Laidlaw Foundation: Indigenous Youth & Community Futures Fund (Canada)

Deadline: 6-Mar-25

Applications are now open for Indigenous Youth & Community Futures Fund (IYCFF) to invest in opportunities for Indigenous youth to connect with their land, languages and cultures, and strengthen and deepen their relationships within and across Indigenous communities.

The Laidlaw Foundation wants to support change-makers to engage in acts of decolonization, nation and community building and cultural resurgence.

Objectives

• The IYCFF grants are for Indigenous youth to develop and lead projects where they:
  • learn about and are immersed in their lands, languages, rights, laws and cultures
  • participate in acts of resurgence, reclamation and cultural care
  • build relationships within and across diverse Indigenous communities and nations
  • address environmental racism and promote sustainable relationships with the land and water.

Funding Information 

• You can apply for up to $30,000 for small-scale projects that can last between 6 to 12 months. Please note that due to the number of applications they receive and the limited funds available, grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested.
• If your group was a past 1-year IYCFF grantee, you may apply for a maximum of $30,000 per year for up to two years, for a maximum total of $60,000. However, first-time IYCFF applicants, or those who have not successfully completed a one-year project, may only apply for a one-year grant, with a maximum amount of up to $30,000.

Eligibility Criteria 

• This call is open to Indigenous youth-led groups that are based in remote, rural and urban territories spanning Ontario. This means the organization, project leads and project activities should be located in Ontario.  A youth-led group is a project that has been developed by and will be led by at least two Indigenous young people 35 years and under. They also welcome groups with adult allies, community members, elders or knowledge keepers playing supportive roles as long as young people, who self-identify as Indigenous Peoples, come up with the project idea and lead the project. Their grant is inclusive of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Afro-Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ and disabled young people.
• Projects could include:
  • Land-based learning opportunities and land stewardship like seed planting, community gardens, harvesting, etc.
  • Environmental justice initiatives such as climate action, and Indigenous land and water protection
  • Language immersion opportunities
  • Culture camps or culture-based education that includes ceremonies, medicines, arts, and sciences
  • Social justice, law and rights-based education
  • Healing, life promotion and community building
  • Other projects that communities deem important to support decolonization reconciliation, nation-building and cultural resurgence

Ineligibility Criteria 

• As a general rule, they are unable to fund:
  • Purchase of land or real estate
  • Capital expenses for immovable assets, i.e. buildings
  • Fundraising campaigns
  • Endowments
  • Scholarship and bursaries
  • Direct financial support to for-profit enterprises
  • Cultural tourism and participating in powwow competitions (as opposed to hosting a powwow)
  • Projects involving partisan political activities
  • Projects involving strictly religious purposes or activities. Please note that they do not consider Indigenous ceremonies to be religious purposes.
  • Salaries for non-youth led organization and groups

For more information, visit Laidlaw Foundation.