Indigenous Culture Fund: Small Grants

Purpose

• organizing a cultural camp where Elders, language speakers and knowledge keepers take youth out on the land and share their teachings
• hosting a gathering where traditional medicines and harvesting teachings are shared with community members

Indigenous Language Projects: for language revitalization projects, including workshops and classes. Examples:

• running Indigenous language immersion classes in the community
• participating in an Indigenous workshop, program or class as an individual learner

Cultural Research, Documentation, Tools and Resources: for research, documentation and the development of materials to support cultural awareness and traditional knowledge. Examples:

• developing a protocols tool-kit to support archaeological digs in the community
• researching and documenting stories about the local community and land to share with future generations

Cultural Mentorship or Learning: for projects involving training and mentorship in cultural knowledge or activities. Examples:

• a master birch bark canoe maker mentors an emerging maker on traditional techniques for a period of time
• a community group offers family and all-ages drumming workshops

Travel: for travel related expenses to attend and/or participate in community or cultural activities, events, workshops or conferences which are typically unavailable in your community. Examples:

• attending a sweat lodge ceremony in another community
• participating in a traditional medicines workshop in another region of the province

Deadline dates

Grant amount(s)

• Community/Culture/Way of Life: maximum $5,000
• Indigenous Language Projects: maximum $5,000
• Cultural Research, Documentation, Tools and Resources: maximum $5,000
• Cultural Mentorship or Learning: maximum $5,000
• Travel: maximum $5,000

Eligible applicants

• status and non-status First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals
• Indigenous ad hoc groups, collectives and youth councils made up of at least 60 per cent Indigenous individuals
• First Nations, Inuit or Métis organizations, including:
• incorporated not-for-profit organizations
• community centres, cultural centres, friendship centres, libraries, schools, health and social services organizations
• band councils, tribal councils, Métis community councils and provincial organizations
• applicants must work or operate in Ontario and have a permanent physical address in Ontario

Read the Indigenous Culture Fund Terms and Conditions for more eligibility information.
Important

• Applicants were eligible to receive up to two Indigenous Culture Fund Small Grants in a year, provided each grant is for a different activity. The limit of two per year was based on the date of the application deadline, not on the date the grant payment is received.
• Applicants were eligible to receive two Indigenous Culture Fund Small Grants and one Indigenous Culture Fund Project grant in addition to other OAC project or operating grants. However, the same activities could not be funded by both OAC and ICF. See Guide to OAC’s Project Programs.

Ineligible applicants

• non-Indigenous individuals, groups, organizations, schools, colleges and universities
• municipalities
• students may not apply for projects related to their student work
• for-profit enterprises

This program funds

• administrative, programming, material, equipment and technical costs or fees to implement the proposed project
• childcare costs for project staff and participants
• projects that take up to one year to complete
• out-of-province projects are eligible in the Travel category only
• honourariums for Elders, traditional knowledge keepers and language teachers

Note: Applicants may apply for up to 100 per cent of the project costs, but were encouraged to seek revenue from a variety of sources where possible.

This program does not fund

• powwow competitions (traditional powwows and special projects within powwows were eligible)
• individual artists applying with arts creation projects (see OAC’s Indigenous Arts Projects program)
• arts presentations or exhibitions that are contemporary and/or do not involve culture and community in the creation and delivery (see OAC’s Indigenous Arts Projects program)
• ongoing organizational operating costs
• purchase of land or real estate
• permanent infrastructure and/or capital expenses/improvements
• economic development initiatives
• cultural tourism
• professional and staff development
• scholarships and bursaries
• personal expenses

Activity timing

The activity for which you requested funding:

• cannot start before the date your application is submitted
• cannot finish before you receive your grant results
• must be completed no more than one year after you receive the grant results

Final report requirements

If you received a grant you must submit a final report upon completion of the project. A final report form will be available in Nova. Final reports for this program require grant recipients to provide:

• description of the project undertaken and its outcomes, including details on any minor or approved changes to what had been outlined in the application
• description of how grant funds were spent
• visual documentation of the project such as pictures or video clips (optional)
• visual documentation and/or an written explanation of how you acknowledged, or will acknowledge, ICF support for your project, if applicable

To apply