Indigenous Habitat Participation Program - Contribution component

The Indigenous Habitat Participation Program (IHPP) contribution component provides funding in three areas: commitment funding to support Indigenous peoples in providing input to the implementation of the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the amended Fisheries Act; funding for collaborative activities to ensure Indigenous peoples can partner with Fisheries and Oceans Canada on fish and fish habitat conservation and protection activities; funding for capacity building to support.

Update:

The application process for 2025-26 is now open. Please follow the application guidance below, and contact your regional representative with any questions.

What this service offers

The Indigenous Habitat Participation Program (IHPP) provides both grant and contribution funding for work related to capacity-building, engagement, and collaboration. Funding is provided in three areas:

• Engagement funding to support Indigenous peoples in providing input to the implementation of the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the amended Fisheries Act. This includes engagement on:
  • developing new policies
  • making regulations
• Funding for collaborative activities to ensure Indigenous peoples can partner with Fisheries and Oceans Canada on fish and fish habitat conservation and protection activities related to:
  • planning
  • protection
  • monitoring
  • conservation
  • data collection
• Funding for capacity building to support (priority given to projects in inland areas):
  • establishing organizational structures
  • coordinating and managing activities across multiple communities or groups
  • increasing access to training and skills development programs for Indigenous peoples

Some funding prioritized in inland areas

Funding for building capacity will focus on inland areas of Canada, where the provinces manage the fisheries but where Fisheries and Oceans Canada is responsible for managing impacts on fish and fish habitat under the Fisheries Act.

Funding for engagement and collaborative activities will be available across the country.

Priorities

The IHPP will continue to provide funding to Indigenous Peoples for capacity building, engagement and collaboration activities.

Please note that funding can support the purchase of equipment and other materials to facilitate “virtual” activities, such as meetings and engagement sessions, which could replace in-person activities.

Building capacity:

• Establishment or support (as required) for coordinating or management structures to support multiple Indigenous communities or organizations located in the inland regions of Canada
• Support for information awareness, exchange, and training related to the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat in the inland regions of Canada

Collaboration:

• Activities that support the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat with long-term benefits

Who can apply

You may be eligible for the IHPP capacity-building, engagement, or collaboration funding if you are:

• an Indigenous community, band or settlement
• a district council, chiefs’ council or tribal council
• an Indigenous association, organization or society
• an Indigenous fisheries:
  • commission
  • council
  • authority
  • board
• an Indigenous economic:
  • institution
  • organization
  • corporation
  • co-operative
• a partnership or aggregation of Indigenous groups
• a body or entity established by rights-holding communities to represent them
• a service provider working with Indigenous organizations in fish and fish habitat (mandated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

Eligible activities

The program funds engagement processes such as preparation for and participation in activities and initiatives associated with the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act. This includes:

• providing information, data and views regarding:
  • current or likely effects of proposed regulatory, program or policy initiatives on the regional area
  • related impacts on potential or established Aboriginal rights or titles
• reviewing studies and reports relevant to proposed initiatives (if available)
• giving feedback to Fisheries and Oceans Canada on these initiatives
• conducting engagement activities, such as meetings or discussion groups
• conducting outreach to increase awareness of initiatives among Indigenous peoples

The program supports building capacity for:

• operational programming
• monitoring, including baseline monitoring
• monitoring of projects and evaluating activities
• public and community outreach and education
• collaborative planning that is:
  • bilateral between an Indigenous group and Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • multilateral between many Indigenous groups and Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • among Indigenous organizations
• science and research into Indigenous knowledge related to fish and fish habitat
• monitoring and reporting on progress of technical capacity-building

Capacity building funds will also support:

• training, information, knowledge, skills and professional development related to:
  • fish
  • fish habitat
  • conservation
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • protection of fish and fish habitat
• developing and maintaining management structures and governance, including:
  • administration
  • overall program management
  • organizational strategic planning
• business planning and studies to look at how easy or difficult it may be to build capacity
• outreach activities to strengthen awareness of fish and fish habitat conservation among Indigenous peoples
• collecting, developing and providing data, information and studies on fish and fish habitat issues in support of capacity building

The program funds collaborative activities that support:

• integrated planning initiatives
• monitoring, including baseline monitoring
• establishing fish and fish habitat conservation and protection priorities
• aquatic ecosystem data collection

Keep in mind

Program funding is intended to support the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat. Activities related to fisheries management, such as stock assessment or hatcheries, for example, are not eligible. The planning of habitat restoration activities, such as site determination or setting restoration priorities, are eligible, but on-the-ground restoration activities are not eligible.

Eligible expenses

Funding can be used towards:

• salary, wages and other labour for staff, including employer-mandatory benefits
• training fees and expenses, including materials
• insurance
• outreach materials, such as printing costs
• rental of office space, a room, set of rooms, and/or facilities
• material and supplies

Administrative overhead is capped at 15% of the total contribution amount.

Costs for travel are also considered eligible expenses. Travel amounts, including meals and accommodation, will be based on the rates and allowances found within the National Joint Council’s NJC Directive on Travel.

Eligible expenses also include these services:

• professional and specialized services
• purchase or rental of equipment and upkeep (repairs)
• audio/video, data and network communications services
• ceremonial costs and services where the funding recipient is an Indigenous group that:
  • possesses Indigenous knowledge relevant to the initiative or
  • provides services to support consultation on impacts on potential or established rights or title

Selection criteria

Each proposal will be initially screened to determine if it meets the minimum requirements to be considered an eligible project.

We assess all proposals based on eligibility criteria, including:

• activities
• recipients
• expenditures
• relevance to the objectives of the IHPP and the FFHPP, such as fish and fish habitat conservation and protection

Proposal assessment

If the proposal is eligible, we then determine :

• the applicant’s:
  • experience
  • additional resources
  • management capacity
  • explanation of how funds will go to the proposal and help achieve its goals
• the proposal’s:
  • alignment with the IHPP objectives
  • relation to other national and regional strategies and priorities
  • how well it engages Indigenous groups (in other words, its scope) including the number of organizations and people who will be involved and/or supported
• the type of funding (i.e. grant or contribution) that best fits with the applicant’s capacity, and the proposed activities

We will not fund activities that duplicate services, studies or written materials that are already being funded by other public or private sources.

Preference will be given to proposals that:

• address one or more of the priority funding areas
• engage a broad range of Indigenous partners
• have long-term benefits

How to apply

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