First Nations Water Initiatives Fund

There is no selection process under the Local Initiatives stream. The community simply needs to submit a project that meets the eligibility criteria (see Appendix II of the Applicant’s Guide).

Only one application per community will be accepted. If several departments of a community wish to benefit from the reserved funding, they will have to agree on the amount granted to each department and submit a joint project.

All submitted projects must comply with the eligibility criteria (see Appendix III of the Applicant’s Guide) and will be subject to a selection process. The Fund’s Strategic Committee will approve the final selection of projects.

The analysis of the proposals will be carried out according to an evaluation grid incorporating the selection criteria determined by the Strategic Committee. If two proposals have a tie score, prioritization criteria, previously determined by the Strategic Committee, will be used. Otherwise, these prioritization criteria will not be analyzed with the evaluation grid. The selection criteria and prioritization criteria are available in Appendix IV of the Applicant’s Guide.

We designed the Local Initiatives stream of the First Nations Water Initiatives Fund with reserved amounts per community to ensure that all 31 eligible First Nations communities have access to funding for their water projects, regardless of their grant writing skills. Because some communities are more competitive than others in regular calls for proposals, we aim to promote equity in the distribution of the funds available through this Fund.

The reserved amount per community under the Local Initiatives stream of the First Nations Water Initiatives Fund must be claimed by the community by submitting a project proposal before September 18, 2026. After this date, unclaimed amounts will be redistributed within the Fund, according to the terms chosen by the Strategic Committee.

If you are unable to submit a project proposal under this stream in 2026-2027, but would like access to funding for 2027-2028 and 2028-2029, please contact us and we will discuss the possibilities together.

Yes. A community could submit a project in the Local Initiatives stream and submit a new project, separate or a second phase of the same project, in the Structuring Initiatives stream.

A band council resolution is not mandatory for submitting a project. However, it may be required depending on the context (for example, if a consultant is involved). Furthermore, please note that the signatory of the financial contribution agreement between the project lead and the FNQLSDI must hold a Director title.

Drinking water and wastewater are themes that align with the Plan national de l’eau‘s orientations. However, regarding community drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, you will need to discuss your project with our team to determine if an exception applies, as bringing such infrastructure up to standard is not eligible for funding. That said, community infrastructure-related studies—such as an assessment of needs for upgrading or improving drinking water or wastewater systems—are eligible.

Projects to develop a protected area are not eligible; however, carrying out activities that align with the orientations of the Plan national de l’eau within a protected area is eligible (e.g., aquatic monitoring and restoration, interpretation and awareness-raising activities, etc.).

To be eligible, a project must address at least one of the seven orientations of the Plan national de l’eau. Consequently, a project may relate to multiple orientations.

Oui. Vous trouverez toutes les informations nécessaires pour soumettre un projet en français en cliquant sur le bouton ci-dessous.

Fonds pour les initiatives en eau des Premières Nations