Indigenous Innovation Initiative

• The applicant must be an Indigenous business, organization, social enterprise, or group developing innovative products, programs, or services.
• The project must be Indigenous-led or created by and/or for Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis), including status and non-status individuals, registered and unregistered Métis, and Inuit beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.
• The project must be culturally safe, cost-effective, and demonstrate potential for long-term, sustainable impact in Indigenous communities.
• The project should have the potential to be scalable or adaptable to other Indigenous community settings.
• Applicants must be open to monitoring, measuring, and evaluating their innovation projects, and provide evidence of connection to Indigenous identity and community.

Who is eligible?

• Health sector businesses and organizations
• Social sector entities
• Arts and fashion sector groups
• Technology and science initiatives
• Businesses and organizations in hospitality, tourism, education, justice, environment, food security, business, and clean energy

Eligible expenses

This grant supports Indigenous innovators in developing and testing bold ideas across diverse sectors. The eligible projects seek to address community challenges through innovative solutions.

• Innovative products, programs, or services across sectors such as health, technology, and arts.
• Projects focused on food security, hospitality, and tourism.
• Initiatives in education, justice, environment, and clean energy.
• Business and industry solutions with potential community impact.
• Social enterprises offering sustainable community solutions.

Eligible geographic areas

• Urban, rural, remote and Northern First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities in Canada.

The evaluation and selection of projects for this grant are based on specific criteria to ensure alignment with the initiative’s objectives.

• Cultural safety and ability to inspire ongoing use within Indigenous communities.
• Cost-effectiveness of the proposed innovation.
• Potential for achieving a long-term and sustainable impact in First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis communities.
• Scalability or adaptability of the project to other Indigenous community settings.
• Willingness to engage in monitoring, measuring, and evaluating the innovation project for shared learning and application within the Indigenous innovation ecosystem.

• The Initiative aligns its objectives with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
• Successful applicants may be required to provide evidence of their connection to Indigenous identity and community, such as letters of support or registration documents.
• The program celebrates and shares the successes of funded projects to inspire broader Indigenous innovation.
• The Initiative emphasizes inclusivity for all Indigenous Peoples, including those not registered with governance organizations.