Funding for the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative

Overview

As part of the Federal Freshwater Action Plan, the Government of Canada is taking action to restore and protect freshwater ecosystems of national significance through Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives (FEIs) that support partner-led actions addressing regional freshwater challenges and priorities. The Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative will provide financial support for eligible projects that improve the water quality and aquatic ecosystem health of the Fraser River.

Eligibility

Eligible projects

The Fraser River FEI will fund projects within the Canadian portion of the Fraser River Basin that focus on nutrients, contaminants, and/or sediments through at least one of the following  priorities:

• Advancing Science and Knowledge
• Collaboration and Engagement
• Taking Action to reduce Nutrients, Contaminants and/or Sediments

Priority may be given to projects being implemented along or near the mainstem of the Fraser River, contributing waters and/or watersheds that directly discharge into it.

1. Advancing Science and Knowledge: Projects that collect, analyze, share and/or use information to increase knowledge of stressors threatening water quality and aquatic ecosystem health, including nutrients, contaminants and/or sediments. Projects are encouraged to bridge Indigenous Knowledge (also referred to as Traditional Knowledge) and science to address gaps and employ respectful knowledge co-development.

Types of projects that may be funded include:

• Measuring, monitoring (including community-based monitoring), and/or analysis of indicators of aquatic ecosystem changes or health that inform trends over time and/or identification of priorities through an integrated planning process;
  • Examples of an “integrated planning process” could include a watershed sustainability plan, watershed strategy, water management policy, or other similar collaboratively-developed mechanism;
• Addressing knowledge, data, or research gaps on either:
  • The impacts of wildfires or other stressors related to nutrient, contaminant, sediment transport, or;
  • Cumulative impacts of land use changes or disturbance;
• Indigenous-led efforts that enable knowledge sharing and foster a more holistic understanding, including through:
  • storytelling, youth engagement, and intergenerational knowledge transfer to inform stewardship including actions and decision making;
  • opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners to bring together diverse knowledge systems and perspectives to inform actions and decision making.

2. Collaboration and Engagement: Projects that encourage engagement and strengthen collaborative opportunities to identify priorities, inform decision making and develop strategies focused on improving water quality and aquatic ecosystem health.

Types of projects that may be funded include:

• Opportunities for Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous communities, and/or organizations to build relationships and work collaboratively to identify common priorities; and
• Facilitating or enabling knowledge sharing and multi-partner collaborative processes that identify priorities and develop strategies at various scales (e.g. assessments of stressors, state of ecosystem reporting, action plans, etc.), particularly involving both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and/or organizations.

3. Taking Action to Reduce Nutrients and Sediments: Projects that protect water quality and improve aquatic ecosystem health by implementing on-the-ground actions that reduce nutrients, contaminants, and/or sediments.

Types of projects that may be funded include:

• Implementation of beneficial management practices that reduce the negative impacts of nutrients, contaminants, and/or sediments in aquatic ecosystems;
• Implementing actions identified through a water sustainability plan, watershed strategy/plan, water management policy, or other similar collaboratively-developed mechanism.

Projects not eligible for funding

The following types of projects are not eligible for funding under the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative (not exhaustive):

• Monitoring and data collection as stand-alone projects. These projects must be part of an overall trend analysis or integrated planning process as further described in Section 1: Eligible Projects of the Applicant Guide;
• Projects that focus on a single-issue ‘action’ such as stream clean-ups, attending conferences, training, workshops and/or meetings;
• Projects that are focused primarily on: 
  • water quantity, groundwater, or marine/estuary environments
  • fish and/or fish habitat, including water temperature and sediment transport;
  • barriers to navigation
  • invasive species;
• Projects designed only to beautify an area
• The purchase of land;
• Projects required by law and/or mandated by a level of government; and
• Capital or operating costs of infrastructure projects (e.g. dikes, sewers, sewage treatment plants, storm water ponds)

Eligible applicants

Canadian-based organizations are eligible to apply and include:

• Not-for-profit organizations such as charitable and volunteer organizations, professional associations, and non-governmental organizations.
• Indigenous governments, organizations, boards, communities, and associations.
• Coalitions and networks of organizations.
• Research, academic and educational institutions.
• Regional, municipal and local governments.
• Local organizations such as community associations and groups, seniors’ and youth groups, and service clubs.
• For-profit organizations such as small businesses with less than 100 employees.

Federal, and provincial/territorial governments are not eligible funding recipients. Ineligible applicants are encouraged to partner with eligible applicants on projects.

Applicants from outside the Fraser River Basin are eligible to apply; however, priority will be given to those applicants who are geographically located within the Fraser River Basin.

Eligible project costs

The following project costs are eligible:

• Human resource costs, including salaries and benefits.
• Management and professional service costs such as accounting, monitoring, communications, official language translation, audit, and legal fees.
• Hospitality, travel and venues/conference expenses that are attributed directly to carrying out the project (in accordance with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Directives on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.
  • Hospitality expenditures can include costs related to Indigenous ceremonial offerings to be utilized or consumed during meetings or ceremonies such as traditional medicines, cultural foods, tea, and sacred plants.
• Costs associated with Indigenous participation and/or ceremony.
• Monetary Honoraria offered to Indigenous Elders and/or Knowledge Keepers related to specific participation activities which may include but not are not limited to translation and interpretative costs, leading a traditional opening/closing ceremony and/or prayer, the sharing of Traditional Knowledge and protocols, (including spiritual advice to individuals), and demonstrating traditional art and other practices.
• Materials and supplies costs.
• Printing, production, and distribution costs.
• Equipment and Capital Assets purchase or rental.
• Vehicle rental and operation costs.
• Contractors required to perform activities related to the project.
• A reasonable share (20% or less) of overhead and/or administrative costs directly attributed to project delivery.
• Any GST/HST that is not reimbursable by the Canada Revenue Agency and any PST not reimbursable by the provinces.

The following project costs are ineligible:

• Expenditures related to lobbyist fees;
• For for-profit recipients: Equipment and Capital Assets purchase or rental; and
• Costs associated with land securement.

Per the Government of Canada’s Buy Canadian Policy, funding recipients are encouraged to prioritize Canadian suppliers, materials, or content and to provide a simple description on how they have done so in their project. Priority may be given to projects that prioritize Canadian suppliers, materials, or content. Applicants who do not prioritize Canadian suppliers, materials, or content are encouraged to include a justification in their application.

Funding details

Projects are eligible for funding up to a maximum of $200,000 per project. Projects can be single or multi-year in nature but must begin on or after April 1, 2027 and be completed by March 31, 2030.  

Eligible projects that are not funded can be re-submitted through a future call for applications.

Matching Requirements

At least 60% of the total project support must be obtained from sources other than the Canada Water Agency. Other sources of funding may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, or a combination of both, as defined in the Applicant Guide in Section 4: Eligible Project Costs.

Geographic location

Canadian portion of the Fraser River Basin (British Columbia).

Performance indicators

Applicants are required to report on at least one key performance indicator from the list below. It is recommended that applicants identify all indicators that apply to the project and explain how the target numbers were calculated.

• Number of activities supporting collaborative priority-setting and decision-making (# of activities)
• Number of events supporting knowledge transfer and sharing (# of events)
• Number of partner organizations engaged in project activities (# of organizations)
• Number of youth engaged in project activities (# of youth)
• Number of sites with enhanced monitoring (# of sites)
• Area of land restored/conserved (# of hectares)
• Number of activities reducing nutrients or contaminants in water (# of activities)
• Amount of phosphorus reduced or diverted (kg/year)
• Number of activities reducing sediment in water (# of activities)
• Number of Indigenous-led activities that enable freshwater stewardship and/or the intergenerational transfer of knowledge (# of activities)
• Number of mitigation measures and/or management practices implemented (# of mitigation measures and/or management practices)
• Number of partner organizations contributing financial and/or in-kind resources (# of partners/organizations)
• Number of decision-support tools developed and/or implemented (# of tools)
• Number of reports/papers compiled and published (# of reports/papers)
• Number of jobs created (# jobs)

Evaluation criteria

Eligible applications will be evaluated on their strength of support of program priorities including through the key criteria outlined below:

• Demonstrates strong linkages to the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative priorities. The application must clearly demonstrate how the project will improve water quality and aquatic ecosystem health through at least one of the three program priorities described in Section 1: Eligible Projects in the Applicant Guide. 
  Priority may be given to projects specifically advancing the following types of Eligible Projects identified in Section 1 in the Applicant Guide :
  • Measuring and/or analysis of indicators of aquatic ecosystem changes or health that inform trends over time; and/or
  • Facilitating or enabling knowledge sharing and multi-partner collaborative processes that identify priorities and develop strategies at various scales (e.g. assessments of stressors, state of ecosystem reporting, action plans, etc.), particularly involving both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and/or organizations.
• Builds partnerships through collaboration with other organizations. Contributions of the various partners and project collaborators need to be clearly described in the application including the benefits derived from these collaborations such as increased capacity and/or expertise and/or resources that are leveraged through these partnerships. Preference will be given to projects that build partnerships and/or collaboration across diverse groups, including projects that enable participation of Indigenous youth and/or intergenerational transfer of knowledge, as well as projects that collaborate across sectors, disciplines, communities, etc.
• Leveraging financial and in-kind resources. In accordance with Section 6 of the Applicant Guide: Matching Requirements, a minimum 60% of the financial and in-kind support for a proposed project must come from sources other than the Canada Water Agency. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate more than this minimum ratio, as well as support from a diverse range of partners and/or funders.
• Scientific and/or technical soundness. (For projects that include scientific, research, and/or nutrient reduction components.) The application must provide detailed information on methodology and techniques used to evaluate the merit of the project. It must demonstrate the project will be based on knowledge including sound scientific principles and techniques and/or the use of diverse knowledge systems that inform the techniques and approaches being applied.
• Project management and financial management capacity. The application should demonstrate that the project team has the expertise and capacity to manage project and financial resources to ensure the successful completion of the project on-scope, on-budget and on-time. The application should demonstrate that risks to successful completion of the project have been considered and describe how those risks will be mitigated. This should include how progress towards results is monitored during project implementation and how the approach to the project can adapt to changing circumstances. A competitive application will demonstrate strong value for money.
• Indigenous-led efforts and/or Knowledge Systems. Projects including these types of elements should describe how Indigenous organizations or, communities are actively engaged and/or leading in the design and delivery of the project. Where applicable, details related to how the project enables capacity, knowledge sharing and the desired outcomes resulting from the project should be included.
• Builds on/integrates existing research and Knowledge/Indigenous Knowledge. Project activities are expected to build on existing research and knowledge wherever possible. The Canada Water Agency recognizes the value of both Traditional Knowledge and western knowledge and encourages the use of both in any project. A strong application should build on a vast knowledge base from public and private sources to undertake activities that achieve greater environmental results.
• Communication of results and knowledge. Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek opportunities for knowledge transfer to partners and/or external stakeholders or user groups to extend the reach of project outcomes. A competitive application will demonstrate a commitment to publicly share any monitoring or data analysis results and findings to enable benefits to be shared with a wide array of partners and stakeholders, to enable future work and achieve broad impacts throughout the watershed.

Application process

Applicants must submit their project proposal using the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System (GCEMS), Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) online application system. The Applicant Guide is available in GCEMS. Applicants are encouraged to register in GCEMS in advance of the call for application deadline to view the Applicant Guide and begin their application.

Note: The online application system (GCEMS) is shared between CWA and ECCC.  References to ECCC in the system apply to both organizations.

It is strongly recommended that applicants complete the budget in GCEMS 24 hours prior to the deadline to allow sufficient time to resolve any errors. If an application is not submitted by the deadline, it will not be considered.

GCEMS Applicant User Guide: The GCEMS Applicant User Guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to apply for funding, including information on how to create, edit and submit project proposals.  

For technical assistance when using GCEMS: Contact the GCEMS team directly at sgesc-gcems@ec.gc.ca

Selection process

Project funding decisions will be determined through a competitive merit-based review process. 

Completed applications will undergo a two-stage review process:

1. Administrative review by program staff to confirm eligibility. 
2. An Application Review Committee will evaluate the strength of support for the evaluation criteria outlined above.

Notification and reporting requirements

All applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) will be notified in writing via email. If your application is approved, you will be contacted to negotiate a Contribution Agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of funding. Federal Members of Parliament and/or their team may be advised about the approval of a project and may be provided with information in the project application including applicant’s name, project title, project description, project location, funding amounts and contact information.

Funding is conditional on the successful negotiation of a Contribution Agreement between the applicants and the CWA. Each Contribution Agreement must include written confirmation of all funding sources, a summary of project design, delivery, progress evaluations and anticipated results, as well as a budget forecast. All of these components must be accurately completed before the agreement can be signed.

All approved recipients are required to submit reports to CWA throughout the duration of the project as outlined in the Contribution Agreement. Payments are based on reporting and cannot be made until a report has been submitted, reviewed, and approved by a CWA project officer.

Once a project has finished, a final report is required. The final payment will not be provided (minimum 10% holdback) until a final report has been submitted and approved by CWA.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Contact us

Email:  Fraser@cwa-aec.gc.ca

Related links

• Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System
• Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System Applicant User Guide
• Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative
• Projects funded under the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative