First Nation Adapt Program: funding application guidelines for First Nations South of 60° parallel

On this page

• Purpose
• Program overview
  • Activities the program supports
  • Expenses the program covers
• Who can apply
  • External partnerships
• Available funding
  • Dedicated flood mapping and water resiliency funding
• How the program works with First Nations
• Information sharing
• How to apply
• After you apply
• Co-funding and other funding opportunities
• Useful resources

Purpose

The purpose of this page is to help First Nations South of the 60⁰ parallel learn more about the First Nation Adapt (FNA) program at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and how to submit an application to the program. This is complementary to the First Nation Adapt Program.

Program overview

We work with First Nations to support them in addressing their context-specific climate change adaptation priorities. Projects must be led by First Nation communities and organizations south of the 60th parallel. Projects must focus on adapting to the impacts of climate change. Priority areas identified through discussions with First Nations include:

• flooding
• sea level rise
• wildfires
• winter road failures
• risks to archeological and cultural sites
• forestry and fishery management
• drought
• water source vulnerabilities
• other emerging priorities

Examples of projects the program can fund include:

• risk assessments of climate change impacts
• identification and assessment of adaptation options
• small-scale implementation of adaptation actions
• development of tools to support capacity of or access to climate change hazard information and adaptation planning resources

Examples of projects the program cannot fund include:

• projects led by consultants, academics or other stakeholders that are not First Nation communities and organizations
• emissions reduction-focused projects (for example clean or renewable energy)
• capital projects and large scale implementation projects
• research and development projects involving unproven or unverified technologies

The program can support multi-year projects. The average cost of an adaptation project for FNA is approximately $180,000, with costs varying based on the scope and nature of projects. For the program's small-scale implementation funding stream, the maximum cost is $250,000 per project. Project that span multiple years should be addressed in the project description and include a proposed budget breakdown for each of the years anticipated.

For other project types or activities, please consult with the program to confirm if they are eligible for funding. The program team remains available to help communities identify other available programs if the activities proposed to us are out of scope of what the program can fund.

Other project examples from previously funded recipients can be found on First Nation Adapt Program. You could also consult the Indigenous Climate Hub to find success stories from other First Nations communities.

Who can apply

• First Nation communities
• First Nation organizations including:
  • First Nation associations
  • band councils
  • Tribal councils
  • self-governing First Nation governments
  • other organizations understood to be First Nation in nature

The program does not fund First Nation individuals, private businesses, Indigenous or otherwise, nor Indigenous Peoples outside of Canada. Also, the program supports climate change adaptation projects in First Nations south of the 60⁰ parallel. Funding for First Nations communities located North of the 60⁰ parallel can apply for funding of their climate change adaptation projects via the Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program.

Available funding

There is no deadline to submit a project application. However, the program encourages you to submit a project description for funding consideration as soon as possible to take full advantage of funding opportunities. Should funding no longer be available, your application will be retained by the program and will be considered when new funding becomes available. Priority may be given to First Nations experiencing repeated and severe climate impacts. Priority may also be given to communities not previously supported by the program.

How the program works with First Nations

The program consists of a small team of project officers, who help applicants and funding recipients every step of the way. For example, project officers guide applicants through the application process and support funding recipients through sharing tools and resources, assisting with reporting requirements, and holding periodic check-ins throughout the project.

Information sharing

Managing and understanding information collected is an important part of a climate change adaptation project. Funding recipients own the final deliverables and knowledge collected through their project and determine how it is managed and mobilized, as set out by the OCAP Principles (Ownership, Access, Control, Possession). To improve our collective understanding of the changing climate, the program encourages sharing of information about your project with partners, such as Indigenous Services Canada and others who could benefit from the findings, for the purpose of coordination and linkages with other projects, where appropriate.

The program also encourages funding recipients to share their stories, photos and project descriptions through the Indigenous Climate Hub. This online platform provides First Nations working on climate change monitoring and adaptation with a way to connect as well as access resources, news and events, and funding opportunities.

If approved for funding, the program will disclose basic information about your project such as the name of your project, the project description, the nature of your activities for which funding is provided, and amounts received as part of Open Government. This information can also be shared with other federal government funding programs. Furthermore, CIRNAC may occasionally request stories and photos for use in program communications and outreach materials.

How to apply

1. Review these program funding guidelines
2. Contact the program to discuss your project and determine its eligibility before drafting a proposal
3. Contact adaptation@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca to obtain a proposal application package, which contains the proposal, budget, and work plan templates. These templates have their own guidance to help you fill out your application package, and our staff remains available to support you through the process
4. Submit your application package and band council resolution or other acceptable proof of community support to adaptation@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

After you apply

After your application package is complete, the program staff assigned to your project will contact you to let you know if your project has been approved, or if any further revisions or clarifications are needed to your proposal package. Once the project is officially approved, you can expect a program approval letter. This official program confirmation will have additional information about funds approved and program reporting requirements.

Co-funding and other funding opportunities

The program often collaborates with other programs administered by CIRNAC and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). If your project incorporates environmental monitoring or climate change health components, you may be eligible for funding from more than one program, including the Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program or the Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program (South)

The program will make every effort to refer applicants to additional or alternate funding sources where possible.

If you are interested in finding other federal funding opportunities, please consult the Indigenous Climate and Environmental Funding page.

Useful resources

The following list is a brief overview of resources that can assist you in designing and implementing your climate change project.

• The Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation Planning Toolkit provide a suite of user-friendly tools, resources, and key considerations to support Indigenous individuals and communities interested in undertaking climate change adaptation planning. The intent is for the toolkit to be used by communities at all different stages of the adaptation planning process, including communities with little or no prior experience. CIER Ecoversity offers students the opportunity to learn from skills-building resources including in-person instruction or physical copies of toolkits.
• The First Nations Infrastructure Resilience Toolkit allows First Nation communities to assess the vulnerability of their infrastructure, buildings, and facilities due to extreme weather. The toolkit enables communities to forecast critical climate-related risks over the lifecycle of their assets and provides guidance on how these risks can be integrated into long-term planning. The toolkit also helps First Nations develop and implement sound asset management practices to forecast capital replacement and, operations and maintenance investment needs, over the lifecycle of their asset.
• The Indigenous Climate Hub is a platform developed by and for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, where you can find resources on climate change adaptation and monitoring, information on training and events, blog posts from other communities doing climate change related work, a Resource Library, and more.
• The Climate Atlas of Canada is a website where you can find information about climate change in plain language. There are maps, graphs and climate data that are easy to understand.
• The Canadian Centre for Climate Services is a federal government multidisciplinary team that offers different types of climate-related services based on your needs. They can provide access to climate data information, help organizations to build local capacity and they can also provide training and support. They have a help desk which can offer you support in creating and finding data.
• The Map of Adaptation Actions explores examples of communities and sectors adapting to a changing climate across Canada, including steps Canadians are taking to understand how climate change affects them and the solutions they find to adapt and increase their resilience.