Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) - Grant Stream New!
Funder
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
Deadline Details
Funding Program End date: 2028-09-01
Funder Organization Type
- Federal Government
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Gathering, developing, use, and protection of Indigenous knowledge and science;
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Indigenous leadership and participation in forest stewardship; and
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The identification, consideration, and pursuit of economic development opportunities.
Eligible Community
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments, including representative regional and national governments and organizations (such as national councils, tribal councils, etc.) who hold recognized collective Indigenous or Treaty rights under Section 35 of the Constitution Act (1982)
Required Community Contribution
No community contribution required
Funding Stacking Restrictions
Yes
Professional Input Required
No
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Eligible project activities:
Grants are designed to support the following types of Indigenous- or government-led sustainable forest management (SFM) planning, forest policy development, or other instances where free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) is sought in relation to forest sector development:
1. Preparation for engagement with industry- or governments by
- Gathering, developing, and protecting Indigenous knowledge and science
- Hiring forest sector expertise (professional services)
- Increasing internal capacity to respond to government and industry
- Organizing events, conferences, and workshops on forest sector issues and interests
2. Engagement or consulting with industry or a provincial/territorial government on:
- Development of forest sector policy
- Land use planning
- Sustainable forest management planning
Type of Funding
- Grant
Range of Funding Available per Project
- Under $100 000
Description of Funding
- Grants of up to $45,000 per project are available to support Indigenous communities and entities in preparing for and participating in sustainable forest management planning, forest policy development and activities related to free, prior and informed consent in the forest sector.
- Please be aware that the Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) has a limited budget. On a competitive basis, the merits, risks, and method for determining the amount of grant funding will be assessed for your proposed project. The assessment will consider your project’s purpose and expected outcome, work and financial plans (budget) and team capacity.
- You are strongly encouraged to consult the IFI Applicant Guide for detailed direction and/or examples of information sought in the application.
- The Program can fund both capacity projects (such as planning),
- The IFI was renewed in 2026 in the amount of $13 million over three years.
Percentage of Project Funded
IFI funds up to 100%
Eligible Costs
EngineeringDesign
Planning
Community Engagement
Capacity Building for the Community
Training
Eligible expenditures include costs that support your project:
- Honoraria (where the individual Eligible Recipient is not already in receipt of salary or other form of stipend to attend the event(s)), ceremonial costs, and hospitality costs (including cultural gifts and prizes) for community engagement events and project meetings;
- Costs of salaries, wages and benefits, excluding post-employment benefits such as severance;
- Costs for training and skills development, including wages, stipends, or other forms of financial transfers to non-salaried trainees and students, and fees paid to trainers and training organizations (including academic tuition) and related costs (including living expenses, child care, and other costs while in training and in transit to training);
- Professional, legal and technical services; such as, but not limited to research, consulting, legal advice, engineering, trades, and laboratory services;
- Travel costs, including accommodation, meals, and allowances (based on National Joint Council rates);
- Communications and media services; such as, but not limited to communications development, translation, editing, publication and printing;
- Rental of facilities, transportation, and equipment;
- Laboratory, scientific, field, and personal safety equipment and supplies;
- Overhead costs, provided that they are directly related to the conduct of the project and can be attributed to it, up to 15% of NRCan’s total contribution; and
- GST/PST/HST, net of any tax rebate to which the Eligible Recipient is entitled.
Reporting Requirements
No reporting requirements
Expected Timeframe for Funding Decision
NRCan’s service standard for taking a funding decision is currently 120 business days (6 months). All efforts will be made to notify applicants whether their IFI GRANT application is waitlisted or rejected within 1 month of receipt. At the start of every quarter of the federal fiscal year (e.g. April 1, July 1, October 1, January 1 of any year), NRCan will select high-ranked applications from the existing waitlist of approved proposals.