Department of National Defence Indigenous Reconciliation Program – Program Guidelines

On this page

• Objectives and expected results
• Proposal deadline
• Who can apply
• Eligibility
• Eligible expenses
• Limitations on eligible expenses
• Ineligible expenses
• Proposal process
• What to expect after you submit your funding request
• Funding decisions
• How funding is provided
• Workplace well-being
• Official languages requirements
• Access to information requests
• Disclosure of information
• Contact us

Objectives and expected results

The objective of the IRP is to promote early engagement and collaboration with Indigenous peoples and their communities and representative organizations on matters of common interest such as land access, real property transactions, NORAD modernization, military training and exercises in and around Indigenous territory, Indigenous recruitment and employment initiatives, Indigenous procurement strategies, the implementation of the UN Declaration and related departmental policies and programs.

The Program has these key objectives:

1. Active engagement of Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations in identifying joint priorities, co-development and progress monitoring of DND's legislative and policy agendas related to the UN Declaration;
2. Improved information sharing between Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations including their supporting members, elected officials and DND by establishing respectful relationships with partners early on. This includes building and maintaining trust through flexibility and ensuring transparency throughout the project planning and implementation
3. Participation in consensus-building, co-development and co-management activities and projects with major impacts with Indigenous partners, i.e.; military exercises, land remediation;
4. Helping Indigenous communities plan for, provide feedback on, and participate in engagement processes, as part of a specific project, to identify concerns and offer solutions to a variety of challenges and/or problems - i.e.: real property planning including acquisition or divestment;
5. Provide Indigenous groups with a broader understanding of the government's intentions in the implementation of UN Declaration Act and the UN Declaration; and
6. Seek out and support the inclusion of diverse Indigenous voices including women. Elders, youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+, and persons with disabilities in consultation and cooperation activities with DND.

Proposal deadline

Proposals may be submitted to the department throughout the fiscal year, no later than March 1 of each fiscal year (or the next business day where March 1 falls on a weekend or statutory holiday) for current and future year funding, to allow sufficient time for processing before the end of the fiscal year. The department has established the annual deadline for proposals for current fiscal year requests. Annual deadlines for funding proposals are as follows:

• 2026-2027 – March 1, 2027.

Funding proposals are reviewed and assessed on a first come, first serve basis. Subject to availability, once all program funding for the fiscal year has been fully committed, the program will no longer be able to consider additional proposals for funding, even if they are submitted before the annual deadline. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their proposals as early as possible to maximize opportunities for funding consideration.

Who can access funding

Funding is available to the following

• Indigenous Peoples (First Nation, Inuit and Métis);
• Indigenous Governments, including band councils or tribal councils, or its delegated authorities;
• Indigenous organizations;
• Indigenous self-government entities;
• Indigenous local, regional and national representative organizations;
• Incorporated not-for-profit Indigenous controlled organizations;
• Incorporated for-profit Indigenous controlled organizations, when the work being performed under the transfer agreement is not-for-profit; and
• Indigenous-controlled unincorporated organizations.

Indigenous-led means that individuals who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) hold 51% of the managerial and leadership positions.

Note:
Government of Canada employees and Canadian Armed Forces members are not eligible to receive grant and/or contribution funding from the Crown.

Eligibility

• Eligible initiatives include efforts to:
  1. Engagement and Collaboration Grants to support costs associated with targeted or occasional events that encourage dialogue between Indigenous communities and military establishments and/or Defence programs.
  2. Research Support Contributions to support costs of various research activities or events intended to encourage participation and collaboration between Indigenous communities and/or organizations and military establishments and/or Defence programs.
  3. Policy Development Contributions to support the costs of longer term relationship-building and policy development projects related to the Defence mandate and Canada’s Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged.
• In-depth examples of eligible activities include:
  • Engagement and Collaboration Grants:
    • Workshops, conferences, roundtables, town halls, meetings with bases and wings, and meetings between recipients and DND on specific program-related topics or ranges of subject matter related to program services.
    • In person meetings between DND staff and Indigenous recipients
    • Cultural activities including to but not limited to sweat lodges, traditional ceremonies, pow wows, smudging
    • Hospitality based events hosted by Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations
    • Informal discussions related to issues around DND work on identified traditional territories
    • In person meetings to provide updates on infrastructure projects related to DND expansion including NORAD modernization and other projects in the North.
    • Community outreach events including but not limited to career fairs, recruitment campaigns
    • Support existing ongoing events, workshops, and meetings which occur between Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations without GoC representation around topics such as land claim and access agreements.
    • Consultation on a wide range of topics or subject matter to support engagement and collaboration
  • Research Support Contributions:
    • Building Indigenous engagement to support the development of partnership and collaborative opportunities between DND and Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations;
    • Creating opportunities (roundtables, town halls, meetings with bases and wings, conferences, workshops) for Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations to share their views, and knowledge for the purposes of implementing DND initiatives;
    • To support Indigenous academic researchers and student on work related to the nexus between Indigenous Peoples and defence;
    • Supporting the publication process for Indigenous led research;
    • Supporting heritage and archeological research, studies, and work; and
    • Consultation on a wide range of topics or subject matter to support research.
  • Policy Development Contributions:
    • Conferences, workshops, roundtables and topical policy research events that are relevant to the Canadian defence and policy priorities/challenges;
    • Reports on the outcomes of policy workshops, roundtables and research events;
    • Surveys of effects and issues related to Base or Wing activities to inform DND policy development;
    • Employment and procurement policy recommendation related work;
    • Hospitality based events hosted by Indigenous people and their communities and representative organizations;
    • In person meetings;
    • Community outreach events; and
    • Consultation on a wide range of topics or subject matter to support policy development.

Eligible expenses

Funds may be used only for expenses directly related to the activities of the initiative and must be reflected either in the original budgetary submission, or via subsequent approved budgetary adjustments. Applicants are encouraged to align with government priorities.

Eligible expenses include:

• Research costs (subscriptions, travel and accommodation, etc.)
• Conference/seminar costs, including such costs as: room rental, audiovisual rental, interpretation, materials, as well as travel, accommodation, hospitality/food, in accordance with GoC guidelines;
• Translation costs;
• Administrative/support salary costs, including benefits;
• Professional services including contract costs for expertise not available in-house or work that cannot be performed in-house;
• Advertising/promotional material;
• Licensing and other fees;
• Travel costs for Recipients that are in accordance with the National Joint Council Travel Directive;
• Facility/transportation rentals;
• Communications materials;
• Disability related support;
• Adaptive technology set up;
• Cultural activities

Limitations on eligible expenses

• Travel expenses must adhere to rates permitted under the National Joint Council Travel Directive
• Hospitality expenses must adhere to the regulations surrounding hospitality identified in the Government of Canada Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures. The rates can be found in the National Joint Council Travel Directive

Ineligible expenses

Ineligible expenses under IRP are any costs not directly related to the approved activities.

Ineligible expenses include, but not limited to:

• Insurance;
• Interest charges;
• Heating bills or other utilities;
• Amortization;
• Capital assets;
• Honoraria;
• Prizes, awards, accolades;
• Costs related to litigation; or any legal costs not specified in the proposal agreement;
• Ongoing licensing fees;
• Costs associated with the repayment or refinancing of an existing debt;
• Costs related to lobbying;
• Costs associated with the purchase of any assets for more than the fair market value of said asset;
• Costs of land, building or vehicle acquisition;
• Costs of goodwill;
• Employee benefits beyond normal practice i.e. Dividend, bonuses, or other fees to the project management team;
• Entertainment expenses, including but not limited-non-project related meals/beverages, travel, hospitality;
• Specifically, any indirect costs or core-like costs that are not directly related to the costs of undertaking the agreed upon activities.

Proposal process

To complete the proposal process, please ensure you follow the below steps:

1. Complete, sign and date a proposal package. This includes the proposals general information, funding requested, and proposal information. If you have any questions during the development of your proposal, please contact: IRP-PRPA@forces.gc.ca
2. Attach all the required supporting documents (for example letter of support from Chief and Council, Tribal Council/Organization).
3. Submit your proposal to the following email address: IRP-PRPA@forces.gc.ca

What to expect after you submit your funding request

• You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 10 business days.
• A Program Officer will be assigned to your file.
• The Program Officer will contact you to discuss your proposal.
• You may be asked to provide additional information or revise your budget.

For proposal processing time, please contact the Program at the following email address: IRP-PRPA@forces.gc.ca.

Funding decisions

Decisions regarding eligibility and funding amounts are flexible.

A phased funding approach for your initiative may be suggested to guide subsequent phases of your initiative. The Program Officer will work closely with you to ensure you have adequate funding for Engagement and Collaboration, Research Support, and Policy Development to establish a path forward on your initiative. For this approach, the Program Officer can amend existing agreements to add additional funding for subsequent phases.

How funding is provided

The Program IRP provides funding in the form of a grant and/or a contribution.

A contribution is a conditional payment issued to your organization or group for a specific purpose, as outlined in the funding agreement. The funding agreement is signed by your community or organization, and by the Department of National Defence (DND) and specifies the terms and conditions to receive payment. At a minimum, the Program will require activity and financial reports from the recipient. DND understands that these projects are priorities for communities and can be time sensitive. As such, the department will try to expedite the creation of a new funding agreement or amend an existing funding agreement to include this new funding, whenever possible. There are various options to receive the funding depending on existing agreements in place with DND:

1. If you have an existing agreement with DND, the program may initiate an amendment to your existing agreement or will discuss a new agreement as applicable.
2. If you do not have a current agreement with DND, the program may:
   • Create a new funding agreement with DND. To create a new agreement with DND, the department will require the following documents:
     • incorporation documents and bylaws
     • indigenous organization's financial signing authority (Chief and Council for Bands; Chief Executive Officer, Chair, or Board of Directors for non-governmental organizations)
     • a void cheque
     • the most recent audited financial statements or annual financial reports performed by a certified accountant
   • The approximate time for adding a new recipient is at least 4 to 6 weeks.

Workplace well-being

The Government of Canada is strongly committed to promoting healthy workplaces where harassment, abuse and discrimination are not tolerated. Recipients that receive funding from DND/CAF must take measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.

Official languages requirements

We are committed to taking positive measures to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities and to promote the use of English and French in Canadian society. If you receive funding, you agree to comply with the official languages requirements set out in your proposal and your funding agreement.

Access to information requests

We are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The information you submit in your proposal may be disclosed in accordance with the acts.

Disclosure of information

By submitting your funding proposal, you authorize DND to disclose any information submitted with this proposal within the Government of Canada or to outside entities for the following purposes:

• to reach a decision
• to evaluate the results of the project
• to support transparency, accountability and citizen engagement

Contact us

For further information please contact the Indigenous Reconciliation Team by email: IRP-PRPA@forces.gc.ca

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