Education Partnerships Program: Structural Readiness Component (Canada)

Deadline: 31-Mar-23

Indigenous Services Canada is inviting applications for the Education Partnerships Program focusing on Structural Readiness Component.

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) supports the advancement of First Nations student achievement in First Nations, independent, provincial and territorial schools through the Education Partnerships Program.

Objectives

The objective of the Structural Readiness component is to support targeted activities that build the capacity of First Nations organizations to:

• deliver First Nations education services
• develop and implement transformative education systems and agreements that fully delegate responsibility for elementary and secondary education to First Nations
• build an education system that responds to the needs of First Nations

Funding Recipient

• A funding recipient is a successful applicant who has signed a funding agreement with ISC.

Duration of Funding

• 2023 to 2024 approved funding will be provided through a 1-year contribution agreement.
• A given year’s level of approved funding does not guarantee funding or the same level of funding in following years.
• Recipients are required to report anticipated deferred or surplus funding to ISC by February 15, 2024 through the Deferred/Surplus Funding Plan annexed to their 2023 to 2024 funding decision letter

Expected Results

The expected results of this component are:

• strengthening the organizational capacity and governance of First Nations organizations for the delivery of educational services to First Nations schools
• establishing a First Nations school model or system that responds to the needs of First Nations, to which interested First Nations communities fully delegate responsibility for all aspects of elementary and secondary education
• establishing agreements with a provincial or territorial school board, including:
  • agreements involving new approaches to school management by First Nations and First Nations organizations
  • tuition or service agreements
  • agreements that fully delegate administration of on-reserve First Nations schools by a provincial or territorial school board
• developing and formalizing ongoing partnerships that address the education priorities of First Nations

Eligible Activities

• As a purpose of the Structural Readiness component is to build capacity, repeat applicants must demonstrate how the current proposal and eligible activities will enhance or be a continuance of previous years activities.
  • Strengthening capacity for governance and leadership of the organization
    • Providing professional development as it relates to the organization and not the classroom, such as training for Board of Directors, Human Resources, Financial Management
    • Developing and formalizing processes, policies and protocols
    • Developing strategies to implement First Nations control of First Nations education, both in the classroom and through partnerships with other First Nations, First Nations organizations or the provincial or territorial school system
    • Developing or formalizing board governance policies, processes and mechanisms
  • Strengthening capacity for external relations and partnership establishment
    • Establishing external partnerships and strategies
    • Developing or maintaining a network with governments, non-governmental organizations and corporations
    • Establishing or maintaining partnership agreements or other formal partnership models that lead to developing:
      • new approaches to tuition agreements, education services agreements or delivery agreements
      • better links between elementary and secondary education on-reserve, early childhood programs and planning for transitions to post-secondary education or labour market training programs
      • better supports for on-reserve First Nations students attending off-reserve schools, including boarded students
    • Developing policies, processes and procedures for communicating with the public, professional organizations, private and non-governmental sectors and other governments
    • Developing mechanisms for participating in policy and program development
  • Strengthening capacity for parental and community involvement
    • Supporting engagement with First Nations on First Nations education transformation
    • Formalizing parental and community engagement policies and processes that:
      • allow First Nations schools and communities to participate in decision making and ensure options for parental choice
      • keep the community informed of decisions and changes to programs and policies
  • Strengthening capacity for planning, performance and risk management
    • Developing or updating new policies, systems and procedures
    • Providing professional development for strategic planning, policy development and risk management
    • Developing or updating a long-term strategic plan that includes addressing needs identified in the self-assessment process
    • Establishing policies and procedures to administer, monitor and report on the performance and delivery of school supports and services
  • Strengthening capacity for financial management of the organization
    • Developing or updating a financial management plan
    • Providing professional development for financial management. Developing policies, procedures and processes for financial management such as for:
      • collecting revenues
      • developing and distributing audited financial statements
      • tendering and awarding contracts
    • Developing formal processes and procedures for allocating funding to First Nations
  • Strengthening capacity for human resource management of the organization
    • Establishing or formalizing human resources policies and processes for:
      • recruiting
      • screening, including volunteers
      • hiring
      • retaining
      • terminating
      • providing professional development for, and compensating personnel required to deliver education services
    • Training or providing professional development for staff
  • Strengthening capacity for information management and technology of the organization
    • Developing or improving business practices related to information management and IT such as:
      • data security
      • access to information and privacy policies
      • document management
      • computer hardware and software
    • Developing and updating information management and technology management plan and policies
    • Providing professional development related to information management and technology
    • Purchasing software, annual licensing fees and IT equipment related to implementing an organizational IT strategy and repairing and maintaining school data systems

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants who may be eligible to receive funding for this program are:
  • First Nations
  • any First Nations organization mandated by First Nations
  • a First Nations designated organization
• First Nation organizations mandated by First Nations or First Nations designated organization must meet the following criteria:
  • have demonstrated support, in writing, from the First Nations, such as, but not limited to, a band council resolution, letter or email of support
  • undertake, as a key function, elementary and secondary education support for groups of First Nations
• As participation in a First Nation organization’s proposal can change year over year with First Nations joining or withdrawing support, where a formal arrangement is not in place, a demonstration of support from each First Nation is required every year with the proposal.
• Eligibility to apply for Structural Readiness funding does not depend on having a partnership memorandum of understanding.
• Individual First Nations or schools may be party to more than one proposal in each component provided that there is no duplication of activities.
• Entities such as bands or First Nations organizations that are delivering education services under a self-government arrangement are not eligible to apply to the Structural Readiness component.

Criteria

• Proposals must address 1 or more of the following:
  • activities that strengthen the governance and organizational capacity of First Nations organizations for the delivery of education-related services to First Nations schools
  • activities that support the establishment of a First Nation school or system model that First Nations communities will partially or fully delegate responsibility to for all aspects of elementary and secondary education
  • activities that support the establishment of partnership agreements or other formal partnership models that identify the shared priorities, commitments and roles and responsibilities. The partnership must consist of a combination of the applicant and 1 or more of the following potential partners:
    • First Nations including First Nations education organizations
    • tribal councils
    • school board-like entities
    • provincial or territorial ministry of education
    • provincial or territorial school boards
    • ISC
• For partnership establishment activities, applicants must:
  • clearly identify the partners and each partner’s financial or in-kind contribution, for example, the applicant’s costs can be funded in whole or in part through the program
  • identify the shared priorities to be reflected in a joint action-plan or any other mechanism to facilitate the partnership
• Once a partnership agreement has been formalized and signed, the applicant can apply to the Partnerships component of the program.

For more information, visit Indigenous Services Canada.