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Have a project idea and need additional funding to make it happen? We’ve pulled together a list of grants and funding opportunities available to First Nations on the coast.
First Nations working to manage their territories and invest in their communities may be eligible to apply for funding from Crown governments, philanthropic foundations, and corporate community investment programs. And, through Coast Funds, participating First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii may have funding available for stewardship, conservation, and economic development projects in addition to fundraising support.
On this page, Coast Funds team members have compiled a list of additional funding opportunities for First Nations with upcoming deadlines.
Disclaimer: Coast Funds has made a reasonable effort to gather and check information. However, details and timelines for grant programs can change. When looking for funding, please check eligibility and program details on the funding organization’s webpage.
Prefer to view this list in a table? Skip to the bottom.
ARTS, LANGUAGE, & CULTURE
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CLEAN ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
CLIMATE, STEWARDSHIP, AND CONSERVATION
Government of Canada: Finder Tool
Indigenous bursaries search tool. You can search for bursaries by keyword, location, program of study, or Indigenous group.
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Government of Canada: Local Festivals – Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage
Provides funding for festivals that present the work of local artists, artisans, or heritage performers, including the celebration of LGBTQ2S+ communities and Indigenous culture.
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Indigenous Screen Office: Sector Development
Supports a wide array of initiatives and projects that aim to strengthen and grow the Indigenous screen sector. Workshops, labs, incubators, research projects, community-based programs, and funding for organizations whose mandate is to develop the Indigenous screen sector should consider applying to this program.
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Indigenous Youth Roots: Creation Grants
Provides funding to support community programs and projects along with mentorship, training, and capacity-building opportunities for projects/groups that seek to create impactful community change and increase the wellness, resiliency, and engagement of Indigenous youth.
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Na‐mi‐quai‐ni‐mak: I Remember Them Community Support Fund
To support Indigenous communities, Survivor Organizations, and regstered non‐profits in healing, memorials, and remembrance within their communities. Na-mi-quai-ni-mak funds projects related to the Indian Residential School System.
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New Relationship Trust: Education (K-12) Grants
Supports learning environments for First Nations’ kindergarten to Grade 12 classes.
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Scholarships Canada: Finder Tool
Matches applicants to scholarships based on the information provided when applicants create an account.
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Union of BC Municipalities: Indigenous Cultural Safety and Cultural Humility Training
Supports the enhancement of cultural safety and cultural humility in the delivery of local emergency management programs and services, including cultural safety and humility training, adapting emergency management tools to be inclusive of Indigenous peoples, and community emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
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Government of Canada: Professional and Institutional Development Program
Funds projects that develop the capacity of First Nations and Inuit communities to perform core functions of government such as planning and risk management, leadership, basic administration, and financial management.
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Government of Canada: Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund
Provides funding for locating, documenting, maintaining, and commemorating of burial sites associated with former residential schools, and responding to family wishes to commemorate or memorialize their losses and the children’s final resting places.
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Indigenous Services Canada: Community Opportunity Readiness Program
Provides funding for First Nation and Inuit Communities for a range of activities to support communities’ pursuit of economic opportunities in addition to helping applicants to submit proposals to seek additional funding.
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Indigenous Services Canada: Professional and Institutional Development Program
Supports projects that develop the capacity of First Nations and Inuit communities for core functions of government like planning and risk management, leadership, administration, and financial management.
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New Relationship Trust: BC Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund
Funds to support an upcoming Cannabis Business by facilitating community planning and engagement activities, as well as assisting with business planning, design, and implementation tasks associated with their cannabis project.
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New Relationship Trust: Declaration Act Engagement Fund (DAEF)
Multi-year funding contributions to support First Nation’s capacity to engage with the province on the implementation of the Declaration Act Action Plan and alignment of Provincial laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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New Relationship Trust: Food Security and Sovereignty
Supports the development, expansion, or strengthening of Indigenous food systems and innovation with the aim of promoting sustainability and growth in Indigenous agriculture and food sovereignty.
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New Relationship Trust: Indigenous Labour Market Fund
Funding to address three specific gaps in advancing Indigenous labour market and employment initiatives, to increase Indigenous labour market participation and job creation in BC while demonstrating respect for Indigenous culture, values, and traditions.
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Province of British Columbia: Residential School Response Fund
Funding for First Nations-led strategies to identify, investigate, protect, and commemorate the sites of former residential schools and hospitals in BC and for the mental health, wellness, and cultural supports required to do this work.
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Real Estate Foundation of BC: General Grants
Funds projects led by First Nations, non-profits, and other organizations working on projects relating to land use or real estate in BC.
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Union of BC Municipalities: Public Notification and Evacuation Route Planning
Provides funding to develop evacuation route plans and/or public notification plans that provide information for First Nations, other local governments, and community members in the event of an emergency.
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Union of BC Municipalities: Regional Community to Community Program
Provides funding to support the advancement of First Nation-local government reconciliation and relationship building.
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Union of BC Municipalities: Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation
Provides funding to Indigenous organizations and local governments who want to create opportunities for in-person dialogue and relationship building which can help advance collaborative reconciliation plans, protocols, agreements, or future projects.
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BC Hydro: Indigenous Communities Conservation Program
Supports Indigenous communities by providing energy efficiency upgrades to homes, installation training, and free energy-saving products.
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Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR): Community Energy Plans Stream
Funding to support remote communities’ progress through various stages of planning and implementation of their decarbonization projects, specifically in the development, maintenance, and management of a Community Energy Plan.
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Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR): Demand Side Management Stream
Funding to support remote communities to undertake capital improvements and retrofits that upgrade premises such as residential and community buildings that results in improved energy efficiency and load management.
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Environment and Climate Change Canada: Indigenous Leadership Fund
Supports Indigenous-owned and led renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon heating projects to reduce emissions.
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Government of Canada: Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program
Funds projects that contribute to Indigenous-led climate action through biomass heating, district heating, and combined heat and power systems, as well as research, development, and demonstration projects.
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Government of Canada: Lands and Economic Development Services Program (LEDSP)
To assist with enhancing the economic development, land and environmental capacity of communities and to support the establishment of the conditions for economic development to occur, increasing their participation in the economy.
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Government of Canada: Zero-Emission Vehicles Awareness
Provides funding for Indigenous-led awareness and education projects for cleaner transportation and clean fuels.
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Project Zero: Circular Economy Accelerator
Supports hands-on operations for businesses who seek to adopt circular economy principles, reduce waste and emissions, increase revenue, and develop innovative practices.
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Province of British Columbia: CleanBC Plastics Action Fund (Indigenous Projects Stream)
Supports plastic waste reduction projects to promote a circular economy in British Columbia through recycling, remanufacturing, reuse, and repair projects.
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Province of British Columbia: Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) – Economic Capacity
Supports communities to build internal capacity for economic development.
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Province of British Columbia: Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) – Economic Diversification
Supports projects that promote economic diversification and development.
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Province of British Columbia: Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) – Forest Impact Transition
Supporting economic recovery and transition in communities affected by changes in the forest sector.
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AddressBC: First Nations Grant Program
Provides funding to ICI Society First Nations Members looking to develop a GIS dataset of civic addresses or to improve their existing civic address dataset.
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Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Research and Innovation Stream
Supports the development and adoption of clean technology that will help drive the changes required to achieve a low-carbon economy and promote sustainable growth in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.
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BC Hydro: Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program
We fund projects to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by construction of BC Hydro dams.
• Grant Range: Up to $5,000
• Location: British Columbia
• Application Deadline: November 1, 2024
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First Nations Health Authority: Environmental Contaminants Program
Supports BC First Nation community-based research projects that explore the link between human health and environmental contaminants.
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Fortis BC: Indigenous Communities Conservation Program
Supports Indigenous communities looking to improve the energy efficiency and comfort in their community’s homes.
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Government of Canada: First Nations Baseline Assessment Program on Health and the Environment
Support to assess the baseline status of human health and the environment in First Nations communities and traditional territories.
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Habitat Conservation Trust Fund: Fish & Wildlife Grants
Supports the improvement and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats, as well as the identification, planning, and development of ecological corridors, to promote ecological connectivity and protect Indigenous stewardship values within these corridors.
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Low Carbon Economy Fund: Indigenous Leadership Fund
Provides funding for Indigenous-owned and led renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon heating projects, delivered through four funding streams: First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Designated.
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New Relationship Trust: Guardians and Stewardship Training Initiative
Offers grants to support Guardians initiatives with funding for training, education, knowledge, and skills development to enhance local Guardians with capacity to manage, monitor, protect, conserve, restore, improve the stewardship of lands, waters, wildlife and other natural resources of their ancestral lands.
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Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions: Community Climate Action Events
Provides funds to non-profit organizations, Indigenous organizations, and First Nations planning events that drive tangible climate action.
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Pacific Salmon Foundation: Community Salmon Program
Funds volunteer and community–driven organizations that undertake salmon conservation and restoration projects.
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Wah-ila-toos: Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities
Provides funding for renewable energy and capacity building projects to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for heating and electricity in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities across Canada.
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Watershed Security Fund: Grants Program
Supports projects and initiatives that advance the resilience of watersheds, while also prioritizing reconciliation and fostering collaborative relationships to responsibly manage and preserve healthy watersheds for future generations.
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Weston Family Foundation: Northern Conservation Program
Supports projects that will deliver tangible, realistic results for biodiversity conservation in northern ecosystems, and demonstrate how ongoing stewardship of conserved lands will be accomplished by Indigenous communities and partners.
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Know about a funding opportunity that isn’t on this list? Let us know at info@coastfunds.ca.
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