Deadline: February 24, 2027
Applications are open for the Generation Regen Challenge 2027. Agriculture is a cornerstone of economic resilience in Canada, the U.S., contributing significantly to GDP, supporting millions of jobs, and playing a vital role in global food security. As the sector evolves, regenerative agriculture is emerging as a powerful climate-smart approach to restoring ecosystems, improving soil and water health, strengthening long-term farm resilience, and delivering lasting environmental and social benefits. Farmers, innovators, and communities are uniquely positioned to drive this transition toward a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future.
As the Founding Partner of the Generation Regen Challenge, BMO Community Giving is delighted to launch the Generation Regen Challenge 2027: presented by BMO, in collaboration with One Young World. Building on the success of its inaugural year, the Challenge will support innovative social enterprises and non-profits developing solutions across Canada and the U.S. that restore ecosystems, sequester carbon, and rebuild resilient local food systems. By empowering innovators to scale impactful solutions, the Generation Regen Challenge aims to advance a global transition toward agriculture that heals the land while feeding people equitably and sustainably.
Benefits
- Two Challenge Winners: Grants of $60,000 to support their projects (Canada & U.S. only)
- Four Challenge Finalists: Grants of $20,000 to support their projects (Canada & U.S. only)
- One Innovator Prize: A grant of $15,000 to support their project (South Africa only)
- All Recipients: Full scholarships to participate in the One Young World Summit 2027, tokyo, Japan which takes place from Sept. 28 to Oct 1. Scholarship is inclusive of return flights, accommodation and catering
- All Recipients: Lifelong membership to the one Young World Ambassador Community, a global network of 20,000+ young leaders across 190+ countries
Eligibility
To be considered for the Challenge for Canada and the U.S. you must:
- Be between 18 and 35 years of age.
- Be leading a non-profit, charity, social enterprise or purpose focused start-up.
- Your organisation must be one of the following:
- A registered Canadian non-profit/charity.
- A registered U.S. 501c3.
- A social enterprise registered in Canada or the U.S. If your organisation is a social enterprise you must propose a project with a social purpose and confirm that 100% of grant funds will be used for this project.
- Your organisation must have been registered for at least one year by 5 November 2026.
- You must propose a project that will be delivered by your organisation with the Challenge grant funds. The project/programme must be based in and focused on Canada and/or the U.S. This may be an existing project/programme or something new.
- Your organisation must have an operational bank account that can receive grant funds. You must be able to provide audited financial statements.
Evaluation Criteria
Successful applicants will:
- Propose a robust regenerative or sustainable agriculture project to deliver through their organisation with the Challenge grant funds.
- The Generation Regen Challenge recognises that, while all ‘regenerative agriculture’ is sustainable, not all ‘sustainable agriculture’ is regenerative. Projects that can be considered examples of ‘sustainable agriculture’ will certainly be considered but projects that can also be considered examples of ‘regenerative agriculture’ are preferred.
- Propose a project capable of having a positive impact on one or more of the following areas:
- Local farming: strengthen farming practices, improve productivity, sustainability and climate resilience.
- Soil health: projects that increase lands’ capacity to sequester carbon, hold and filter water and improve other elements of soil functionality.
- Animal welfare: enhancing the welfare of farmed livestock and influenced wildlife.
- Biodiversity: protecting, restoring and enhancing biodiversity on farms.
- Water: enhancing water stewardship on farms towards a healthier watershed.
- Crop rotation and diversity: rotating crops and using diverse plant species to improve soil fertility and reduce pest pressure.
- Indigenous and cultural practices: supporting First Nations, Inuit and Metis / Native American food and agricultural practices, including increasing understanding, awareness and broadening adoption.
- Food security systems: improving access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for underserved or at-risk communities.
- Demonstrate innovation and prove potential or actual change with projects that align to one of the following stages of innovation:
- Developing and Testing: accelerator programs, experiments and trials, innovation prototyping, needs assessing etc.
- Making the Case: experiments and trials, research, standards of evidence, business case development etc.
- Delivering and Implementing: pilot initiatives, public and social labs etc.
- Growing and Scaling: expansion of a proven idea, replication of a proven idea, impact measurement etc.
- Changing Systems: policy and white paper development, etc.
- Demonstrate their ability to deliver the project within proposed timeframe, manage funds provided and conduct required reporting and analysis.
- Demonstrate a commitment to safety and equity. Projects should prioritise the safety and well-being of all participants and communities involved, while promoting equitable access, fair labour practices, and inclusive decision-making processes that respect the rights and dignity of all stakeholders, particularly marginalised and underserved communities.
Application
All applications must be submitted in either English or French. Only one application per organisation can be considered.
For more information, visit Generation Regen Challenge.
