Employment Partnerships Program (EPP)

The Employment Partnerships Program (EPP) helps Indigenous communities and organizations connect their members to employment and training. There is no minimum or maximum amount of funding. The grant amount will be based on the availability of funding, alignment to EPP priorities, and ability of partners to make financial and/or in kind contributions. An in-kind contribution is a quantifiable contribution made by the applicant or its partners that are considered necessary to the project and are being donated.

Overview

Employment Partnerships Program (EPP) provides funding to Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program agreement holders for Indigenous workforce development.

EPP project priorities are to:

• promote employment opportunities to Indigenous people
• develop strategies to employ and retain Indigenous workers
• support labour market and workforce planning activities

EPP complements other funding programs and is not intended to replace or duplicate other sources of financing that may be available.

Priorities

EPP priorities for 2025 and 2026 are to:

• foster industry partnerships through EPP-funded projects to expand the availability, accessibility and quality of Indigenous employment opportunities
• support projects to inform organizational priorities with labour market information to better meet skills needs and market demand
• provide direct training and employment supports

Funding

EPP is funded federally through the Canada-Alberta Labour Market Development Agreement and the Canada-Alberta Workforce Development Agreement.

There is no maximum amount for grant funding requests; however, grant program funding is limited. An application request may not receive full funding as funding is dependent on the total number of eligible applications the grant funding program receives. Funding allocations will be determined by:

• availability of grant program funding
• alignment with grant program priorities
• ability of partners to make financial, in-kind or both types of contributions

In-kind contributions are measurable, non-monetary contributions provided by the applicant or its partners considered necessary to the success of the project. An example could be facility rental for program activities.

The funding requested must be supported by the project activities and expenses detailed in the application.

Preference is given to projects with documented community and industry partnerships demonstrated through letters of support, in-kind/financial contributions or both listed in the project application.

The grant may be stacked with other government (federal, provincial, municipal) and industry funding sources. For the purpose of this grant, the grant stack funding level to a recipient from all sources can be up to 100% of eligible costs.

Eligible applicants

The following Alberta organizations are eligible to apply:

• Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program agreement holders

Applicants must also be corporate entities in good standing, having met reporting deadlines and requirements for any previously funded grants from Indigenous Relations.

Eligible activities

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Direct training

Under EPP, direct training applicants are limited to training lasting more than 2 weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks less a day in duration.

Examples:

• training certificates/courses
  • food safety certificates
  • driver’s licence training
  • safety tickets
  • pre-trades and trades

Light touch / no touch (no direct training)

Under EPP, light touch/no touch activities are those where the service provider has little to no direct interaction with individuals.

Examples:

• career/job fair
• symposium
• labour force surveys
• strategic planning

Employment assistance services

Under EPP, employment assistance services are a variety of services that support individuals as they prepare to enter or re-enter the workforce or help them to find a better job.

Examples:

• job search services
• career counselling

Budget

Applications must include all project expenses, both eligible and ineligible, in the budget. Applications must also outline all sources of project funding, including non-government sources and in-kind contributions.

Application budget details will be assessed for eligibility according to the criteria of the selected stream. Applicants must ensure budget items are clearly linked to project activities.

Eligible expenses

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Direct training

Eligible expenses can include:

• direct training costs
• training supplies and materials
• venues for training
• wages and benefits for dedicated project staff members
• required travel expenses for project participants
• project administration costs (maximum 15% of total amount requested) – must be based on project activities and scope
• Elder honoraria

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• living allowances
• curriculum development
• ongoing operating costs of an Indigenous government, organization, or corporation
  (including office space rent)
• capital costs (acquisitions, construction, development, or enhancement of buildings, equipment, electronics, furniture, vehicles, or other tangible assets)
• consultant or board member honoraria, donations, or prize money
• payments for services that would normally be provided without charge

Light touch/no touch (no direct training)

Eligible expenses can include:

• venues for employment/industry events
• wages and benefits for dedicated project staff members
• project administration costs (maximum 15% of total amount requested) – must be based on project activities and scope
• Elder honoraria

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• ongoing operating costs of an Indigenous government, organization, or corporation
  (including office space rent)
• capital costs (acquisitions, construction, development, or enhancement of buildings, equipment, electronics, furniture, vehicles, or other tangible assets)
• consultant or board member honoraria, donations, or prize money
• payments for services that would normally be provided without charge

Employment assistance services

Eligible expenses can include:

• wages and benefits for dedicated project staff members
• program materials
• marketing/advertising
• administration costs (maximum 15% of total amount requested)

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• ongoing operating costs of an Indigenous government, organization, or corporation
  (Including office space rent)
• capital costs (acquisitions, construction, development, or enhancement of buildings, equipment, electronics, furniture, vehicles, or other tangible assets)
• consultant or board member honoraria, donations, or prize money
• payments for services that would normally be provided without charge

Supporting documentation

Relevant supporting documents can strengthen your application and provide more evidence of your organization’s readiness to manage a successful project. For example:

• additional documents detailing budgets and timelines attached to your formal application
• letters of support from partners making contributions in the form of general support or job guarantees that cannot be reflected in your budget
• quotes from service providers can be included when you are procuring a service, such as training, and have more than one option for providers

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