Request for Applications: Cultural Practices Grant Program (Canada)

Activities and practices supported through this grant may include celebrations and honoring children and youth, seasonal or celestial activities and events, knowledge gathering and transfer, reawakening of cultural places and the traditions associated with them, and other culturally important practices that are held by communities. These may be cultural practices that have been continuously carried out over generations, as well as “sleeping” practices that a community wants to reawaken.

Objectives

• The objectives of the CPG are to:
  • Support revitalizing, recognizing and strengthening of cultural practices.
  • Support and facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfer.
  • Support activities and practices that affirm identities, foster a sense of belonging, and celebrate roles and relationships within a community.
  • Support cultural practices that promote collective safety and wellbeing within and for a B.C. First Nation community or communities. This includes physical safety within communities and on the land, as well as the cultural and spiritual safety of those participating in project activities.
  • Support First Nations cultural practices as a way to prevent and heal from gender-based violence.

Funding Information

• Applicants can apply for between $10,000 and $25,000 for projects under the CPG.

Eligible Activities

• Activities and events supported through this grant reflect shared cultural values within a community and Nation. Support from the community/cultural group and guidance and leadership from Elders and cultural advisors with recognized roles within the community will be essential to ensuring projects are carried out in a safe, respectful and proper way. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects have support from the wider community, and that the people leading project activities hold existing community-recognized roles that align with the proposed activity.
• Examples of eligible activities include:
  • Community-led naming events
  • Community-led birthing and baby welcoming events
  • Events and practices that honor people with important roles within the community (Elders, hunters, fishers, spiritual leaders, political leaders, language speakers, etc.)
  • Gatherings and events focusing on modeling safe, healthy relationships and preparing children and youth for the future
  • Welcoming and reconnecting programs for adults who did not have the opportunity to participate as youth
  • The development of kinship programs to welcome or prepare new or returning community members
  • Welcoming and reconnecting programs supporting off-reserve and/or urban Indigenous youth to travel to B.C. First Nation communities
  • Celebrations for pole raisings, house panel installations and other similar events
  • Cultural performances that signify rites of passage (e.g., dance, song, storytelling)
  • Traditional harvesting celebrations or events
  • The creation, restoration, or reactivation of cultural Belongings important to cultural practices. This could include regalia, blankets, masks, drums, ochre and other belongings, and could also include belongings that have been repatriated.
  • Working with Elders, knowledge holders and/or cultural advisors to record oral histories, protocols, laws, and stories about cultural practices and events
  • Developing teaching tools around cultural practices for use by and for B.C. First Nations youth programs, communities and First Nations schools
  • Storytelling projects to document cultural practices.

Ineligible Activities

• Activities that are not eligible for funding under this program include:
  • Projects submitted by individuals; this grant is only able to fund projects proposed and led by B.C. First Nation communities and organizations
  • Infrastructure projects
  • Projects with a high risk to health and safety, including but not limited to projects that involve the use of firearms and other weapons, fire, and extreme heat. If you are unsure if your proposed project involves high risk health and safety activities
  • Projects where youth would be unsupervised
  • Projects that involve private, sensitive, confidential or sacred ceremonies, information or practices that cannot be shared outside families or clan groups.

Eligibility Criteria

• The FPCC Heritage Program supports projects by B.C. First Nations and B.C. First Nations-led organizations as per their legislated mandate. FPCC requires at least 75% of an organization’s board members/directors to include individuals from B.C. First Nations as they are the rightful stewards of their cultural heritage and are best equipped to lead the important work of protecting, sharing and revitalizing B.C. First Nations Heritage on their lands.
• Recognized B.C. First Nations and B.C.-based First Nations organizations that have a mandate or focus that includes First Nations’ heritage. Eligible applicants include:
  • Recognized B.C. First Nations bands or Tribal Councils
  • Not-for-profit societies registered in B.C. in good standing and governed by B.C. First Nations individuals where at least 75% of directors are from recognized B.C. First Nations
  • B.C. First Nations-led museums and cultural spaces where at least 75% of directors are from recognized B.C. First Nations
  • Urban and off-reserve B.C. First Nations organizations where at least 75% of directors are from recognized B.C. First Nations
  • B.C. First Nations schools or adult education centers operating in B.C. on First Nations lands. Please note that applications from First Nations schools that serve one community must be submitted through their respective Nation or Band Office.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Individuals and family groups
• Organizations or societies where less than 75% of Board members are members of a recognized B.C. First Nation
• Collectives or non-registered groups (this grant only accepts registered societies)
• For-profit organizations and businesses, entities, individuals and commercial ventures
• Organizations or previous grant recipients with incomplete or outstanding reporting with FPCC or FPCF. These applicants are ineligible until all required documentation is complete.
• Government organizations, including municipalities
• Universities, colleges and non-B.C. First Nations schools
• Private clubs, groups and organizations with exclusive memberships
• Religious organizations
• Corporations

Application Requirements

• Applications will not be reviewed unless all necessary information is provided. Applicants must submit completed applications that include the following:
  • A balanced project budget with detailed descriptions and cost breakdowns for each category
  • A thorough workplan with dates for key activities
  • A full consideration of the potential risks and mitigation strategies for the project
  • A project timeline that fits within the CPG funding term (January 6, 2025 – March 16, 2026)
  • Proof of additional confirmed funding for the project, if applicable. Examples include funding agreements and letters from other funders, donors, and in-kind contributions.
  • Letters of Support: FPCC requires two types of support letters: Governance Approval Letters and Community Support Letters. All letters of support must be dated and signed on official letterhead. There are slightly different requirements for letters of support for Bands and societies/non-profits applying for FPCC grants.

For more information, visit First Peoples’ Cultural Council.