Indigenous Languages Component — onboarding process for First Nations Regionally Designated Organizations

Context

The Department of Canadian Heritage acknowledges that First Nations are best placed to take the leading role in reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening First Nations languages and is supportive of the First Nations Regionally Designated Organizations mandate related to supporting revitalization of First Nations languages in their respective Region.

Where the Indigenous Languages Component (ILC) is regionally administered by a First Nations designated organization, they may develop regional-specific guidelines, consistent with the national program guidelines.

Eligible recipients

First Nations Regionally Designated Organization must be a First Nations-governed designated organization, mandated by First Nations and administrated by First Nations leadership within the province or territory it is a third-party administrator.

Eligible activities

Under the ILC, First Nations Regionally Designated Organization eligible activities include:

• further distribution of funding to eligible First Nations communities and organizations in their region
• implementation, management and administration of their own languages programming and workplan
• management and administration of the funding further distributed, including coordination of funding and related language activities

Eligibility criteria

Eligible First Nations Regionally Designated Organization for the management and administration of the ILC must meet all of the following criteria:

• demonstrate long-term support from participating First Nations communities, where applicable, such as, but not limited to, band council resolutions, letters or emails of support from First Nations communities and/or organizations in the region
• undertake, as a key function of their organization, support for First Nations languages' programs and initiatives for First Nations and First Nations organizations
• agree to produce publicly available annual reports on language partnership projects, expenditures and audited financial statements
• where another First Nations Regionally Designated Organization is already in place in a specific region with a mandate for the administration of the ILC, a new First Nations Regionally Designated Recipient should not be approved without support through a regional process and represented First Nations
• as an asset, have experience related to the delivery of regional, provincial and/or other federal programming as the First Nations designated organization

Managing conflict of interest

It is necessary to avoid actual conflicts of interest and any situation that might cause doubt in objectivity. For recipients receiving funds as a managing organization, a managing conflict of interest procedure needs to be developed and put in place to ensure accountability to First Nations within the respective region.

Recipients that manage the adjudication and administration of the funding of the program must demonstrate transparency and accountability in their policies and processes.

This includes having:

• a publicly available conflict of interest policy
• written standards, policies and procedures on the project selection process for funding
• a publicly available list of successful proponents

Individuals cannot participate in the evaluation of a proposal in the following situations:

• the individual has assisted in the preparation of the proposal, is an employee of the applicant, has provided consulting services, in any capacity, to the organization submitting the proposal, or may in the future
• the individual will be a team member on the proposed project
• the individual is a relative or close friend of any of the employees of the management team of the eligible recipient which submitted a proposal

Conflicts of interest may arise during the review of proposals. These situations need to be managed in an open and transparent manner.

Should a situation arise that presents a real or potential conflict of interest during the review process, the impacted individuals must recuse themselves from the deliberations concerning the specific proposal.

Funding

Where the program is regionally administered, the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization may set criteria for funding and will adjudicate based on their regional priorities. The First Nations Regionally Designated Organization must have access to the final reports submitted of the previous years in order to make the best possible decision. In the event of an inconsistency between the criteria for funding and any adjudicative decisions, the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization’s regional priorities will prevail. Regional allocations will be reviewed annually.

Steps to become a First Nations Regionally Designated Organization

1. The First Nations organization expresses its interest in becoming a regionally designated organization, to the Indigenous Languages Branch (ILB) (a Regional First Nations Chiefs organization can also submit its nomination for a regionally designated organization)
2. The First Nations organization submits all mandatory documents to the ILB Operation Directorate (see below Mandatory documents for onboarding process)
3. The ILB Operation Directorate will initiate the onboarding process with the potential First Nations Regionally Designated Organization
4. Approval process and confirmation of application decision

Once identified as designated by the First Nations and the onboarding process is completed, the organization remains onboarded, at least for the length of the agreements in place, at a minimum.

Application processing time

If you intend to express your interest, you should contact the Department of Canadian Heritage as soon as possible.

The Department will acknowledge receipt of your interest and/or documentation package provided within 2 weeks of its reception.

Mandatory documents for the onboarding process

To complete the onboarding process, the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization must submit the following mandatory documents:

• resolution letters confirming your willingness to be the First Nations Regionally Designated Recipient of the region and a commitment to respect your roles and responsibilities in the delivery of the ILC. This includes the responsibility for further distributing the regional allocation funding in a fair and transparent process, and assuming a regional coordination and supportive role to all eligible First Nations organizations in their efforts in reclaiming, revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening First Nations languages
• demonstration of commitment to language revitalization by providing an overview of the organization’s experience in delivering First Nations language programs and initiatives
• if any, an overview of the organization’s experience related to the delivery of regional, provincial and/or other federal programming in the context of being the First Nations designated organization for a group of First Nations communities
• confirmation of the support documentation from First Nations communities by way of band council resolutions, regional resolution, letters or emails of support, among others
• demonstration of connection to the region being served
• documentation showing who has the authority to sign legally binding documents on behalf of the organization (for example, contracts)
• one of the following acceptable documentations (unless otherwise indicated in by-laws):
  • a signed letter from the President/Chair
  • a Board resolution
• a copy of the organization’s Letters of Patent or incorporation documents confirming the legal name and the profit or not-for-profit status
• a copy of the organization’s by-laws or Constitution (full document)
• the type of organization/group (as per the ILC eligibility guidelines)
• a list of the current Board of Directors
• blank cheque (voided)
• section A of the Direct Deposit Form duly completed

First Nations Regionally Designated Organization onboarding application deadline

If you intend to express your interest, you should contact Canadian Heritage as soon as possible.

Contact information

First Nations Regionally Designated Organizations applying to this onboarding process are encouraged to submit the required mandatory documents electronically.

Please see the ILB contact below for any questions related to the onboarding process, funding application package, types of agreements or the reports.

For further information, please contact us:

Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program
Department of Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy St, 8th Floor (15-8-E)
Gatineau QC  J8X 4B3

Email

autochtone-indigenous@pch.gc.ca

Telephone

819-934-1405
1-866-811-0055 (toll-free)

TTY

1-888-997-3123

Agents are available to answer your questions Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (ET).

Additional information related to First Nations Regionally Designated Organizations

Note that once the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization onboarding process is completed, links to the organization will be officially published on the Canadian Heritage website. The First Nations Regionally Designated Organization must submit its Regional Funding Workplan to access the funding allocation targeted for the specific region, and will be evaluated on all of the following criteria:

• the Regional Funding Workplan demonstrates that its implementation would support the objectives of the ILC
• the Regional Funding Workplan describes the activities identified as a priority for the region
• the Regional Funding Workplan describes the expected results targeted regionally
• the Regional Funding Workplan includes a budget that clearly links to the proposed activities
• if applicable, the Regional Funding Workplan discloses partners or communities and the role that they will play in the workplan
• the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization commits to providing reasonable activity, evaluation and financial reports as well as other related information including but not limited to documentation required for further distribution of funding to other partners, when requested by the Department
• the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization demonstrates community reach in the region
• the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization agrees to produce publicly available annual reports on language partnership projects and expenditures
• the First Nations Regionally Designated Organization must also demonstrate their fair and transparent management, decision-making process, administrative and delivery capacity

Glossary

Designated recipient

A designated recipient is a First Nations organization who is responsible for the management and administration of the ILC in their region, including further distribution of funds for activities and projects to other First Nations organizations and communities. Each designated recipient is responsible for planning and coordinating efforts to support the communities and organizations in revitalizing, maintaining and strengthening First Nations languages in their respective regions, and by determining priorities and allocation of each ultimate recipient, for its project and project-related expenses.

Ultimate recipient

Ultimate recipients are those who receive funding distributed by the designated recipient.

Region

The term Region is used mostly as a synonym of the provinces and territories in Canada.

First Nations organization

First Nations organization refers to an organization that is owned and controlled by First Nations persons, including a First Nations-owned corporation or a First Nations-controlled non-profit organization, which directly delivers language revitalization services or that otherwise supports the delivery of language revitalization services.

Multi-distinction languages projects

Projects including Indigenous language activities from more than 1 distinction are considered as multi-distinctions. The distinctions are First Nations, Inuit and Métis.