Open October 1 - 31st

Description

Funding of up to $20,000 will be provided to projects/groups that seek to create impactful community change and increase the wellness, resiliency and engagement of Indigenous youth.

The Land and Food Sovereignty Funding Stream aims to increase opportunities to participate in land-based programming, learn about food and medicines and engage with knowledge keepers. Projects in this stream need to be Indigenous-led and youth-focused, although community-focused and intergenerational activities can be run. The intention of launching this program in Fall 2024 is so that the grant can support full year projects in 2025 that cover a full growing season, and provide opportunities for multi-seasonal opportunities to engage with and on the land.

There is a priority in this stream to support:

  • Indigenous grassroots groups and collectives
  • Groups that have experience running programming and projects, but are looking to scale to a new level or try something new
  • Projects that have an appropriate scale and scope for the funding provided (i.e., engagement numbers and frequency make sense for the funding requested)
  • Projects that are multi-dimensional (i.e., are doing more than just one thing, and are looking to improve wellness overall)

Focus Areas

We’re looking to fund projects that focus on one or more of the following areas:

Projects that focus on increasing access to foods, knowledge about traditional and healthy foods and building skills around planting, growing and harvesting. Projects in this focus area can include: community gardens, initiatives to start family gardens, workshops about cooking, harvesting and preserving etc

Projects will support youth to access food and land teachings in the digital space. This can include online social media campaigns, videos, digital workshops, etc. Projects can be focused on sharing knowledge, but also on preserving knowledge from Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

Projects will engage youth in participating in programming on the land. These can include overnight camps or workshop series. Projects will work to increase the youth’s connection to the land and knowledge of food and land teachings. Projects in this focus area can include: medicine walks, ceremonies, foraging activities, water-based projects (such as water walks), recreational land-based recreation activities (e.g., canoeing), language camps, traditional hunting and fishing and other activities.

Projects will focus on revitalizing traditional food systems, including increasing the knowledge of the community around preservation and re-emergence. The project can include activities such as improving soil health, mapping territory to identify risk factors (such as chemical runoff, and invasive species), learning the stories of food, planting projects, and protecting water ecosystems (wild rice revitalization, etc.).

Eligibility

Creation will prioritize funding grassroots youth groups consisting of a minimum of 2 Indigenous youth.

Please note: for the purpose of this program IYR defines Indigenous as status and non-status First Nation, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada, living both on and off reserve.

Eligible groups and projects include:

  • Unincorporated/grassroots youth groups and collectives
  • Small, incorporated youth groups (note: IYR defines a small organization as groups that have 1-8 full-time employees and an operating budget of less than $500,000)
  • Youth Councils

Ineligible groups and projects:

  • Individuals
  • Projects that are not youth-led (or where the majority of the leadership is 30+)
  • Non-Indigenous organizations
  • Projects taking place outside of Canada
  • For-profit corporations and businesses
  • Groups that have an organizational budget of over $500,000

Past Land & Food Sovereignty Funding Guides

2024

October View English Guide  |  View French Guide

2023

November View English Guide  |  View French Guide

2022

November View English Guide  |  View French Guide

2021

June View English Guide  |  View French Guide

Grant Contact Name and Pronouns

Gwen Hamilton

(she/they)

Administrative Assistant