Heritage Stewardship Program (Canada)

Deadline: 16-May-23

The First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) Heritage Program is pleased to launch its new Heritage Stewardship Program (HSP).

Priority Areas

The HSP combines existing and new grants, including Sense of Place, Climate Change, Oral Histories and Protocols, and Digitization and Archiving into four priority areas. The purpose of combining these grant streams is to reduce the administrative burden on applicants while increasing the funding flexibility to better meet applicants’ needs. This new program makes it possible for an organization to apply for up to three priority areas in one application.

• Climate Change
  • Objective: This priority area supports B.C. First Nations communities and organizations with between $10,000 and $25,000 to explore how their communities are experiencing and responding to climate change in the context of Indigenous cultural heritage protection and revitalization. Projects may include the development of mitigation measures for heritage sites and places that are impacted by climate change.
  • Project examples:
    • Document the impact of climate change on local fisheries and other food sources
    • Assess the impacts of climate change on cultural sites
    • Develop strategies to reduce the impact of coastal erosion
    • Document and share information about communities and landscapes that experience climate change impacts
• Digitization and Archiving
  • Objective: This priority area supports B.C. First Nations communities and organizations with between $10,000 and $25,000 to digitize and/or archive existing cultural heritage records, which may include maps, audio and video recordings, transcripts, photos, illustrations, books and other culturally important materials.
  • Project examples:
    • Community training about how to digitize and archive materials
    • Create an inventory of cultural heritage materials to digitize
    • Transfer audio and video cassettes to digital format
    • Document and share heritage through new technologies
• Oral Histories and Protocol
  • Objective: This priority area supports B.C. First Nations communities and organizations with between $10,000 and $25,000 to engage Elders and Knowledge Keepers in sharing their stories and contributing to documenting Indigenous laws, protocols and ways of knowing.
  • Project examples:
    • Audio and/or video recording interviews of Elders and Knowledge Keepers
    • Translating and transcribing oral histories
    • Research projects or focus groups to document and articulate Indigenous laws, protocols and knowledge systems
  • FPCC provides access to an online course for recording oral histories. It includes information about conducting oral history interviews, data management and technology recommendations.
• Sense of Place
  • Objective: This priority area supports B.C. First Nations communities and organizations with between $10,000 and $25,000 to safeguard sensitive and significant cultural landscapes, places and sites. Projects should include a mentorship or training component through which youth learn Indigenous and contemporary approaches to managing culture and heritage that are connected to the land.
  • Project examples:
    • Land-based documenting projects
    • Projects connecting Indigenous knowledge systems, the land and waters
    • Knowledge-sharing projects that are connected to a specific place
    • Research projects to understand and care for a site or place
    • Mentorship and training projects related to cultural landscapes and activities

Funding Information

• For each priority area, applicants can apply for between $10,000 and $25,000; applicants may choose up to three priority areas in a single application for a maximum funding request of $75,000.
• Projects completed by May 1, 2024

Eligibility Criteria

• B.C.-based organizations that have a mandate or focus that includes First Nations’ heritage. Eligible applicants include:
  • 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 (at least 75% of directors identify as B.C. First Nations)
  • B.C. First Nations-led museums and cultural spaces (at least 75% of directors identify as B.C. First Nations)
  • Urban and off-reserve B.C. First Nations organizations (at least 75% of directors identify as B.C. First Nations)
  • B.C. First Nations schools or adult education centres operating in B.C. on First Nations lands
• FPCC strongly encourages collaboration. Only one program per Band Office, Tribal Council or Society/Organization will be eligible for funding. If more than one application from the same Band Office, Tribal Council or Society/Organization is submitted, the Peer Review Committee will decide which proposal will receive funding, so it is strongly advised that applicants collaborate and submit one unified proposal.

Ineligible Applicants

• Organizations or individuals who are not from a B.C. First Nation
• Collectives
• For-profit organizations and businesses, entities, individuals and commercial ventures
• Previous grant recipients who are in default of the grant reporting requirements. These applicants are ineligible until all required documentation is complete.
• Government organizations, including municipalities
• Universities, colleges and non-First Nations schools
• Private clubs, groups and organizations with exclusive memberships
• Religious organizations
• Corporations

For more information, visit First Peoples’ Cultural Council.