's alliance approach.
• Farmers' Markets Ontario: Ontario-wide organization supporting local farmers' markets and Buy Local food initiatives — closely aligned with Sustain Ontario's Buy Local Food Network and policy advocacy.
• FoodShare Toronto: Toronto-based community food organization that addresses food access, urban agriculture, and food literacy — overlapping directly with Sustain Ontario's community food production, edible education, and equity priorities.
• Farm to Cafeteria Canada: National nonprofit that co-administers the 'nourish to flourish' school grant program with Sustain Ontario and Farm Boy, focusing on farm-to-school initiatives and food literacy across Canada.
• Just Food Ottawa: Ottawa-based community food organization working on food access and community growing, featured as a Sustain Ontario network speaker — comparable Ontario food access and community gardening focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ontario Federation of Agriculture: Largest general farm organization in Ontario representing farmer interests; overlaps with Sustain Ontario's sustainable agriculture and new farmer support priorities at a more industry-focused level.
• Greenbelt Foundation: Major Ontario funder that supported Sustain Ontario's 'Growing Local' report; works to protect Ontario's Greenbelt agricultural systems — broader geographic/environmental mandate but overlapping sustainable agriculture mission.
• Ecology North / Food Secure Canada: National civil society alliance working on food sovereignty, security, and sustainable agriculture policy — comparable policy-advocacy and coalition-building model but with national scope.
• Food Banks Canada: National charitable organization addressing food insecurity at scale — operates a broader hunger-relief mandate that overlaps with Sustain Ontario's food access and poverty reduction work.

Emerging players

• Nourish (Healthcare Food Network): Canadian network of 35+ hospitals working to increase food's role in patient care and community well-being — adjacent to Sustain Ontario's food-system work with a healthcare-institutional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sustainont
• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainontario
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustain-ontario---the-alliance-for-healthy-food-and-farming

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustain Ontario - The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming