The BC First Nations Caribou Recovery Implementation Fund (FNCRIF) has been developed to provide an additional means for First Nations communities and organizations to advance recovery efforts for threatened caribou herds in British Columbia. The fund is envisioned to generate new, collaborative, First Nations-led caribou recovery actions rooted in traditional knowledge and scientific understanding.
Two streams of funding — seed funding for developing a project proposal, and multi-year funding (1 to 2 years) for implementation of a recovery initiative — are designed to offer flexibility, support in development, and consistency for longer-term initiatives.
FNCRIF is focused on projects that support and promote the recovery of caribou listed as “threatened” under the federal Species and Risk Act (SARA) and includes the following herds: Boreal, Southern Mountain-Northern Group, Southern Mountain – Central Group, and Southern Mountain – Southern Group. A herd map is below.
Promote and support community-based and First Nations-led recovery implementation projects for threatened caribou populations within B.C.;
Further build and develop support for First Nations-driven actions toward caribou herd recovery in B.C.; and
Enable First Nations to leverage funding from other sources.
The FNCRIF is administered by the Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and made possible by contributions from the Province of British Columbia’s Caribou Recovery Program.
All First Nations communities (with traditional territory within British Columbia) and First Nations organizations are eligible for funding, including:
First Nations not-for-profit and for-profit organizations that focus on animal stewardship
Territorially based First Nations groups
Chief’s councils, District councils, and Tribal councils
First Nations corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, and groups
First Nations-led research, academic, and educational institutions
First Nations-led cultural education centres
First Nations-led land/resource management authorities
First Nations-led societies, boards, and commissions
Other organizations (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) if mandated by one of the above eligible recipients
The Fraser Basin Council will accept one application per community or organization per year. Multiple small projects may be combined into one application. If so, the applicant should make clear the objectives and predicted outcomes of each project and identify all the project partners.
Seed funding, up to $10,000, is available to applicants to explore options, acquire or refine expertise in preparation for activity implementation, or secure expertise to refine a proposal. Applicants may apply for seed funding only once.
Implementation Funding is available for projects that are 1-2 years in duration, up to $75,000 per year (consideration for projects of higher value may be given in special circumstances to a maximum of $150,000. Implementation Funding can be managed across fiscal years.
The FNCRIF Advisory Committee provides the external and final review to support a transparent and fair proposal process and recommends approval of proposals for funding to Fraser Basin Council (FBC). Proposals submitted to the program will be subject first to an administrative screening for completeness and eligibility by FBC staff. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to the Provincial Caribou Recovery Program team for review for potential conflicts or alignment with provincial caribou recovery strategies. (Please note: more complex applications may require thoughtful consideration. If an application cannot be reviewed in the application review window, they will be managed as part of the next funding intake period. If this occurs, all parties (including the FNCRIF Advisory Committee) will be notified.)
The FNCRIF Advisory Committee will provide a final technical review aimed at ensuring that technically sound proposals are put forward for funding. This Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually and revised as needed.
Development of Indigenous capacity to participate actively in the implementation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA), through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR)
