Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program: National Program Guidelines 2024 to 2025
Table of contents
1. Program introduction
The Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program provides grants to Inuit individuals as well as community-based Inuit cultural education centres to support the development and promotion of Inuit cultural heritage.
These guidelines set out the program delivery requirements for funding recipients of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) for the delivery of a project under the Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program.
These guidelines are effective as of April 1, 2024 and replace the Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program: National Program Guidelines 2023 to 2024.
2. Objective
The objective of the Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program is to support Inuit individuals and communities in expressing, preserving, developing, promoting and sharing their cultural heritage with other Canadians, thereby promoting awareness of Canada's cultural diversity.
3. Expected results
It is expected that this grant program will lead to an enhanced understanding of Inuit culture and a richer Canadian cultural fabric.
4. Eligible recipients
- Inuit individuals ordinarily resident in:
- Nunatsiavut, Labrador
- Nunavik, Quebec
- Nunavut
- Inuvialuit Settlement Region in Northwest Territories
- Community-based Inuit cultural education centres
For an Inuk residing outside of their land claim settlement area, a copy of a birth certificate and a letter of recognition from one of the Inuit land claim organizations or regional governments may be required, for example, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut Government.
5. Eligible activities
Activities funded under the program promote awareness of Canada's cultural diversity. They must support:
- the expression, preservation, development and promotion of Inuit cultural heritage
- the sharing of Inuit cultural heritage with other Canadians
6. Expenditures
6.1 Eligible expenditures
Payments are limited to covering the direct costs of one-time projects related to Inuit culture which are outlined in the proposals submitted and include:
- materials and supplies
- printing and publishing
- communications
- travel
Travel expenses are to be claimed at actual cost, but cannot exceed the rates and allowances established in the National Joint Council Travel Directive in effect at the time of travel.
Expenses which exceed the rates and allowances set for in the directive are ineligible and will not be paid.
Administration costs must not exceed 15% of the sub-total amount requested before administration costs. The data collection instrument (DCI) will automatically calculate the amount.
6.2 Ineligible expenditures
Payments do not include the following expenditures:
- ongoing activities or operations
- periodic events such as annual meetings or festivals
7. Proposal process and assessment criteria
All funding for the Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program will be based on proposals approved by ISC.
Proposals are selected on the basis of meeting program objectives, with consideration given to geographic distribution.
Applicants must submit detailed proposals for the activities to be undertaken over the course of the agreement, clearly stating how the proposed activities will further the objectives and expected results of this program.
7.1 Submission of proposals
Only proposals submitted in the electronic proposal form issued by ISC will be considered for assessment.
Refer to the proposal form and the attached instructions for application details. Incomplete proposals will be returned to applicants. To access the proposal form, contact your regional office.
Consult Calls for proposals for more details on the 2024 to 2025 calls for proposals and the application process.
7.2 Assessment criteria
All proposals will be assessed by the following criteria:
- the extent to which the proposal furthers 1 or more of the program objectives
- the degree to which the activity plan, including specific project activities, timeframe and budget, will result in the expected results
Meeting these criteria does not guarantee funding from the Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program.
7.3 Review and approval of proposals
ISC regional staff will review and approve proposals. Applicants will receive a written response to confirm whether, or not, their proposal has been approved for funding.
A cheque will be sent to successful applicants.
8. Funding
8.1 Maximum amount payable per funding recipient
A maximum amount of $5,000 may be made available per recipient within a fiscal year for eligible expenditures.
If the amount of total funding requested in eligible proposals exceeds the total available budget, eligible proposals will be approved on a first come, first serve basis.
9. Reporting requirements and monitoring and oversight activities
Recipients are encouraged to provide a brief summary 4 to 6 lines in length of their completed project to their ISC Inuit Cultural Education Centres Grant Program officer by e-mail. The summary should include the results upon completion of the project.
10. Managing conflicts of interest
It is necessary to avoid potential, perceived and actual conflicts of interest and any situation that might cause doubt in objectivity. As such, a procedure to manage conflicts of interest needs to be developed and put in place.
Recipients that manage the adjudication and administration of the funding of the program must demonstrate transparency and accountability in their policies and processes.
This includes having:
- a conflict of interest policy
- written standards, policies and procedures on the project selection process for funding
- an available list of successful proponents
Individuals cannot participate in the evaluation of a proposal in the following situations:
- individual has assisted in the preparation of the proposal, is an employee of the applicant, has provided consulting services, in any capacity, to the organization submitting the proposal or may in the future
- individual will be a team member on the proposed project
- individual is a relative or close friend of any of the employees of the management team of the eligible recipient which submitted a proposal
Conflicts of interest may arise during the review of proposals. These situations need to be managed in an open and transparent manner.
Should a situation arise that presents a real or potential conflict of interest during the review process, the impacted individual must recuse themselves from the deliberations concerning the specific proposal.
11. Contact information
To find out more about the program, visit:
To contact your local office, visit the Regional offices page.
You can also write to:
Education Branch
Indigenous Services Canada
10 rue Wellington - Suite 1455, Mailstop 25E-19
Gatineau QC K1A 0H4
Email: education-education@sac-isc.gc.ca
To learn more about education programs, consult the Education programs: National program guidelines or click on the View instructions button on the first page of this program's data collection instrument.