Nation Rebuilding program application guidelines: 2023 to 2024

About the program

The Government of Canada is committed to a forward-looking and transformative agenda to renew relationships with Indigenous peoples. Indigenous groups are seeking to rebuild their nations in a way that responds to their priorities and the unique needs of their communities.

Funding

Through Budget 2018, funding has been made available starting in fiscal year 2018 to 2019 to support activities that would facilitate their own path to reconstituting their nations. Funding is currently being sought to support the continued delivery of the program beyond March 2023. However, funding availability, authorities and levels have yet to be confirmed.

An anticipatory call for proposals for 2023 to 2024 will ensure projects can commence as early as possible. However, decisions on applications will not be made prior to a confirmation of overall program funding.

Objective

The objective of the program is to support Indigenous groups' nation rebuilding efforts to increase governance capacity and readiness to take on greater sectoral governance responsibilities at the broader nation level.

Over time, the program is expected to facilitate a transition away from the Indian Act, by supporting a phased-in approach to self-determination and ultimately, self-governance, promoting:

the re-establishment of Indigenous nations
identification and agreement among member communities on priorities for action and approaches to issues as they relate to governance
a reduction in the duplication of the resolution of issues at the individual First Nation or Indigenous community level by working as a collective at the nation-level

Who can apply

Preference will be given to Indigenous nations representing multiple Indigenous communities.

Recipients eligible to receive funding under this program are:

Indigenous nations entities as self-defined and representing nation-based collectives - could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographical area or historical treaty lines
nation member communities or member organizations on behalf of nation entities
section 35 rights-bearing Métis entities
national and regional Indigenous organizations
self-governing Indigenous governments

Single-community nations may be considered on an exceptional basis, where the work proposed is clearly in line with program objectives and nation-level capacity and action.

Deadline

The deadline for the 2023 to 2024 anticipatory call for proposals is January 13, 2023. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.

Eligible initiatives

To be eligible for funding, proposals must clearly demonstrate how the proposed project or initiative will contribute to nation rebuilding by increasing governance capacity and the ability to take on greater sectoral governance responsibilities at the broader nation level.

Applicants may apply for multi-year funding for initiatives and activities spanning more than 1 fiscal year. The continuation of funding for multi-year proposals is dependent on the future availability of funding. It also depends on progress reports to achieve the outcomes of the proposed initiative and activities, as well as meeting funding terms and conditions, such as deadlines for financial and activity reporting.

Eligible activities and expenditures

Examples of eligible activities may include, but are not limited to:

community engagement and consultation
capacity development training and workshops
advisory committees
gatherings aimed at developing culturally appropriate governance structures and institutions
the determination of nation-level priorities
the discussion of issues and opportunities to rebuild as a nation
constitution development, reforms and laws
institutional or leadership capacity building development in support of rebuilding efforts and taking on the exercise of rights, including self-government
research and information gathering, such as Elder interviews or archival research
other initiatives that foster collective understandings of history, customs and institutions as they relate to governance

Eligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:

salaries and wages
accommodations, for example, office space rental
hardware and software needed for capacity development
administrative costs
supplies and materials
information and training services
travel costs including hotel accommodation
professional services, such as speakers, legal advice and coordinators
event, meeting or workshop costs, such as rentals, related supplies and logistics
honoraria
communications

Ineligible initiatives

Initiatives are considered ineligible if they include activities that can be mainly supported by any other government funding programs, such as:

the First Nations Infrastructure Fund, for construction and renovation projects
Basic organizational capacity funding, for core operations of national, provincial, territorial and regional representative Indigenous organizations and national Indigenous women's organizations
Contributions to supply public services in Indian Government Support and to build strong governance, administrative and accountability systems
Contributions to Support the Negotiation and Implementation of Treaties, Claims and Self-Government Agreements or Initiatives
professional and institutional development or education programs
the Indigenous Languages Component, for the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages through community-based projects and activities
Comprehensive Community Planning, for communities in British Columbia to plan their development in a way that meets their own needs and aspirations
Archaeological conservation field services
Parks Canada Archaeology, which enables Canadians to have memorable experiences in a way that ensures the protection of natural, archaeological and cultural heritages

Initiatives may also be considered ineligible if they do not clearly align with the objectives of the program as described above. For example, capacity-building efforts focussed on the individual community or organization level, or which seek to strengthen existing structures without clear movement towards self-determination are not eligible for funding under the Nation Rebuilding Program.

Funding under the program is time-limited and project-based and not intended to support ongoing operations of established bodies. Examples of requests that would be considered ineligible on that basis include:

annual forums and gatherings supporting ongoing discussions not clearly connected to the completion of nation rebuilding project deliverables
ongoing costs to support the overall operations of an established organization, for example, to support an established Secretariat, Treaty Office, etc.

Proposals may also be considered ineligible if there is overlap with or duplication of other funded nation rebuilding or negotiation support initiatives for the same communities.

Proposal requirements

Applicants should review these guidelines in their entirety before submitting a proposal. Incomplete or ineligible proposals will not be considered. A completed proposal must include:

a completed Nation Rebuilding Program Application Form, which can be found on the Proposals, Applications, Work Plans (PAW) page under PAW #76966798
proof that the applicant is mandated to undertake the initiatives on behalf of each individual member community or organization, for example, band council resolutions, support letters from each member community, Assembly of Council resolutions
- These documents must clearly indicate support for the proposed activities and consent to the applicant organization's receiving and managing funds for that purpose, and must be authorized by the appropriate authorities for the communities or groups in question
details on any consultant and professional services, including a description of the work to be performed and fees charged
disclosure of the involvement of any former public servants as per the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service
where applicable, proof that the applicant is incorporated and in good standing
a description of how the applicant will report to member communities on the use of the funds received, the activities undertaken and the results achieved
disclosure of any and all prospective sources of funding for the initiative, inclusive of all federal, provincial or other government sources that are expected to be received

The application form is in fillable Adobe PDF format. For best results, ensure that you have downloaded a copy of the form fully to your own computer and open it directly in your PDF editor before beginning to enter and save information. Opening the form via your web browser, or using the temporary copy created when the form is directly opened from the website, may result in unsaved information or other errors.

Submitting a proposal

Send your proposal and supporting documents by email to: dsn-nsd@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca no later than January 13, 2023.

The subject line of the email should follow this format:

Name of the applicant - Nation Rebuilding Program application – 2023 to 2024

Note

Applications and supporting documentations must be submitted as email attachments. Submissions provided via links to cloud storage systems may not be acceptable due to system incompatibilities.

Proposal review process

Funding will be awarded to eligible recipients based on proposals received. Proposals will be assessed by an internal oversight committee against the program objectives.

Funding will be awarded based on the merits of the work plans and their alignment with the objectives of the program, not on a first come, first served basis.

As described above, this is an anticipatory process and dependent on renewal of the funding for the program. Funding offers cannot be made until and unless funding for 2023 to 2024 is confirmed.

Contact information

If you have questions in relation to this call for proposals or the application process, contact: dsn-nsd@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca.

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Date modified:: 2022-11-14