Funding
New funding opportunities
Open Now. The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills provides funding through the Indigenous Skills Training and Education program (ISTE) to support self-determined, community-based, and culturally relevant skills training and education programs. Please contact PSFS staff by email ([email protected]) to obtain more information on criteria and how to apply.
Open Now. First Nations Guardians and Stewardship Training Initiative. Until funds are exhausted. The Province of BC through the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship (WLRS) and a cohort of First Nations knowledge holders of Guardian work and
programs then worked collaboratively and through engagement with First Nations to inform a framework for dispersing funds to First Nations for Guardian Training Initiatives. The WLRS and the First Nations Guardians Working Group have now partnered with the New Relationship Trust (NRT) to administer and deliver an Indigenous-led Guardian and Stewardship Training Initiative. The Guardian and Stewardship Training Initiative offers 3 funding streams: Planning and Capacity for New and Emerging Guardians Programs (Up to $50,000), Individual First Nation Community Training for Emerging and Established Guardians and Stewardship Program within one community (up to $150,000) and Regional First Nation Community Training for Emerging and Established Guardians and Stewardship Program for multiple communities (up to $300,000).
I-CEDAR. Closes August 11, 2024. The Indigenous Community Entrepreneurship Development and Action Recovery program, or I-CEDAR, is a program with a mission to drive economic recovery for Indigenous artists, cultural adventurers, and culinary creatives in the hospitality and tourism industries. I-CEDAR provides one-to-one mentorships, hands-on training, cutting-edge business concepts, and practical learning that draws from traditional values. The program is designed to equip Indigenous artists, creators, and entrepreneurs in tourism and hospitality with the skills needed to build or re-structure their businesses to successfully transition to the emerging domestic Indigenous tourism sector. The program is entirely online, and students attend three days per week. September 09, 2024 will have two cohorts with the following schedules for 14 weeks, starting on September 2024, and ending on December 2024.
Gaming Grants: Capital Projects. Closes August 15, 2024. To be considered for funding, a capital project must fit into one of the following categories. Applicants should apply under the category that best matches their project: 1. Facilities: the construction of new facilities and renovation or maintenance of existing facilities; 2. Community Infrastructure: the development of public amenities that improve B.C. residents’ quality of life; and 3. Acquisitions: the purchase of fixed capital assets for long-term ownership and use by the organization (e.g. vehicles, equipment and IT projects). 4. Repatriation Projects: the repatriation of Indigenous cultural belongings. The applicant must demonstrate that matching funds are secured and available for immediate use upon application for a Capital Project Grant. Total costs for all projects must be between $20,000 and $1,250,000. Note that governments, including First Nations, are not eligible to apply.
BC Arts Council Grant Programs. The BC Arts Council has MANY programs with intakes throughout the year. Please visit their website for information for all opportunities: https://www.bcartscouncil.ca/program.
- Professional Development – Individuals. Closes September 4, 2024. grants assist professional artists, cultural practitioners, production and technical personnel, and arts administrators with specific, short-term learning activities intended to advance their practice or career. Activities should lead to clearly articulated learning or career outcomes, goals, or objectives. Maximum request is up to $7,500.
- Arts Circulation and Touring. Closes September 4, 2024.
- Individuals. Grants received in this program are intended to enhance professional and artistic opportunities and exposure of B.C. artists, collectives, and arts organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally. Three categories are available: Outbound Activity, Inbound Activity and Digitization and Translation. Maximum request is $25,000
- Organizations. Grants received in this program are intended to enhance professional and artistic opportunities and exposure of B.C. artists, collectives, and arts organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally. Three categories are available: Outbound Activity, Inbound Activity and Digitization and Translation. Maximum request is $25,000
New Horizons for Seniors Program – Community-based projects. Closes September 12, 2024. Projects submitted for this grant (up to $25,000) must meet at least 1 of the following program objectives: promoting volunteerism among seniors and other generations, engaging seniors in the community through the mentoring of others, expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse, supporting the social participation and inclusion of seniors, providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.
Oshki Wupoowane| The Blanket Fund. Reconciliation Action Grant. Closes September 13, 2024.This grant stream will support reconciliation activities, events, and initiatives in communities that contribute to cultural revitalization, elevate Indigenous culture, languages, and traditions, increase understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, or other grassroots initiatives that move reconciliation forward. It is a one-time grant. Up to $15,000.
Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding program. Closes September 15, 2024. This program provides funding to First Nations and local governments in B.C. to enhance their capacity to withstand and adapt to natural and climate-driven hazards through: activities that bolster community resilience by providing data, building partnerships, and supporting long-term disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation planning, and structural and non-structural disaster risk reduction projects. To apply, First Nations and local governments who have the authority and ownership to develop, implement, maintain, and operate the proposed project can submit an expression of interest (EOI). The EOIs are assessed by the program criteria and successful EOIs will be invited to submit a full proposal with more technical and financial details.
Endangered Languages Documentation Programme. Closes October 1, 2024. This program provides grants for the documentation of endangered languages globally. ELDP especially welcomes applications from documenters from language communities, local scholars and students from the country where the language is spoken/signed, as well as collaborative and interdisciplinary projects. There are no restrictions on nationality or host institution, language documenters of any nationality to undertake projects in any part of the world with our funding. Small Grants (SG): up to 10,000 Euros for up to 12 months. Individual Graduate Scholarships (IGS): support for PhD students for up to 36 months, including a stipend for living expenses (no salary and no tuition) and fieldwork expenses. Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships (IPF): support for early career scholars for up to 24 months, including salary and fieldwork expenses, up to 250,000 Euros. Major Documentation Projects (MDP): any project over 10,000 Euros, lasting up to 36 months, for a maximum of 300,000 Euros. Legacy Materials Grants (LMG): up to 10,000 Euros to support the digitization and archiving of existing analogue language recordings is at risk of loss or damage.
Small-scale Ecosystem Grants. Closes November 28, 2024. Do you have a small-scale project, that can be completed in two years or less, that helps improve ecological health and native biodiversity in the Basin? Small-scale Ecosystem grants are available to enhance a terrestrial and/or aquatic ecosystem, such as wetlands, fish habitat, forests or grasslands. Eligible applicants include registered non-profits, local governments and First Nations in the Columbia Basin Trust region.
Nation Building Grants (New Relationship Trust). December 1, 2024 or when funds are exhausted. This program provides multi-year funding opportunities to First Nations and Tribal Councils in British Columbia to support their nation building activities according to their self-determined priorities. A project or initiative meant to strengthen the institutional, governance, and community capacities in reclaiming and rebuilding resiliency, self-determination, and sovereignty, within each Nation’s own context is considered an eligible project. One year grants of up to $60,000 or 2 year grants of up to $120,000.
Indigenous Labour Market Fund. Closes December 1, 2024. This fund will support Indigenous communities in building capacity in gathering foundational data used to identify gaps, opportunities, and strategies for future employment training, recruitment, placements, retention, and long-term employment to increase the participation of Indigenous peoples in sectors relevant to each indigenous community or region. Three funding streams are available: Labour Market Study stream with grants up to $150,000; Cultural Recognition Support stream with grants up to $250,000 and the Job Fairs stream with grants up to $75,000. Applicants can apply to any one of the 3 streams of funding but can only receive funding one funding stream (i.e. project) at a time.
Music Industry Initiatives. Closes March 1, 2025. This program supports initiatives and events that build the capacity of B.C.’s music industry by developing knowledge, skills, processes, resources, opportunities, and abilities to meet existing needs. Priority will be given to new or expanding initiatives, and to projects that serve a clear need or gap. Projects must demonstrate a broad benefit to B.C.’s music industry, or to an aspect of B.C.’s music industry, and cannot predominantly benefit one artist, company, organization, or their clients. Projects must have a business or industry development component, and not focus primarily on artistic growth. For example, this program supports workshops on touring and building audiences and skills related to the use of technology, but does not fund music lessons, coaching, or masterclasses. Grant amounts: $2,000 – $60,000, funding up to 75% of project expenses. The remaining 25% may be in-kind contributions, investment, earned revenue, and/or other public funding.
Climate Disaster Response Fund. (Heritage BC) Applications Processed on first come, first served basis. is a one-time grant opportunity that will provide limited resources to heritage-focused organizations with resources damaged by recent climate and natural disasters in British Columbia. The total allocation of funds is $75,000 with a maximum award of $8,000. Heritage BC reserves the right to manage each request internally. All projects must indicate immediacy and urgency of the issues, an approximate timeline for scope of work, and a feasible project within the framework of this grant.
Youth in Heritage 2024/25. Youth in Heritage is a flexible Wage Subsidy program. You can apply at any time, our applications close once all grants have been allocated We both support youth who are already employed and provide funding for jobs still accepting applications to help meet employers where they are at. Apply for 50% up to $3,200 in wage subsidies for youth employee.
Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages. Invitation for submissions: Innovation Projects that Support Indigenous Languages. On-going basis- no deadline. Each fiscal year, the Commission will invest in a limited number of innovation projects, subject to available budget. These projects will create something new in the Indigenous languages space, and/or significantly improve upon initiatives that already exist, in order to effect real change. As stated in the Commission’s mandate, these innovative projects must be specific to Indigenous languages education and revitalization. There are no deadlines for submission, and the Commission invites project submissions on an ongoing basis.
Canada Council for the Arts Funding. Creating, Knowing, Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. See Grants and Deadlines: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/deadlines
- RBC Emerging Artists. Applications accepted year-round. Support initiatives that help emerging artists by bridging the gap from academic to professional career.
Legacy Fund- Building Communities through Arts and Heritage. (Federal Government). Applications accepted on continuous basis. This Department of Canadian Heritage Program provides funding for community-initiated capital projects, intended for community use. Recipients may receive up to 50 per cent of eligible project expenses up to a maximum of $500,000. unding supports community-initiated capital projects that: commemorate a significant local historical event or pay tribute to a significant local historical personality; mark a 100th anniversary or greater, in increments of 25 years (e.g., 125th, 150th); involve the restoration, renovation, or transformation of existing buildings or exterior spaces with local community significance that are intended for community use; encourage arts and heritage activities in the local community that are intended for and accessible to the general public.
Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. (Federal Government). No deadline- on-going. The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces. The CCSF annual grants and contributions budget is $54 million for the period 2018-2028.
National Creation Fund. No Deadline. The National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund invests up to $3 million a year in the development of 15 to 20 compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance, music and inter-disciplinary performing arts. Fuelled entirely by donors, the Fund provides Canadian artists with the additional time, space and resources they need to create great work. The Fund invests in both new work, and in promising productions that need additional development after their initial run to produce stronger, more polished work that will be remounted and toured across Canada and around the world.
Movable Cultural Property Grants. (Federal Government). No Deadline. Movable Cultural Property Grants help designated organizations acquire cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance to Canada, as outlined in the Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Designated organizations are located in Canada and demonstrate the ability to ensure the long-term preservation of cultural property. Grants can be used to purchase cultural property: for which an export permit has been denied; or that is important to Canada’s national heritage and available for purchase outside the country.