Education Partnerships Program: Structural Readiness Component: National Program Guidelines 2023 to 2024

5.1 Education organization planning tool

The Education Organization Planning Tool is available to Structural Readiness applicants as an option and is not mandatory. It provides a step-by-step guide for organizations to assess their regional First Nations organizations' capacity to deliver education support and services for band-operated schools.

Funding is available to help regional First Nations organizations reflect on current priorities, map assets, assess needs and build an organizational capacity development plan.

5.2 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.

5.3 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.

Service agreements for the purchase of services, regardless of the duration of the service agreement, do not constitute a partnership for the purposes of this program.

If you are submitting a proposal for Structural Readiness activities, you can include copies of your capacity development plan or the ISC education organization planning tool as an attachment.

6.1 Eligible expenditures

Subject to section 6.2, eligible expenditures include:

• short-term, non-permanent funding for salaries and benefits
• travel expenditures including accommodation costs, private vehicle, mileage allowances and daily meal allowances. ISC will provide funding in accordance with the rates set out in the National Joint Council's Travel Directive, excluding incidental allowances
• meeting costs including facility rentals, meeting rooms, audio-visual equipment rentals and hospitality
• communications with First Nations and education partners such as ministries of education, teachers' associations and school board associations
• professional services, consulting fees or Elder engagement, daily rates and duration of contract must be clearly stated
• honoraria for Elders, Knowledge Keepers, cultural and ceremonial drummers and dancers
• IT start-up services. Proposals must be accompanied by an IT strategy and implementation plan and a price quotation. IT start-up services may include:
  • the purchase of hardware or software for the organization only and not for in-classroom or individual student needs
  • IT fees, for example, maintenance or licenses that is critical for the organization's operations and funding is not available elsewhere
• legal advice, excluding litigation costs
• professional development and training for the First Nations organization's staff, not including in-classroom training
• purchase of learning and instructional materials to be utilised by the First Nations organization
• costs associated with establishing a First Nations school board that will assume responsibility over on-reserve elementary and secondary education, including operating schools and managing tuition agreements

6.2 Ineligible expenditures

Ineligible expenditures include, but may not be limited to:

• provincial and territorial tuition
• activities related to the negotiation and implementation of self-government agreements
• infrastructure, including planning, construction, operation or maintenance of federal and First Nations school facilities
• any activity expenditure that would result in duplicate funding such as receiving funding from more than 1 source for the same cost of an activity, including fees and services covered through tuition agreements
• acquisition or maintenance of equipment or supplies in provincial or territorial schools
• provision of professional development, travel expenditures including accommodation costs, private vehicle mileage allowances and daily meal allowances within the rates set out in the National Joint Council's Travel Directive for provincial or territorial staff
• activities associated with health and health-related issues, first-aid training, mental health coordinators, psychologists, suicide prevention, mental wellness retreats
• activities that are covered by Canadian Heritage's Indigenous language legislation, such as:
  • language and curriculum materials
  • curriculum personnel
  • cultural and heritage activity workers and elders
  • land-based education programming equipment
• door prizes, swag bags, gifts

To find out more about the program funded under Canadian Heritage's Indigenous language legislation, visit:

• Indigenous Languages Component: Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program

To find out more about ISC's funding programs, visit:

• Funding programs

6.3 Maximum administration costs

Eligible administration costs include only the actual costs associated directly with administering the proposal and may be calculated based on the total funding requested for activities to a maximum of 15% of the requested funding.

The data collection instrument (DCI) will automatically calculate the amount.

Eligible administration costs include, but are not limited to:

• clerical support
• office space and utilities
• administrative overhead, such as:
  • stationary and office materials
  • cell phones and office telephones
  • individual IT equipment
• the collection, maintenance and reporting of data and information in accordance with program and financial reporting requirements
• costs associated with ensuring that personal information is appropriately managed and safeguarded during its collection, retention, use, disclosure and disposal

When a funding recipient further transfers funds to a third party that were received under this program, the 15% allowed for administration costs must be divided between the parties, as agreed to by the parties.

7.1 Submission of proposals

All proposals submitted to ISC must use the official 2023 to 2024 DCI which specifies the mandatory information required. Refer to the DCI's "View Instructions" button for assistance.

ISC headquarters will email the DCI form directly to previous applicants to complete along with instructions on how to submit the completed proposal.

ISC regional offices will email the DCI form to all remaining First Nations in their respective region with the same instructions for proposal submission.

Applicants who are applying to the Structural Readiness component can only submit a single-year proposal.Where regional-specific guidelines have been established, they will specify where proposals are to be submitted. Please contact the First Nation designated organization in your region for any questions. If Structural Readiness proposals are not being submitted to a First Nation regional organization, they are to be submitted to ISC.

7.2 Assessment criteria

Proposals will be assessed based on applicant eligibility, as well as the eligible activities and merit criteria as outlined in Section 5.

The mandatory DCI fields must be completed with clear information. Missing information, or the lack of clarity, may impact the proposal assessment process and the level of recommended funding.

The proposal merit criteria, as further outlined in the DCI, is as follows:

• capacity: applicants are required to describe their related experience, expertise or capacity to undertake the proposed activities
• commitment and support: applicants must confirm that the proposal has the support of communities, schools and partners
• implementation plan: the extent to which the proposed activities support the objective of the requested funding
• activity costs: the amount of requested funding should clearly align with the nature of the activity

7.3 Program administration options

Three program administration options are available to each region. Where applicable, the First Nations' designated organization will inform ISC of the region's preferred option. Where ISC is not notified of a mandated designated organization, Option 3 will be the default.

7.4 Review and approval process

Depending on the program administration option chosen, proposals will be reviewed and approved by:

• the First Nations' designated organization

or

• a First Nation regional education steering committee

or

• ISC

Successful applicants will receive written confirmation of the funding decisions.

9.1 Funding recipients

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

9.2 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

9.3 Funding approaches

Transfer payments to Structural Readiness funding recipients will be made using fixed contribution.

Set contribution may be used if the recipient so wishes.

ISC regional officers can provide information on the eligibility requirements of these funding approaches and on the requirements related to the management of the funds.

The funding approach used to transfer funds to a recipient is identified in the recipient's signed funding agreement.

The following specific program directions for the management of transfer payments complement the directions provided in the recipient's signed funding agreement and are to be read in conjunction with the funding agreement.

Set contribution funding

Reallocation of funding:

Reallocation of funds is not allowed with transfer payments made using set contribution.

Fixed contribution funding

Reallocation of funding:

During the fiscal year, recipients may reallocate a reasonable percentage of funds among the eligible activities and expenditures of their ISC-approved proposal for the Structural Readiness component of the program.

Recipients must obtain approval from the ISC officer responsible for the program in their region before reallocating funds.

Unexpended funding:

Recipients may carry over unexpended funding remaining at the end of the fiscal year, for use in the next fiscal year on eligible activities and expenditures outlined in these guidelines.

In exceptional circumstances where the funds cannot be spent on eligible activities and expenditures outlined in these guidelines, recipients may be able to spend the unexpended funds in the next fiscal year on activities and expenditures of another program component.

Recipients must demonstrate their eligibility to the other program component and provide a comprehensive plan for the use of the funds to the ISC officer responsible for the program in their region.

Flexible contribution funding

Reallocation of funding:

During the fiscal year, recipients may reallocate funds among the eligible activities and expenditures of their ISC-approved proposal.

Unexpended funding:

Recipients may carry over unexpended funding remaining at the end of each fiscal year, for use in a subsequent fiscal year to further achieve results toward their ISC-approved proposal. Any unexpended funds remaining after all the mandatory activities of the ISC-approved proposal are delivered, can only be spent on eligible activities and expenditures as outlined in these guidelines.

9.4 No duplication of funding

The Structural Readiness component is designed to be flexible in order to address shared partnership priorities. This component is not designed to supplement or duplicate funding for activities funded by other programs, including ISC's Elementary and Secondary Education program.

10.1 Reporting requirements

The reporting requirements such as program reports and financial reports and their respective due dates are listed in the recipient's funding agreement and details on these requirements are available in the Reporting Guide.

Recipients must report on all funds received and expended, including the use of unexpended funding they were able to retain to use in another fiscal year. Consult the funding approaches section of these guidelines for details on the use of unexpended funds.

Recipients who have access to the ISC Services portal can access the reporting forms by opening a session on the portal. Recipients who do not have access to the portal should contact their regional office.

10.2 Monitoring and oversight

All recipient reporting requirements are subject to monitoring and oversight activities to determine the accuracy of the information provided to ISC.

To ensure that the program or strategy outcomes and objectives are being met and opportunities for continuous improvement with a goal to improve results for Indigenous peoples are being identified, activities including audits, evaluations, as well as targeted program or strategic reviews may be conducted in collaboration with the recipient, for example, desk and on-site reviews.