Funding for reducing releases of harmful chemicals

Overview

The goal of the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative (FEI) is to target the most significant environmental challenges affecting Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health by delivering on Canada’s commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).

Under the GLWQA, Canada and the United States have designated chemicals of mutual concern (CMCs) – substances present within the Great Lakes basin at levels that are harmful to human health and the environment.

Eight CMCs have been designated:

1. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)
2. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)
3. Mercury
4. Polychorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
5. Short Chain Chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs)
6. Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
7. Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
8. Long Chain Perfluorinated Carboxylic Acids (LC-PFCAs)

An objective of the Great Lakes FEI is to reduce releases of harmful chemicals to the Great Lakes from Canadian sources. To assist in achieving this objective, the Canada Water Agency (CWA) is providing funding for:

• projects that increase participation in the application of beyond-compliance measures to reduce releases of CMCs by developing, implementing, assessing and promoting the use of innovative approaches; and
• projects that enhance understanding of CMCs or emerging contaminants and their potential impacts to the Great Lakes ecosystem

Eligibility

Eligible recipients

 Canadian organizations are eligible to apply and include:

• Indigenous organizations, governments, individuals, boards, commissions, communities, associations and authorities
• Municipal and local governments (including Conservation Authorities)
• Not-for-profit organizations, such as charitable and volunteer organizations, professional associations and non-governmental organizations
• Research, academic and educational institutions
• Local organizations such as community associations and groups, seniors’ and youth groups, and service clubs
• For profit organizations

Individuals and provincial government agencies are not eligible for funding.

Eligible projects

Projects eligible for funding must consist of action-focused activities that demonstrate and assess approaches that reduce releases of CMCs in the Great Lakes basin from Canadian sources, such as enhanced life-cycle/end of life management, or projects that enhance knowledge on CMCs or emerging contaminants and their impacts to the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Eligible project costs

Only costs which can be directly attributed to carrying out the project will be eligible for funding, including:

• human resource costs, including salaries and benefits
• management and professional service costs, such as accounting, monitoring, communications, official languages translation, audit and legal charges
• travel
• materials and supplies
• printing, production and distribution costs
• equipment and Capital Assets purchase or rental
• vehicle rental and operation costs
• contractors required to perform activities related to the project
• a reasonable share of overhead and/or administrative costs
• any GST/HST that is not reimbursable by Canada Revenue Agency and any PST not reimbursable by the provinces
• other incremental expenditures directly related to the project (as pre-approved by the CWA)

Ineligible project costs

Costs, other than those herein allowed, are ineligible unless specifically approved in writing by the Minister of the Environment or his/her representatives at the time of project approval. For all costs, only those deemed to be a reasonable share for completing the project shall be considered eligible.

Funding

Funding details

• the maximum amount available for any one project is $200,000
• projects may be multi-year in nature (up to two years)
• project proponents are strongly encouraged to seek other sources of funding and/or in-kind project support

Application process

Description of the application process

The CWA requires that applications to the Great Lakes FEI be submitted online via the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System (GCEMS). The GCEMS is accessed through the department’s Single Window system. For additional information on accessing the GCEMS through ECCC’s Single Window system, please see Appendix A.

The online Application Form for the Great Lakes FEI: Reducing Releases of Harmful Chemicals funding stream includes 9 online sections:

• Section 1: Applicant Information
• Section 2: Project Information
• Section 3: Project Work Plan
• Section 4: Evaluation Plan and Performance Measures
• Section 5:  Great Lakes FEI – Harmful Chemicals (program-specific section)
• Section 6: Project Budget
• Section 7: Official Languages
• Section 8: Other Supporting Information
• Section 9: Certification

In Section 1: Applicant Information, provide basic information about your group as well as contact information for the individual leading the application.

In Section 2: Project Information, provide basic information about the proposed project, including the name and location of the project, the project start and end date, the project goals/objectives, a brief general description of the proposed project, the experience of project team members and the financial and management capacity of the organization submitting the project proposal. If your project is approved for funding, the summary description you provide in your application may be made available to the public.

In Section 3: Project Work Plan, provide details on the activities that will be undertaken for the duration of the project.

In Section 4: Evaluation Plan and Performance Measures, provide details on how the expected results and successes of the project will be measured.

In Section 5: Great Lakes FEI – Harmful chemicals (program-specific section), provide information about various aspects of the proposed project, including confirmation that it meets the eligibility requirements as well as details related to project innovation, results, communication, permits and the project budget.

In Section 6: Project Budget, provide the total amount of CWA funding that is being requested for the proposed project, outline the project’s budget and give an estimation of its forecasted expenses organized according to a set of pre-defined cost categories (such as salaries and wages; management and professional services; travel; and, material and supplies costs). The estimated cost of all project expenditures should reflect fair market values at the standard rate for that product or service in your area.

In this Section, you are also required to provide details regarding the project's fiscal year breakdown. Determine the number of years of support from the CWA that your project requires (up to a maximum of 2 years) and indicate how the total amount of support requested (up to $200,000) will be allocated on an annual basis.

Finally, in this section you are required to indicate other funding sources for the project if applicable. Provide letters of financial/in-kind support for the project in the Other Supporting Information section.

In Section 7: Official Languages, provide information related to the need to accommodate official language minority communities with respect to the proposed project’s activities.

In Section 8: Other Supporting Information, provide further information relevant to the project that was not captured elsewhere in the application if needed. Please ensure any letters of financial/in-kind support are provided here.

In Section 9: Certification, certify that information provided in the Application Form is accurate and that you, as the applicant, have authorization to sign on behalf of the group.

Other instructions

Applicants are encouraged to provide the details necessary to give a full response to each section of the Application Form but should be as concise as possible.

Please ensure that all sections of the Application Form are complete prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Applicants may include additional information or documents with their application (such as examples of possible products, photographs, maps, etc.). If submitting additional material, it must be clearly marked and referenced accordingly in the relevant section of the application. All such material must be submitted in accordance with the instructions found online in the Other Supporting Information section.

Applicants are encouraged to identify any additional partner funding and/or in-kind project support that has been obtained and/or that is being sought. Please note that while this is not a requirement, applications demonstrating other sources of financial and/or in-kind support will be scored favourably when evaluated on value for money.

Note: if you are unable to complete and submit your application via the online application portal and wish to discuss options, please contact greatlakes-grandslacs@cwa-aec.gc.ca.

Deadline and submission instructions

Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. EST on December 19, 2025.

Selection and Evaluation Process

Selection process

Project proposals will undergo a two-stage review process:

1. administrative review by the CWA to ensure applications are complete and meet program eligibility requirements
2. project evaluation by the CWA against evaluation criteria. The CWA may seek advice on proposal submissions from external advisors with knowledge and expertise relevant to the proposal; however, approval decisions will be made by the CWA

Administrative review

To be considered eligible for funding, project proposals must meet the following requirements:

• applicant is eligible to receive funding
• proposed project takes place within Canadian portion of the Great Lakes basin
• proposed project targets a designated CMC or an emerging contaminant that could become a CMC
• all application sections are complete
• the amount requested is within the funding specifications

Project evaluation

Eligible project proposals will be assessed on the extent to which proposals meet the following evaluation criteria:

Results:

• proposed project will effectively reduce releases of one or more CMCs from Canadian sources; or
• proposed project will enhance understanding of CMCs or emerging contaminants and their potential impacts to the Great Lakes ecosystem

Innovation:

• proposed project will develop, implement, and/or assess innovative approaches

Project feasibility/likelihood of success:

• proposed project is likely to succeed
• proposed project’s timeline and work plan are realistic and achievable
• proposed project’s goals are measurable and precisely stated
• proposed project includes key performance indicators to measure outcomes and successes
• proposed activities support the project goals and objectives
• required permits have been identified and/or obtained

Communication:

• project results will be effectively communicated to promote broader uptake of the activities demonstrated by the project, and increase participation in CMC reduction activities
• a report will be published
• partnerships will be formed

Project team capacity:

• the proponent has the expertise (such as time, staff, partners, etc.) necessary to carry out the project
• proponent has a demonstrated history of successfully implementing similar projects    

Value for money:

• the project represents good value for dollars invested
• the project includes cash and/or in-kind contributions from other sources

Notification

Once departmental approvals in principle have been confirmed, all applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) will be notified in writing. If your project is approved in principle, you will be contacted to negotiate a Contribution Agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of funding. Please note that the letter of notification informing that your project has been approved in principle will also be shared with relevant federal MPs. We will work towards completing this process within 40 working days. Please note that meeting this standard for the development of a Contribution Agreement is a shared responsibility and largely depends on you submitting all required documentation to CWA officials in a diligent and timely fashion.  

Project implementation can begin after formal notification of project approval, pending the execution of project agreements or contracts where applicable.

If a Contribution Agreement is signed, expenditures made by your organization towards the project after the date of official notification and before the Contribution Agreement is signed may be considered for reimbursement. For clarification on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact greatlakes-grandslacs@cwa-aec.gc.ca.

Appendix A: Online GCEMS application process

The CWA requires that applications to the Great Lakes FEI: Reducing releases of harmful chemicals funding stream be submitted online via the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System (GCEMS). The GCEMS is accessed through the department’s Single Window system.

To sign in to the department’s Single Window system select your language preference on the welcome page and when prompted to choose a sign-in method, select the GCKey sign-in option. If you already have a GCKey username and password enter them in the appropriate spaces.

If you do not have a GCKey username and password proceed through the sign-up process to obtain your username and password.

New users to the Single Window system will then be prompted to enter their email address and guided through a process to create a user profile.

In order to gain access to the link that will allow you to navigate to the GCEMS, you must add an organization to your profile. On the menu select “Organizations” and follow the instructions on the web page that opens. Note that when entering the organization’s business number you may use one of the following; business number; GST number; charitable number/non-profit organization registration number; or First Nations Band number. Once you have added your organization, select “Home” on the menu to navigate to the webpage that contains the link to the GCEMS.

Once you have accessed the GCEMS site, click on the link “View funding opportunities” on the left hand side of the GCEMS “My applications” webpage. On the “View funding opportunities” webpage, locate the Great Lakes FEI in the “List of opportunities” table and view the funding opportunity information by clicking on the associated link in the “Action(s)” column. On the “View funding opportunity information” webpage, click on “Apply” to open the online application process for the Great Lakes FEI: Reducing releases of harmful chemicals funding stream.

Information on how to access and use ECCC’s Single Window system.

For technical assistance with ECCC’s Single Window system, please contact gigu-swim@ec.gc.ca.

Information on how to access the GCEMS.

For technical assistance with the GCEMS, please contact sgesc-gcems@ec.gc.ca.

Related Links

• Funding for Great Lakes protection
• Projects funded by the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative

Contact Us

Please contact us by email at greatlakes-grandslacs@cwa-aec.gc.ca for more information.