Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is committed to working to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and to achieving a full recovery for nature by 2050. Supporting Indigenous leadership in conservation is essential to meeting these targets. The Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR), established in 2004, supports the development of Indigenous capacity to participate actively in the implementation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Act recognizes the important role that Indigenous Peoples play in wildlife conservation and the need to consider Indigenous knowledge in the assessment of which species may be at risk, as well as in the development and implementation of protection and recovery measures. AFSAR also supports and promotes the conservation, protection, and recovery of target species and their habitats on Indigenous lands and territories.

Grant Deadline

Deadline not available

Funding Amount

Range between $10,000 - $50,000 _{Project funding usually ranges from $10,000 to $50,000 per project, per year.}

Type of Grant

Grant

Sectors

Environmental Sustainability

Demographics

Indigenous

Incorporation

For Profit, Non Profit, Government Institution

Perks

Region Restriction

This grant is restricted to whole of Canada

Keywords

indigenous, risk management, Environmental Protection, Peoples, Meaningful Collaboration, Species, Traditional Food, Participate Actively

Age Restriction

This grant is age restricted from 18 to 100

Eligibility and Requirements

Eligible recipients

All Indigenous communities and organizations located in Canada are eligible for funding, including:

Indigenous not-for-profit and for-profit organizations
Territorially-based Indigenous groups
Chiefs' councils, District councils, and Tribal councils
Traditionally appointed advisory committees
Indigenous corporations, partnerships, and groups
Indigenous research, academic, and educational institutions
Indigenous cultural education centres
Indigenous land/resource management authorities
Indigenous co-operatives
Indigenous societies, boards, and commissions
Other organizations (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) if mandated by one of the above eligible recipients

Eligible lands

Projects must take place on:

Reserves and lands set aside for the use and benefit of Indigenous Peoples under the Indian Act or under section 91 (24) of the Constitution Act of 1867, or
Other lands directly controlled by Indigenous Peoples (e.g. Métis Settlement lands, and land claim/treaty settlement lands)
Lands where traditional food, social, and ceremonial activities (harvesting or other) are carried out by Indigenous Peoples

Eligible projects

Projects must support and promote the conservation, protection and recovery of target species and their habitats on Indigenous lands or lands where traditional food, social, and ceremonial activities are carried out by Indigenous peoples. To be eligible for AFSAR funding, target species include:

Species At Risk Act (SARA) Schedule 1 species as listed in the SARA Public Registry (except those listed as extirpated); and/or
COSEWIC species assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as endangered, threatened, or of special concern but have not been listed on Schedule 1 of SARA; and may include

Species Assessed SARA Schedule 1 - 80% funding – most funding will be directed to projects targeting species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA. Please consult this list to determine if your application could have a higher chance of success.

Species Assessed COSEWIC - Up to 20% funding of the available funds will be directed towards projects targeting species that are not listed on Schedule 1 of SARA but assessed by COSEWIC as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern.

Additionally, AFSAR projects that target at least one species from the above categories may also include proposed actions that proactively prevent species, other than species at risk, from becoming a conservation concern.

For the most up-to-date list of species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA, as well as their recovery strategies, action plans and management plans, please visit the SARA Public Registry. To search for COSEWIC assessed species and to obtain their respective status reports please visit the COSEWIC website.

Eligible activities

The following activity categories are eligible for funding under AFSAR. Applicants must select from the following activity categories in their application. The examples listed below each activity category are eligible options to consider with a few exceptions. Activities that do not fall under these categories are subject to approval. Please discuss potential project activities other than those listed below with a Regional AFSAR Coordinator.

Habitat Protection and Securement: Through acquisition (purchase or donation) or other securement means; protecting target species habitat by assisting recipients in acquiring properties or establishing conservation easements, leases, or other types of agreements with property owners.
Legally binding measures:
Securing land by acquiring title (fee simple)
Securing land by an easement, covenant, or servitude
Securing land through a lease
Non-legally binding measures:
Protection of land through a written conservation agreement
Habitat Improvement: Enhancing or restoring habitat of target species; changing land management or land use practices to benefit target species and improve habitat quality.
Restoration, enhancement and/or management of target species habitat
Vegetation planting or removal of exotics/invasive species in the habitat of, in the immediate area of, and for the direct benefit of a known target species
Residence creation (hibernacula, bird boxes, turtle nesting sites, etc.)
Implementation of beneficial management practices or land use guidelines
Species and Habitat Threat Reduction: Direct intervention for target species under immediate threat from human activity or proactive/preventative activities.
Prevention of damage to target species habitats (for example educational signage)
Protection and rescue prevention of harm to target species (enabling species migration around roadways, fences for the exclusion of habitat disturbances, etc.)
Application of modified or new technology to prevent accidental harm (for example, using modified harvesting methods to reduce incidental take of target species)
Conservation Planning:
Development of target species conservation strategies to improve habitat and reduce threats
Planning of stewardship programs, including target audience engagement strategies
Compilation and dissemination of resource/land use guidelines and beneficial management practices
Surveys, Inventories and Monitoring: Activities such as identifying potential sites for habitat restoration or assessing the presence of a target species and its habitat to target, design and carry out a current (or future) stewardship project.
These activities will only be funded if they are part of a larger stewardship project that is clearly defined in the application and that will be implemented within the life of the project. Applicants will be required to demonstrate how monitoring and data collection activity will lead to on-the-ground recovery action as part of the application.
Identifying potential sites for habitat restoration; includes mapping and analysis (needed to support target species stewardship activities)
Assessing the presence of target species through surveying and/or monitoring
Creation and/or maintenance of inventories or databases for habitat and species data
Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK)
Project Evaluation: Assess the social and biological results and effectiveness of stewardship activities.
Conduct project or program results assessment(s)
Document and Use of Indigenous Knowledge:
contribution to the use/integration of IK in conservation planning
documenting IK through surveys and interviews about the species and their habitats
IK compilation and storage (e.g., set-up/maintenance of databases)
Outreach and Education: Providing information to appropriate target audiences on specific actions to be taken to protect target species; raising awareness about target species conservation needs; educating resource users about alternative methods that minimize impacts on target species and their habitat; promoting stewardship at the community level to improve attitudes and change behaviour.
The activity should lead to direct target species recovery action; general outreach or non-targeted activities are not eligible. Applicants will be required to demonstrate how the outreach activity will lead to on-the-ground recovery action.
Development of targeted outreach materials emphasizing the importance of target species and the benefits of the action to be undertaken
Training of individuals/community members in stewardship practices related to target species
Informing and engaging community members/target audiences (for example, land managers, resources users) about their potential contributions towards target species recovery
Engaging landowners directly in future habitat protection activities

Any proposed outreach or awareness-building activity needs to be a necessary component of a larger project plan unless they are sufficiently targeted and well supported to stand-alone. Project applications must describe in detail how each outreach activity will lead to action in implementing on-the-ground species recovery. They must also include a plan for measuring the implementation, either within the timeframe of the project or within a defined period afterward.

Important:

Activities must be closely linked to prescribed recovery actions in completed recovery strategies, action plans or management plans when available for SARA-listed species and/or wildlife/conservation plans for COSEWIC-assessed species not listed on SARA.
AFSAR funding cannot be used for the creation of promotional merchandise (such as hats or mugs)
Scientific research activities, captive breeding, captive rearing, extirpated species reintroductions, and the development of recovery strategies or action plans, including the identification of Critical Habitat as required under SARA, are not eligible for AFSAR funding. However, AFSAR-funded activities can contribute to the content of recovery documents, such as through the collection of species data that can be used to inform on habitat needs, threat mitigation measures, etc.

Eligible expenses

For all eligible expenses, only those deemed to be a reasonable share for completing the project will be considered eligible. Eligible expenses may include reasonable and properly itemized costs for:

Salaries and wages
Salaries, wages, and benefits (directly associated with the project activities) that the employee will receive from the organization
Management and professional service expenditures
Costs associated with services required to support a project, such as accounting, Elders/knowledge holders’ fees, insurance (related to the project), land surveys, legal (other than litigation) costs, official languages translation, and other professional fees (other than travel). Translation costs for Indigenous languages (for example, Mi’kmaq) are also eligible. Contact a Regional AFSAR Coordinator for more information.
Contractors
Costs associated with consultants and contractors engaged to undertake project activities are subject to regional and national limits. Hourly rates for contractors, consultants, Human Resources costs, and other services, including those used as match, will be evaluated and may be adjusted to be consistent with standard rates for these services in a specific region or for a specific service.
Travel (as per the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Directive which references the National Joint Council’s Travel Directive)
Travel expenses and related expenses for contracted professional service providers or other non-employees (to a maximum of current Treasury Board Secretariat rates), including mileage and accommodation
Travel and related expenses for recipient organization employees
Materials and supplies expenditures
Office supplies and materials
Field equipment and field supplies
Includes equipment purchase under $10,000
Purchase of capital assets
Purchase of a single, tangible asset (with a useful life of more than one year) and using more than $10,000 of ECCC funds (subject to approval in advance).
Equipment rentals
Lease, rental, repair, operating expenses, upgrades, and/or maintenance costs including associated gear in support of project activities (subject to regional and national limits).
Land acquisition, leases, easements, covenants, servitudes
Costs of land acquisition or other means of land securement
Costs associated with eligible land securement initiatives and projects
May include legal charges, appraisals, surveys, baseline documentation, and land transfer tax.
Communications and printing, production and distribution expenditures
Printing costs, websites, supplies, etc.
Vehicle rental and operation expenditures
Lease of office space
Overhead
Administrative costs (salaries and benefits of support staff, office utilities, and rent, etc.) directly attributable to carrying out of the project up to a maximum of 10% of the AFSAR contribution. Note that overhead costs are not included as part of the other eligible expenditures categories.
Other expenditures
Meeting and training fees (e.g., materials and hall rental), and registration fees for courses, conferences, workshops or seminars
Expenditures for preparing an independent financial report
Projects over $100,000 may be required to submit an independently-verified financial report at the end of the project
Further disbursement of ECCC funding to final recipient
Organizations wishing to coordinate work for a specific species or threat or within a certain geographic area may wish to consider a further disbursement project. A further disbursement project is one where a recipient distributes funds to third parties by means of their own competitive contribution-type program and agreements. Please contact a Regional AFSAR Coordinator for further details

Grant Application website

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-funding/programs/aboriginal-fund-species-risk.html#toc10

Contact

Contact us

For general ECCC or Canadian Wildlife Service inquiries, please contact 1-800-668-6767 or ec.enviroinfo.ec@ec.gc.ca.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at AFSAR-FAEP@ec.gc.ca or contact your regional AFSAR coordinator. Please note that regional AFSAR coordinators are available to answer questions during regular business hours, local time.