EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada

EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada will fund projects related to one of the following objectives:

• Pilot innovative and/or clean technology solutions to improve freshwater quality and/or freshwater ecosystem health that not only address local issues but are able to be applied across Canada.
• Enable circular economy opportunities (e.g., nutrient recycling and/or recovery) for communities and/or sectors to achieve co-benefits, such as increased resilience to climate change, local economic growth, value chain efficiencies, etc.
• Address challenges related to data interoperability, access, and use to ensure that Canadians and decision-makers have reliable freshwater data and Indigenous knowledge to inform decision making and enhance effective freshwater management across Canada.

Projects must have national relevance, span multiple regions (e.g. different ecozones, climatic conditions and/or geographies) across Canada, or be scalable local initiatives to make them have national impact. All project activities must be implemented within Canada.

The aim of EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada is to:

• Achieve tangible environmental results
• Engage communities and organizations to improve freshwater management
• Enable sustainable outcomes and engagement following project completion

Eligible projects

Projects must always address at least one of the objectives identified in the call for applications and clearly demonstrate that activities lead to measurable, positive results for the environment at the end of the project.

The following types of projects may be eligible under EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada:

• Developing, testing or demonstrating innovative tools, technologies and techniques that can be applied in multiple regions across Canada to improve freshwater quality and/or freshwater ecosystem health
• Scaling-up or transferring innovative tools, technologies and techniques that have been proven to be effective in a specific regions to other locations/regions across Canada to test their effectiveness in improving freshwater quality and/or freshwater ecosystem health in different ecozones, climatic conditions and/or geographies across Canada
• Freshwater-related studies and/or projects that improve circular economy opportunities for communities and/or specific sectors
• Projects that enhance opportunities for communities to increase resilience to climate change, enable local economic growth and/or achieve value-chain efficiencies related to freshwater management
• Improving data accessibility, usability and/or interoperability to assist with decision-making and/or taking actions to enhance freshwater stewardship in Canada
• Projects that integrate diverse knowledge systems, including Indigenous perspectives to inform freshwater stewardship and decision-making

Projects not eligible for funding

The following types of projects are not eligible for funding under EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada:

• Projects that do not address at least one of the EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada objectives
• Projects focused on brackish water and saltwater activities
• Projects focused primarily on sampling and/or data collection
• Projects already underway
• Ongoing core organizational activities
• Projects designed only to beautify an area
• Projects required by law and/or mandated by a level of government
• Political lobbying, advocacy or fundraising activities (or that may be perceived as such)
• Capital or operating costs of municipal infrastructure projects (e.g. sewers, sewage treatment plants, storm water ponds)
• Projects implemented and completed before a contribution agreement was signed and
• Projects outside of Canada

Eligible applicants

Canadian organizations are eligible to apply and include:

• Not-for-profit organizations, such as charitable and volunteer organizations, professional associations, and non-governmental organizations
• Municipal and local governments
• Research, academic and educational institutions
• For-profit organizations, such as small businesses, companies, corporations, industry associations and agricultural organizations, with less than 100 employees
• Indigenous organizations, governments, boards, commissions, communities, associations and authorities

Eligible project costs

• Human resource costs, including salaries and benefits
• Contractors required to perform activities related to the project
• Management and professional service costs such as accounting, monitoring, communications, official language translation, Indigenous languages translation, audit and legal fees
• Hospitality, travel and venues/conference expenses in accordance with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference, and Event Expenditures
  • Hospitality expenditures can include costs related to Indigenous ceremonial offerings to be utilized or consumed during meetings or ceremonies such as traditional medicines, cultural foods, tea and sacred plants
• Costs associated with an Indigenous participation or ceremony
• Monetary honoraria offered to Indigenous Elders and/or Knowledge Keepers related to specific participation activities which may include but not be limited to translation and interpretative costs, leading a traditional opening/closing ceremony and/or prayer, the sharing of traditional knowledge and protocols, (including spiritual advice to individuals), and demonstrating traditional art and other practices
• Materials and supplies
• Printing, production and distribution costs
• Equipment purchases or rentals
• Vehicle rental and operational costs
• Costs associated with land securement (e.g. leases, conservation easements, covenants or servitudes)  and
• A reasonable share (15% or less) of overhead and/or administrative costs which are directly attributed to the carrying out of the project

The following costs are ineligible:

• Capital asset purchases (defined as a single item costing more than $10,000 with a useful life of more than one year)
• Planning without a direct-action component and measurable results
• Preparation of formal curriculum materials (except informal, supplementary materials used to enhance learning)
• Core organizational functions (e.g., meetings, maintenance, administration that is unrelated to the project)
• Annual or regular organizational events/campaigns
• Attending general conferences
• Recreational purposes
• Construction of infrastructure (building, roads, bridges and other structures) except for natural infrastructure (e.g. wetlands, publicly accessible rain gardens)
• Decontamination of sites
• Land acquisition
• Vehicle purchase
• Incentives and rebates and
• Further disbursement of funds to a third-party recipient (e.g., micro grants)

If you are unsure about the eligibility of your project, project activities or related costs, please contact us at EcoActionStream2-EcoActionVolet2@cwa-aec.gc.ca.

Funding details

• EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada can provide a funding contribution of a minimum of $25,000, and a maximum of $200,000
• Projects can be single or multi-year in nature but must be completed within the 2-year timeframe ending March 31, 2028
• EcoAction funding must be requested for each year of the project to be eligible
• The current Call for Applications is for projects that will begin during the 2026/27 fiscal year
• EcoAction will not fund 100% of project expenses (please note matching requirements below)

Matching requirements

A minimum of 50% of the total project funding must be obtained from sources other than the Government of Canada. Therefore, for every dollar you receive from the Government of Canada, including EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada, you must obtain at least the same amount from non-federal government partners (1:1 match funding required). Other sources of funding may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, or a combination of both.

Potential sources of matching funds (cash and in-kind) and how collaborations are to be undertaken (e.g. contributions by the applicant, landowners or others involved in the project, use of equipment, expertise etc.) must be clearly outlined and described in the Project Budget.

Performance indicators

Applicants will be asked to identify the performance indicators that apply to their project and provide the expected goal for each. At least one performance indicator must be identified to be eligible for funding.

The list of performance indicators for EcoAction Stream 2: Freshwater Sustainability and Innovation across Canada are:

• Number of partners engaged (# of partners)
• Nutrients recycled/recovered (kg/year)
• Amount of freshwater conserved and/or re-used (# of liters)
• Amount of area in which freshwater management improvements have been achieved through the use of innovative and/or clean technology solutions (# of hectares)
• Number of users with improved access to data and knowledge (e.g. # of users)
• Number of jobs created (# of jobs)
• Co-benefits derived through the use of new tools, technologies and innovative approaches that are being piloted/tested (# of co-benefits such as improved public health, local job creation, increased energy efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced energy use and/or freshwater consumption)

Permits and federal lands

Applicants are responsible for conducting the necessary research to determine if laws or mandates apply to any of the activities listed in the application. It is recommended that applicants verify relevant federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal legislation and regulations relating to the project’s activities and/or location(s).

Permits

If permits or authorizations are required for the project, these must be identified in the application. If not yet obtained, ensure the timeline for obtaining these approvals is included in the project’s work plan.

Federal lands

Applicants must review the project locations and activities and determine if any activities will occur on federal lands. Projects occurring on federal lands may be required to complete an Impact Assessment.

According to the Impact Assessment Act, federal lands are defined as:

a) lands that belong to His Majesty in right of Canada, or that His Majesty in right of Canada has the power to dispose of, and all waters on and airspace above those lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut

b) the following lands and areas:

i. the internal waters of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province

ii. the territorial sea of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province

iii. the exclusive economic zone of Canada

iv. the continental shelf of Canada and

c) reserves, surrendered lands and any other lands that are set apart for the use and benefit of a band and that are subject to the Indian Act, and all waters on and airspace above those reserves or lands

Application process

Applicants must submit their project proposal using the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System (GCEMS), Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) online application system.

It is strongly recommended that applicants complete the budget in GCEMS 24 hours prior to the deadline to allow sufficient time to resolve any errors. If an application is not submitted by the deadline, it will not be considered.

GCEMS Applicant User Guide: The GCEMS Applicant User Guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to apply for funding, including information on how to create, edit and submit project applications.  

For technical assistance when using GCEMS, please contact the GCEMS team directly at: sgesc-gcems@ec.gc.ca.

Selection process

Project funding decisions will be based on a merit-based competitive process. Eligible projects will be evaluated on the quality and completeness of the application.

Completed applications will undergo a three-stage review process:

1. Administrative review by program staff to confirm eligibility (projects considered not eligible will be notified at the end of this stage).
2. Technical review by subject-matter experts to evaluate scientific and technical feasibility including methodology.
3. An Application Review Committee to ensure that program priorities and criteria are considered in the project evaluation and approval process.

Notification and reporting requirements

All applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) will be notified in writing. If your application is approved, you will be contacted to negotiate a Contribution Agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of funding. Federal MPs and/or their team may be advised about the approval of a project and may be provided with information in the project application including applicant’s name, project title, project description, project location, funding amounts and contact information.

Funding is conditional on the successful negotiation of a Contribution Agreement between the applicants and the CWA. Each Contribution Agreement must include written confirmation of all funding sources, a summary of project design, delivery, progress evaluations and anticipated results, as well as a budget forecast. All of these components must be accurately completed before the agreement can be signed.

All approved recipients are required to submit reports to CWA throughout the duration of the project as outlined in the Contribution Agreement. Payments are based on the project cashflow and reporting.

Once a project has finished, a final report is required. The final payment will not be provided (minimum 10% holdback) until a final report has been submitted and approved by CWA.

Contact us

E-mail: EcoActionStream2-EcoActionVolet2@cwa-aec.gc.ca

Related links

• Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System
• GCEMS Applicant User Guide