Toronto/CMEDIA: The City of Toronto has reportedly won the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 – 2026 Mayors Challenge, Mayor Olivia Chow has announced.
“The most effective city halls are bold, creative, and proactive in solving problems and meeting residents’ needs…Mayors Challenge to help more of them succeed…supporting this year’s 24 winners as they bring their innovative projects to life — and to seeing their ideas spread to more cities around the world.” – Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., and three-term mayor of New York City has said.
“As food costs continue to rise, one in four visitors to Toronto’s food banks are children. Winning the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge means Toronto will tackle the cost of living and food insecurity crises head on…using the city’s purchasing power to lower costs, support local jobs and farms, and save families nearly $900 a year on groceries. This is about giving every kid what they need to excel — and reshaping the food economy around them,” Chow has said.
An investment of $1.4-million would be received by the City as it works with community partners to expand bulk purchasing for school food programs, lowering food costs while supporting local jobs and Canadian farms.
The award came in the wake of the City’s 2026 budget, which invested to reduce the cost of living, including expanding school food programs to an additional 155 schools and 62,000 students this year.
Supported by the city of Toronto, morning meal programs provide immediate relief on grocery bills, delivering almost $900 in potential savings for families with two kids. Toronto has boosted investment in school food programs by more than 80 per cent since 2023.
“School food programs are critical to helping children focus, learn, and thrive…creating local jobs, supporting local suppliers, building wealth in our community while strengthening food access across our city,” Ryan Noble, Executive Director, North York Harvest Food Bank has said.
Having benefited from the input of key community partners including North York Harvest Food Bank, Toronto Foundation for Student Success, Second Harvest and the Coalition for Healthy School Food, the City’s successful application in partnership with Food Reach, a social enterprise of North York Harvest Food Bank aimed to pilot creating a School Food Hub model that supports community-based food systems, creates local jobs and improves how school food is purchased, coordinated, and delivered.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 – 2026 Mayors Challenge is a competition to Spur local government innovation that improves resident lives.
One among 24 winners, selected from more than 630 applications, Toronto will receive $1 million USD ($1.4 million CAD) as well as operational support and additional funding for dedicated staff to bring the school food innovations to life.
