Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services (HCF)

Role of the Healthy Choices Fund in the funding ecosystem

The Healthy Choices Fund is a territorial funding stream administered by the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Department of Health and Social Services. It supports community-based health promotion and prevention projects that help residents make healthier choices and reduce major risk factors linked to chronic disease, communicable disease, and injury.

Funding focus and supported audiences

The fund prioritizes projects serving children, youth, seniors, families, and broader community members in the Northwest Territories. Evidence from the program pages shows support for initiatives related to healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco and substance use reduction, sexual health, injury prevention, and culturally relevant wellness programming.

Grant structure and typical support

The program provides annual support, with publicly stated amounts ranging from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $20,000 per project per year. Multi-year projects may be considered for up to three years, subject to annual appropriation. The site also identifies eligible expenses such as materials, equipment, venue rentals, staffing, facilitator fees, and travel within the NWT.

Eligibility and decision-making

Eligible applicants include Indigenous governments, community governing authorities, and non-government not-for-profit organizations that demonstrate Indigenous outreach and partnerships. Applications are assessed on eligibility, alignment with fund objectives, partnerships, timelines, and budget realism. The program notes that review can take up to 30 business days and that applicants are notified of approval decisions.

Transparency, governance, and recipient history

The website publishes year-by-year lists of funded recipients and project titles, showing a clear record of external grants and contributions across multiple funding cycles. This provides direct evidence that the organization actively distributes funding rather than only describing a mission or internal operations.