Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund – Indigenous Grants
Open call for proposals: Applications will be accepted until December 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Submit an optional Expression of Interest form or a completed application form by email to cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
For more information on the application process, consult the information session recording.
Introduction
Supporting Indigenous engagement, capacity building and knowledge gathering and sharing
The Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) supports the development and deployment of clean energy and transportation infrastructure that will enable the development and expansion of critical minerals projects in Canada. Indigenous engagement is a crucial part of this infrastructure and mining development, especially given that many proposed projects would take place on traditional Indigenous territories and treaty lands. The CMIF Indigenous Grants fund Indigenous engagement, capacity building and knowledge gathering and sharing activities related to clean energy and transportation projects that would enable critical minerals development.
Available funding
This first national call for proposals will provide up to $3.5 million in grant funding to eligible initiatives. The maximum funding available per initiative ranges from $50,000 to $150,000, depending on the type of applicant organization and its location.
Applicant type | Baseline funding maximums | Northern or remote funding maximums |
---|---|---|
Representative Organization | $100,000 | $150,000 |
Other Indigenous entities | $50,000 | $75,000 |
- Representative organizations are those that represent the rights and interests of multiple Indigenous nations or communities, which could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographic area or treaty / comprehensive land claim boundaries. This would include tribal councils, treaty organizations, land claim organizations, regional-level organizations and national organizations.
- Northern or remote area 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
- 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.
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 initiatives must be completed by March 31, 2026.
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.
Optional expression of interest
Before preparing a full application, applicants may choose to submit an optional Expression of Interest form to see if their initiative is likely to be eligible for CMIF Indigenous Grants funding. After submitting the form, staff from the CMIF team will review the proposed initiative and reach out to the applicant to discuss next steps.
Download the Expression of interest form (PDF, 364 KB)
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
- purpose of the initiative, including the name of the related, eligible infrastructure project
- planned activities
- estimated timeline of the initiative
- location(s) of the initiative
- expected outcomes of the initiative
- any potential challenges to the initiative’s success, and how these will be mitigated
- expected costs of the initiative
- any other financial contributions for the initiative
- information about the team that will undertake the initiative
When you are ready to apply for CMIF Indigenous Grants funding:
- Please click on the link below to download the CMIF Indigenous Grants Application Form.
- Please fill all fields on the application form including text boxes, checkboxes and drop-down menus.
- Please submit the completed grant application form to cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca by December 31, 2024, at the latest.
For more information on the application process, consult the application form (PDF, 504.6 KB) and our information session recording.
Selection process and timelines
You will receive an acknowledgment of your application submission by email.
Funding will be provided on a first-come, first-assessed basis. Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as soon as it is complete rather than waiting until the end of the call for proposals.
Each application will be reviewed to ensure it is complete, the proposed activities are feasible, and the initiative meets the eligibility requirements and overall objectives of the CMIF Indigenous Grants. This will include consideration of any recent, ongoing and expected activities undertaken by the infrastructure project and critical minerals development that the CMIF Indigenous Grants initiative relates to, as well as how the community or organization applying may be impacted by that infrastructure and critical minerals development. Applications linked to an infrastructure project and critical minerals development, with high likelihood of realization and/or potentially significant impacts on Indigenous communities may be prioritized for funding.
A representative from the CMIF team will reach out if more information is needed to assess your application, or to communicate a funding decision.
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 about CMIF Indigenous Grants, please contact the CMIF 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.
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