Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)
Overview of Available Grants and Funding
The Arctic Inspiration Prize is a Canadian charitable prize and trust that provides major annual seed-funding awards to Northern-led teams. With multiple categories ($1M, AIP, and Youth), it supports new, community-driven projects across Canada’s Arctic regions in fields such as education, health, culture, language, climate change, food security and the economy. View Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)'s website for more information.
About Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)
What is the mission of Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)?
The Arctic Inspiration Prize exists to inspire, enable and celebrate the strengths and achievements of the peoples of Canada’s North by providing major seed-funding awards for innovative, Northern-led projects that address community priorities and transform knowledge into action.
What type of organization is Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)?
Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) is a Foundation.
What is Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)'s official website?
Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)'s official website is https://arcticinspirationprize.ca/.
What else should I know about Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP)?
Role of the Arctic Inspiration Prize in the funding ecosystem
The Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) is a national philanthropic initiative focused on Canada’s North. Delivered through a Charitable Trust with an endowment of roughly $50 million, it provides substantial annual seed-funding to diverse teams based in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. The Prize supports new, innovative projects that move knowledge into action and address the priorities of Northern communities.
The AIP explicitly targets projects in areas such as education, health and wellbeing, culture, arts and language, science and traditional knowledge, climate change, food security and the economy. Funding is directed to Northern-led and Northern-managed teams so that solutions are designed and implemented by the people who live in the Arctic regions themselves.
Funding categories and scale of support
The AIP portfolio is structured around three main award categories, each with distinct funding levels and target audiences:
- $1 Million Category – one major award of $1,000,000 may be granted to a highly impactful, innovative project with broad or profound long-term impact.
- AIP Category – up to four awards of up to $500,000 each, supporting large-scale or regional initiatives that can demonstrate strong community relevance and buy-in.
- Arctic Inspiration Youth Prize (AIYP) – up to seven youth-driven awards of up to $100,000 each for teams where youth (30 and under) lead and shape the project.
Across these categories, the Prize annually distributes several million dollars to finalist and Laureate teams, giving them the resources to launch and scale transformative projects.
General eligibility and focus
To be eligible, projects must be new or clearly distinct from ongoing work and must be rooted in traditional knowledge, scientific research, and/or practical, community-based experience. Teams are expected to be diverse, bringing together Elders and youth, community organizations, researchers, governments, industry, arts and cultural groups, and others as appropriate.
All projects must be Northern-led and managed: the team leader and the majority of team members must be Northerners, and the nominee and recipient of funds must be exclusively Northern entities. Projects must address root causes of issues in the North rather than only symptoms, and they must generate concrete, immediate and preferably long-term impacts in eligible regions.
Evaluation process and selection criteria
The AIP uses a multi-stage selection process to ensure fairness and regional relevance. First, staff conduct an eligibility review. Regional Selection Committees in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Inuit Nunangat then assess nominations from their areas and put forward finalists. A National Selection Committee reviews these finalists and chooses the Laureates.
Committees apply weighted selection criteria, including team diversity, project novelty, projected impact, sustainability and buy-in, project accountability, and the ability to highlight Northern achievements. The impact criterion carries the greatest weight, underscoring the focus on meaningful, lasting change.
Project sustainability, buy-in and accountability
For the $1 Million and AIP categories, nominees must demonstrate partner buy-in of at least 20% of the requested amount through in-kind or cash contributions, confirmed by letters of support. Total project costs cannot exceed twice the AIP contribution. Teams must also outline clear governance, leadership, financial management and reporting mechanisms, as well as methods to measure success and communicate outcomes.
All supported projects must be secular and non-partisan and must comply with Indigenous self-government laws and land claim agreements, while still allowing for Indigenous ceremony, healing and traditional practice where relevant.
Publics served and overall impact
The Prize serves Northern communities across Canada, with particular emphasis on Indigenous peoples and youth. Over the years, it has funded initiatives ranging from performing arts and land-based education to climate resilience, food sovereignty, mental health and justice-related projects. Laureate impact is tracked through an “Impact Visualization” process, using Indigenous ways of knowing to document outcomes, challenges and lessons learned.
By combining significant financial awards with national recognition, the Arctic Inspiration Prize has become a cornerstone funder for community-driven innovation in Canada’s Arctic, encouraging Northerners to lead solutions that reflect their knowledge, values and aspirations.