Fundraising and Grants

The following information has been excerpted from the OCDSB Funds Management Guide. For further information, please refer to the guide and our Funds Management page.

1. The school principal is responsible for ensuring that fundraising activities comply with Board policies and procedures and is ultimately responsible for approving the School Council fundraising plan.
2. The fundraising activity must not result in any person, including school board staff or volunteers, benefiting materially or financially from the activity
3. A fundraising plan (or budget) should be established at the start of the year or, for initiatives identified during the year, once the plan to proceed with the initiative is approved.
4. The intended use of funds should be clearly defined prior to the commencement of any fundraising activity.
5. The intended use may include an amount to meet School Council administrative requirements or to serve as a reasonable reserve to meet unanticipated student needs.
6. Resources generated through fundraising activities should be used during the school year for the benefit of existing students. Deficit spending and loan financing arrangements are not permitted. Unspent funds for continuing/recurring initiatives are to be carried forward to the following year for that purpose.
7. Funds can be raised for specified projects to be undertaken in future years. Common projects include playground structure replacement and landscaping enhancements.
8. Prior approval may be required from various departments within the District. For example, prior to purchasing playground equipment, the principal must contact the District’s Facilities Division to ensure that equipment purchased meets safety standards.
9. Capital equipment purchased using School Council generated funds becomes the property of the Board.
10. Certain fundraising activities may result in donations of property that are eligible for an official donation receipt for income tax purposes. Refer to the Charitable Donations section of this Guide.
11. Residual balances relating to discontinued initiatives may be repurposed by the School Council. Large balances should be returned to their contributors (e.g. donations received for a playground structure should be returned to the donor if the project is cancelled).

The Ontario government’s School Food and Beverage Policy includes nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools. Because many fundraising projects are centered on food sales, School Councils need to assess their fundraising practices to ensure they are meeting the standard. 

Healthy fundraising is raising funds through activities that are not related to food or that utilize healthy food and beverages. Healthy fundraising reinforces student learning about nutrition and encourages healthy eating habits for those who buy and consume the items. It also provides parents, family members, and friends who are interested in supporting school fundraising efforts with a healthy option. Their willingness to support school fundraisers may be impeded if the foods and beverages are of limited nutritional quality.

For more information, see our School Food and Beverage Policy page and refer to District Procedure PR.649.SCO - Use Of External Food Providers In Elementary Schools.

Food Providers

The Procedure’s Selection of a Food Provider section states the principal may involve staff and the school council in the selection process and that input from staff and the school council may be sought regarding the selection of the provider, selection of menu items, determination of frequency, recruitment of volunteers, and processes for administering the food program.

Every year, the OCDSB revises its list of providers of food and dairy to schools, which are available in our Resource Library. We aim to ensure that schools have access to local suppliers of healthy nutritional food at a reasonable cost. 

Fresh from the Farm
Fresh from the Farm allows schools to support their communities and Ontario farmers by selling Ontario vegetables and apples. Schools can keep 40% of the sales, while 50% goes to farmers and 10% supports program costs. This program is a partnership between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association.

School Councils can allocate a percentage of their funds raised to The Education Foundation of Ottawa and/or another registered charity. Charitable fundraising initiatives help foster community and school partnerships, increase student and community engagement, and make a positive impact on student achievement.

The Education Foundation of Ottawa (EFO) exists to reduce barriers for OCDSB students in need. They are a grassroots organization that does not receive government funding and relies solely on individual and corporate donations, as well as successful funding applications from other granters. Dedicating fundraisers and directing donations to support the efforts of the EFO are important ways to not only increase knowledge and awareness about our work, but also to instill a sense of responsibility among students and their families to give back to our school community. As OCDSB has strategic goals of creating, building, and nurturing a sense of caring and of social responsibility within our Board, supporting the work of the Foundation helps meet those desired outcomes. Watch this video to learn about the work of the EFO and visit their website to find out more about how School Councils can support the Foundation. 

Sponsorships often involve pre-determined benefits for the sponsor, such as recognition, and must adhere to the OCDSB Partnerships, Sponsorships, Donations, And Cooperative Ventures procedure.

Acceptable recognition includes such practices as the display of banners or plaques, acknowledgment in programs, recognition on communications and media releases, logos on uniforms, gymnasium and outdoor playing field signage, promotional use of official phraseology, and commemorative certificates.

This is a guaranteed funding source for every School Council. Each School Council receives $500 to assist with parent communication and other parent engagement efforts. Schools with both an intermediate (Grades 7-8) and secondary (Grades 9-12) stream may receive $500 for each, for a total of $1,000.

The Ministry provides this money to the school board, which in turn gives it to the school principal to give to the School Council. Guidelines state that this money is to "support the parent engagement activities of its school councils." School Councils are expected to "seek out the advice and ideas of other parents and partners" about how best to spend the money. The School Council must approve all the expenditures for activities funded with this money.

The Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants program provides funding to enable school boards to work with parents to support projects and initiatives that remove local barriers that prevent parents from participating and engaging fully in their children's learning and educational progress.

School projects will demonstrate a commitment to respecting the role of parents and families in students' educational experiences by working with parents and families or seeking parent input on how schools can create identity-affirming schools and communities in at least one of the following areas:

• Addressing social inclusion and racism, specifically anti-Asian, anti-Black, and anti-Indigenous racism, and other prejudices toward racialized and marginalized groups. 
• Supporting identity-affirming, culturally responsive, and healing-centred mental health strategies.
• Engaging parent and community voices, particularly those of historically marginalized groups. 
• Knowledge building for parents on student opportunities in a de-streamed classroom and/or a comprehensive literacy program. 

Learn about the 2024-2025 School Council Parents Reaching Out Grant.

In addition to these, there are many other grants that School Councils have access to. We have listed some examples below; be sure to check the websites regularly for information about eligibility, deadlines, and application processes.

• TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Grant
• Indigo Love of Reading Literacy Fund Grant
• City of Ottawa Schoolyard Tree Planting Grant Program
• City of Ottawa Community Environmental Projects Grant Program
• Canada Post Community Foundation Grants