GRANTING

Eligibility: 

1.  First Nations organizations or communities in BC that have not previously received funding through the Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) or round one of Indigenous Watersheds Initiative (IWI) funding.

2. This funding is available for new projects and/or projects that are in progress.  Funded activities need to be completed by December 2024.

 

Due to limited funding, we suggest a maximum of two project proposals per organization. A suggested requested amount is $25,000 – 300,000 per project proposal.

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This round of funding will prioritize proposals that come from regions of the province where few or no applications were received under IWI Round One or HWI, particularly the following watershed basins in BC:  Mackenzie, Nass, Stikine, Taku, Yukon, Skeena, North Vancouver Island and North and Central Coast. 

 

Funding applications will be assessed on how they incorporate one or more of the criteria below: 

• Supporting intergenerational learning, mentorship and the fostering of future watershed stewards and champions; 

• Supporting the advancement of UNDRIP implementation; 

• Incorporating Indigenous knowledge and laws; 

• Building or strengthening partnerships; 

• Connecting community members to their land, cultures, languages, food systems, and traditions; 

• Restoring and rehabilitating watersheds; 

• Supporting watershed stewardship such as data collection, ecosystem assessments, implementing traditional stewardship practices, training; 

• Supporting watershed planning or mapping; 

• Advancing climate adaptation and mitigation; and  

• Educating and engaging community on watershed health. 

 

We recognize that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, and that local priorities may look different from community to community. We will also give careful consideration to projects that do not fit discreetly in existing government funding programs.  

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The application period for Round Two opened March 13, 2023 and closed on April 24, 2023.  This is the final funding opportunity for the Indigenous Watersheds Initiative.