Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund – Indigenous Grants
Status: The 2025 call for proposals is now open and accepting applications until 11:59 p.m. PST on December 17, 2025.
Information sessions: Sign up for a 1-hour public online information session on the CMIF Indigenous Grants and the current call for proposals. Information sessions are available in English and French. Learn more.
Introduction
Supporting Indigenous engagement on and participation in critical minerals infrastructure projects
The Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) supports the development and deployment of clean energy and transportation infrastructure that is necessary to enable the development and expansion of critical minerals projects in Canada.
The CMIF Indigenous Grants stream was established to provide Indigenous groups impacted by these critical minerals infrastructure projects with the resources necessary to actively engage on, participate in and benefit from critical minerals development.
What's new for the 2025 call for proposals
Natural Resources Canada has increased the maximum CMIF Indigenous Grants funding amounts available to organizations relative to the first call for proposals under this program. This will allow organizations to undertake initiatives of greater scale. Please see the Available funding section for further information on maximum amounts.
This call will prioritize applications based on specified criteria as opposed to using the first-come, first-assessed, first-funded approach leveraged under the first call. Please see the Application assessment section for further information on criteria that will be considered.
Available funding
The 2025 call for proposals will provide up to $3 million in grant funding for eligible initiatives. The maximum funding available per organization ranges from $150,000 to $200,000, depending on the location of the applicant or Indigenous partner organization, as outlined below.
| Location of applicant or Indigenous partner organization |
Maximum funding per organization |
|---|---|
| Northern or remote areas* | $200,000 |
| Non-northern or non-remote areas | $150,000 |
*Northern or remote areas include:
- all Northern communities located in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut
- remote communities that:
- are not connected to the broader critical infrastructure networks such as the electrical grid, highway system or piped natural gas network
- lack year-round surface transportation and have a year-round population according to the national census
- are either a long distance from larger settlements or lack transportation links that are typical in more populated areas; and/or
- receive infrequent postal services as shown on the postal codes of remote areas table
In total, the CMIF Indigenous Grants will provide up to $13.5 million in federal funding until 2030.
Eligibility
Eligible recipients
Applicants who are eligible under the CMIF Indigenous Grants must be either:
- an Indigenous organization (for example, Indigenous community, Indigenous government, tribal council, national or regional Indigenous organization, or an Indigenous for-profit or not-for-profit organization)
- a non-Indigenous organization that is working with or on behalf of an Indigenous partner (for example, academic or research institutions, not-for-profit groups, and provincial, territorial or municipal governments and their departments and agencies)
Non-Indigenous organizations will be asked to include a letter of endorsement signed by the leadership of the Indigenous partner organization, confirming they are working with or on behalf of that Indigenous partner.
Eligible initiatives and activities
Initiatives that are eligible under the CMIF Indigenous Grants must include engagement, capacity building, and knowledge gathering and sharing activities related to a clean energy and/or transportation infrastructure project that enables the development and expansion of critical minerals production in Canada (i.e., enabling mining activities, not including processing or manufacturing):
- engagement activities may include meetings and consultations about one or more eligible infrastructure projects linked to critical minerals development. For example, applicants may receive funding to enable their engagement (in person or virtual) with government and industry, as well as other rights holders, stakeholders and partners regarding the clean energy and/or transportation infrastructure projects
- capacity building activities may include securing or improving the organization’s skills, knowledge and tools to enable their participation in discussions about one or more clean energy and/or transportation infrastructure projects linked to critical minerals development
- knowledge gathering and sharing activities may include the collection and distribution of Indigenous and/or Western knowledge for purposes of supporting Indigenous participation in one or more eligible infrastructure projects linked to critical minerals development. The activities may be targeted (e.g., gathering traditional knowledge to inform a mine access road feasibility study), or they may be broad (e.g., publishing a community-led report about the potential impacts and benefits of a wind infrastructure that is proposed to power a nearby mine)
Clean energy or transportation infrastructure that enables the development and expansion of Canada’s critical minerals could either be in the planning stages (for example, in the process of obtaining permits or conducting impact or environmental assessments) or could already be underway. Eligible infrastructure projects may or may not proceed to completion. These projects may also qualify for CMIF contribution funding.
For this call for proposals, CMIF Indigenous Grants will fund initiatives that will occur between April 1, 2026, and March 31, 2028.
Eligible expenses
The CMIF Indigenous Grants may cover up to 100% of eligible expenses needed to complete an initiative. Eligible expenses include:
- salaries and benefits for employees’ time spent on the initiative
- costs for training, including wages, stipends, or other forms of financial transfers to non-salaried trainees and students, and fees paid to trainers and training organization
- honoraria, ceremonial costs and hospitality costs (including cultural gifts and prizes) for community engagement events and meetings
- rental of facilities, transportation and equipment
- travel costs, including meals and accommodation, based on National Joint Council rates
- professional, legal and contracting services
- communications and media services
- translation, editing, publication and printing
- laboratory, scientific, field, and personal safety equipment and supplies
- overhead expenditures, such as office operating expenses, to a maximum of 15% of total eligible expenditures, provided they are directly related to the initiative
- provincial sales tax, Goods and Services Tax, and harmonized sales tax costs, net of any tax rebate to which the recipient is entitled
Ineligible expenses include capital expenditures, costs for construction, lost income, renovation of buildings, and legal fees related to litigation or similar legal actions. The CMIF Indigenous Grants will not cover these costs.
How to apply
The application form includes details about the types of information needed to be considered for funding. In brief, applicants will be asked to provide the following:
- basic information about the organization and the person submitting the application
- information about the critical minerals mining project and associated infrastructure project, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge
- information about the potential impacts of the infrastructure and mining projects on the Indigenous organization(s), group(s), or community(ies) linked to the application
- a summary of the proposed initiative, including how it relates to the eligible infrastructure project and the estimated timeline of the initiative
- planned activities, outputs of results of the initiative
- expected costs of the initiative
- any other financial contributions for the initiative
- information about the team that will undertake the initiative
- key challenges or risks to the initiative’s success, and how these will be mitigated
When you are ready to apply for CMIF Indigenous Grants funding:
- Click on the links below to download the CMIF Indigenous Grants Application Form and Applicant Guide.
- Consult the Applicant Guide as you develop your application as it provides key information, including details on what is required for each section of the Application Form and examples for reference.
- Fill all fields on the application form, including text boxes, checkboxes and drop‑down menus.
- Send the completed application form, along with the required documentation outlined below, to cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca by December 17, 2025.
Required documentation
Along with the completed Application Form, you must provide the following information:
- quotes/estimates from companies that will provide goods or services for the initiative (for example, consultants, legal services, facilitators, researchers)
- information to confirm other sources of funding contributing to the initiative, as applicable
- incorporation documentation, as applicable, and recent financial statements
- a letter of support from the leadership of an Indigenous partner organization, if the applicant is a non-Indigenous organization
During the submission process, applicants may also be asked to provide:
- additional information about the related mining project and its enabling infrastructure
- letters of support from partners whose collaboration is required to deliver the initiative
Please send an email to cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca if you have any questions.
Information sessions
Sign up for a 1-hour public online information session on the CMIF Indigenous Grants and the current call for proposals. Information sessions are available in English and French. Pre-registration is required at the links below:
Session in English:
- Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT: Pre-registration link
Session in French:
- Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT: Pre-registration link
Application assessment
Applications will first be screened for completeness and eligibility. Eligible applications will then be prioritized based on criteria that consider the strength of the application, as well as the context and the status of the associated critical minerals and infrastructure development. Indigenous support for the development of critical minerals or associated infrastructure projects is not a requirement for funding.
Applications will be prioritized for funding based on the following assessment criteria:
- the activities outlined in the application have the potential to generate significant benefits for Indigenous Peoples, as defined by the Indigenous group(s) associated with the application (for example, the activities outlined in the application will lead to immediate and lasting benefits or mitigate impacts to a community or multiple communities)
- the critical minerals and/or infrastructure development has the potential for significant positive or adverse impacts on:
- Indigenous Peoples, as described by the Indigenous group(s) associated with the application (for example, adverse impacts on cultural livelihoods, the creation of training and employment opportunities)
- the environment, as identified by the Indigenous group(s) associated with the application (for example, impacts to key species that are central to subsistence hunting practices), and/or or other sources (for example, development is proposed in an ecologically sensitive area)
- the status of the critical minerals and/or infrastructure development (for example, an Indigenous group is seeking funding to engage on a project that will be entering the construction phase imminently would be prioritized due to the urgency for funding support)
- the distribution of funding among Indigenous groups across Canada (that is, the promotion of a balanced distribution of program funding across regions and groups)
The following due diligence criteria will also be applied:
- proposed activities align with the proposed initiative and are quantifiable and measurable
- proposed activities are feasible (organizational capacity, relevant experience, timelines)
- proposed expenditures are eligible, reasonable, and required to meet initiative objectives
- risks and associated mitigation strategies are appropriately identified
- the proposed recipient is in good standing with NRCan
- a risk assessment of the applicant organization and initiative determined the risks are low
Funding approval
The CMIF Indigenous Grants team will notify you if your application is selected for funding. At funding approval, you will be asked to provide a Recipient Registration and Direct Deposit form, with banking information (for example, void cheque), to facilitate the electronic transfer of payments (as cheques cannot be issued).
About the CMIF
The CMIF will provide up to $1.5 billion in grants and contributions funding until 2030 to support clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects that are necessary to enable the sustainable development and expansion of critical minerals in Canada.
Visit the CMIF webpage to learn more about the funding stream.
Contact us
If you have questions, please contact the CMIF Indigenous Grants team at cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Disclaimer
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) reserves the right to alter or cancel any call for proposals, funding amounts and/or deadlines associated with any funding stream component, or to cancel any call for proposal process at its sole discretion. Any changes will be communicated to applicants via the funding stream website.
Any costs incurred for the submission of an application are at the applicant’s own risk and cannot be considered as part of total initiative costs. In all cases, any funding under any submission, review and assessment process will be contingent upon the execution of a grant agreement.
Until a written grant agreement is signed by both parties, no commitment or obligation exists on the part of NRCan to make a financial contribution to any initiative, including any expenditure incurred or paid prior to the signing of such grant agreement.