Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR)

Who is eligible?

• Non-profit organizations, including environmental non-government organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Indigenous organizations (including economic institutions, corporations, cooperatives, tribal councils, Indigenous communities, Indigenous conservation groups, and self-governing First Nations governments)
• Academic researchers or institutions
• Domestic for-profit organizations with 499 employees or less (small and medium-sized enterprises, companies, corporations, industry associations)
• Provincial, territorial, municipal, and local governments and their agencies

Who is not eligible

• Companies whose activities are solely focused on non-aquatic environments.
• Organizations seeking funding for the development of new commercial or recreational fisheries’ habitats.
• Businesses proposing regulatory offsetting projects or decontamination as the primary focus.
• Entities planning shoreline restoration projects not associated with aquatic species at risk.
• Organizations intending to purchase or secure land as a project objective.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and wages, including employer mandatory benefits for project activities.
• Professional, technical, and specialized services (including consulting and technical support).
• Construction and related project costs.
• Purchase or rental of machinery, equipment, materials, and supplies required for project delivery.
• Maintenance and repair of equipment or infrastructure directly related to the project.
• Rental of facilities or meeting spaces for project implementation.
• Training fees and necessary training materials for project execution.
• Honoraria and ceremonial costs (for Indigenous knowledge holders or Elders, relevant to the project).
• Travel expenses in compliance with National Joint Council Directives (meals, accommodation, allowances tied to project work).
• Conferences, workshops, and meetings directly linked to the project's objectives.
• Hospitality and related expenses as per federal directives, where required for project activities.
• Administrative overhead up to 10% of the overall program funding amount.
• Non-reimbursable GST/HST and PST paid on eligible project expenses.

Eligible geographic areas

• Fraser and Columbia Watersheds Priority Place (British Columbia)
• Rocky Mountains' Eastern Slopes Priority Place (Alberta)
• Southern Prairies Priority Place (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba)
• Arctic Priority Place (Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Arctic Ocean, Quebec)
• Lower Great Lakes Watershed Priority Place (Ontario)
• St. Lawrence Lowlands Priority Place (Quebec)
• Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers Priority Place (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island)
• Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands Watersheds Priority Place (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)
• Southern Newfoundland Priority Place (Newfoundland and Labrador)

• Funding requests should be proportional to the complexity and depth of proposed activities; preference is given to applications under $15,000, but larger amounts may be considered for collaborative or complex initiatives.
• DFO will process applications in the order they are received; incomplete submissions may delay or disqualify an application.
• Information provided in applications is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
• CNFASAR grant funding cannot be applied retroactively to activities or expenses incurred before grant approval.