Item - 2026.HL33.3

The Board of Health:  

1. Authorized the Medical Officer of Health to allocate $2.157 million in 2026 and $1.051 million in 2027 out of its Operating Budget to the Toronto Urban Health Fund for grants to the twenty-one projects already deemed eligible.

2. Authorized the Medical Officer of Health to negotiate, enter into and execute agreements with Ontario HIV Treatment Network for up to $0.900 million in 2026 and up to $0.900 million in 2027 of the Toronto Urban Health Fund for a pilot project to advance the Toronto to Zero initiative on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Medical Officer of Health and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

3. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to report back in 2027 on the outcomes and lessons learned from the Toronto Urban Health Fund interim renewal approach and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network pilot, including impacts on community-based organizations, administrative burden, and program effectiveness.

The Toronto Urban Health Fund (TUHF) provides grant funding to community-based organizations (CBOs) to deliver HIV and substance use prevention programs.

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has adopted initial findings from a review of the Toronto Urban Health Fund grant program to reduce administrative burden for community-based organizations, including streamlining the reporting process and project requirements. Toronto Public Health will be returning to the Board of Health in 2027 with additional proposed changes to the Toronto Urban Health Fund for the 2028 funding cycle. To facilitate service continuity, Toronto Public Health has implemented an interim approach, approved by the Board of Health. The approach streamlined the approval process to renew funding for twenty-one previously approved projects for the 2026 and 2027 funding period.

This report provides an overview of the Toronto Urban Health Fund and the interim process for funding renewal and outlines recommendations for 2026 and 2027 project grants. The report also recommends allocating funds to the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) for a pilot project to align the Toronto Urban Health Fund grant program with the Toronto to Zero (TtZ) initiative.