Multi-Year Funding Stream

Project Summary:

Creation is a multi-level funding program that will support strengths-based, community-focused and youth-led projects taking place in communities across Canada. Groups are eligible to apply for funding to support community programs and projects, while receiving innovative mentorship, training and capacity-building opportunities.  

The Multi-Year Project Funding Stream will provide two years of funding of up to $150,000 ($75,000 in Year One and $75,000 in Year Two). Funding will go to Indigenous youth-led non-profits, organizations and charities that seek to create impactful community change and increase the wellness, resiliency and engagement of Indigenous youth. Funded groups must demonstrate Indigenous leadership and youth-leadership at all levels (Board of Directors, Leadership, Staffing, Advisory, etc). Successful applicants must be either an incorporated organization or have a trustee in place to hold grant funds.

 

Priorities:

There is a priority in this stream to support:

• Indigenous youth-led non-profits and registered charities
• Indigenous youth-led grassroots groups that have strong experience running programming and projects (and a trustee to hold funds)
• Projects that are large in scale and scope (i.e. high impact over a long period of time)
• Projects that are multi-dimensional (i.e. are doing more than just one thing, and are looking to improve wellness overall)

Please note that groups funded in this stream must have a formal governance system in place (whether grassroots organizations or incorporated organizations).

Focus Areas:

Successful projects will fall within the following areas:

• Arts and Culture – Projects that increase access to arts, art-based workshops, cultural knowledge, traditions and ceremony
• Innovation and Change – Projects will support youth groups in accessing capacity-building, knowledge mobilization and funding resources. Projects will focus on innovating healthcare systems, developing solutions to infrastructure and resource challenges (such as access to clean water and sustainable food sources) and increasing access to technology.
• Intergenerational Relationship Building – Projects will engage multiple age groups and should help to enhance the sense of community (i.e. projects where youth participate in programs with Elders, families, adults, etc).
• Resiliency Building – Projects will focus on organizational development in Indigenous agencies. The intention of this focus area is to increase leadership, governance, capacity and opportunity for Indigenous organizations to impact communities and systems. Projects can include organizational enhancements (i.e. training, website development, strategic plan development, consulting projects, purchase of supplies, etc).
• Youth and Community Wellness – Projects will focus on enhancing community wellness and can include one-off events or long-term programs and any type of programming related to wellness (i.e. workshops, teachings, gatherings).

Eligibility:

Funding in this stream is only open to incorporated/registered non-profit organizations and charities that are Indigenous youth-led OR grassroots groups that have an incorporated group trustee. 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 include:

• Indigenous youth-led incorporated non-profit organizations
• Indigenous youth-led registered charities
• Indigenous youth-led organizations
• Grassroots groups that have an incorporated organization that has agreed to trustee the project (please include a trustee letter as a part of your application)

Ineligible groups:

• Individuals
• Unincorporated and grassroots groups without a trustee
• Non-Indigenous organizations
• Organizations that are not Indigenous youth-led
• For profit corporations
• Groups or projects operating outside of Canada
• Groups with an organizational budget of over $2,000,000

Ineligible Expenses:

IYR will NOT fund projects that are political in nature, or that involve distributing substances (i.e. alcohol, nontraditional tobacco, marijuana, illicit substances, etc). IYR will also not fund projects or activities that are taking place outside of Canada.

Review Process:

Applications will be reviewed by a Community Grants Committee that includes Advisory Circle members, community members, Indigenous youth and other knowledge carriers. All members will have experience running programs and initiatives, overseeing projects and offering community supports. 100% of the review committee will be Indigenous, and a minimum of 75% will be youth.

Capacity Building:

All funded groups will be required to take part in online training/skills development workshops on managing, facilitating, evaluating, and reporting on programs. There will also be mandatory orientation sessions for all new grantees. All grantees will be assigned an IYR staff member and will have individual meetings with this staff member throughout the project.

Reporting and Evaluation:

Grantees will be asked to report four times on their projects.

• Year One Midterm Check In (6 months into project): Grantees will meet digitally with a Creation staff to talk through challenges and successes. Grantees will share updates on budget spending, completed activities and youth reach.
• Year One Report (12 months into project): Grantees will submit a Year One report (including narrative report, budget report, participant tracking sheet, program hour tracking sheet, etc) Grantees will receive a copy of the report within the first month of their project start date.
• Year Two Midterm Check In (18 months into project): Grantees will meet digitally with a Creation staff to talk through challenges and successes. Grantees will share updates on budget spending, completed activities and youth reach.
• Final Report (2 months after project completion): Grantees will submit a final report (including narrative report, budget report, participant tracking sheet, program hour tracking sheet, etc) Grantees will receive a copy of the final report within the first month of their project start date. Grantees will have to collect data as a part of their reporting.

Financial Oversight and Trusteeship:

Unincorporated/grassroots organizations will require an incorporated non-profit to serve as their grant trustee. This trustee may be someone the applicants are already familiar with or IYR can support in connecting them with a willing organization as well as with creating a trustee agreement that ensures youth will be supported.

View under “What do we mean by a trustee” for how we define trustee.

Release of Funds:

IYR does not issue cheques. Funding will be sent to grantees via a Plooto bank transfer/direct deposit. Funding will be released in three installments:

• June 2023: 50% after the contract is signed
• March 2024: 45% (pending an approved midterm check-in)
• July 2025: 5% after the submission of your final report.

Timelines: