Operating Grant for Indigenous-led Organizations

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Program Overview

Edmonton City Council approved funding of $1,000,000 for the Operating Grant for Indigenous-led Organizations to support the Reconciliation Pillar of the Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy.

If you have any questions or need help please contact grants@edmonton.ca.

Application Intake

Grant application intake is now closed!

Grant Priorities

The Operating Grant for Indigenous-led Organizations will help support organizations and groups in their efforts to achieve the following:

Promote the resurgence of Indigenous Peoples’ culture, language, identity and ceremony
Ensure safe, inclusive and healing spaces
Increase awareness and/or address responses to historical colonialism, trauma and violence
Provide education, training, employment and economic security for Indigenous Peoples
Support learning and advancing research

Grant Application Assessment

Applications are assessed based on the following:

Organizational eligibility
Alignment to grant priorities
Eligible operating expenses
Most recent year end financial statements

Grant awards are determined by a formula based on the grant criteria and the number of eligible applications.

Application Criteria and Requirements

Please review all information before you apply.

Organizational Eligibility

Applicants must:

Be a not-for-profit organization registered for at least one year and be in good standing with the City of Edmonton. This means that the organization does not have any outstanding final reports and is not in arrears of payments to their City of Edmonton accounts.
Be Indigenous-led, which means they must have:
- Majority of the board, management, staff and volunteers identifying as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit)
- Indigenous cultures central to history and development of the organization, its governance and daily operations
- Programs and services developed by and for Indigenous people
Have a minimum of 75% of its participants living in Edmonton.
Have a mandate that aligns with 1 or more of the grant priorities.
Not receive operating funds allocated by any other City of Edmonton source including City Council, Committees of City Council or grants administered by the Edmonton Arts Council or Edmonton Heritage Council.
See grant guide for more details.

Program funding cannot be used for expenses related to:

Capital projects including significant maintenance or repairs to buildings such as an addition or a new roof
Fundraising expenses, such as bingos and casinos
Expenses associated with income generating operations not directly associated with programs and services of the Organization (for example: public food sales/catering/banquet services, facility rental)
Depreciation/Amortization (decreases the value of capital assets over time)
Debt repayment or Debt/Credit Interest - expenses related to a line of credit, mortgage, credit card, overdraft or other debt, or the principle and interest on any credit or debt

Required Documents

Most recent audited year-end financial statements, signed by 2 Board members or,
Most recent internally generated financial statements (those that are not presented either as a notice to reader, a review or an audit) signed by 2 Board members and must include a bank reconciliation and bank statement as at the fiscal year-end
See Financial Statement/Bank Reconciliation example

Watch Required Financials Presentation

Reporting Requirement

Successful applicants will be responsible for reporting on how operating dollars supported them in advancing their mandate and:

How the organization addressed 1 or more of the grant priorities
Examples of the programs offered that supported each of the priorities selected
Number of people who attended or participated in the programs identified
The priority areas in which the organization had the largest impact

Submit Operating Grant Report

Instructional Videos

Account Registration

Watch the instructional video on how to register an account.

How to Apply for an Operating Grant

Information on how to apply for the Indigenous Led Operating Grant through the new Community Investment Grant Portal.

Information Session

Recorded September 20, 2024
Learn about organizational and program eligibility requirements, tips for completing the application and information on the timelines for review and decisions.