Sector Development Stream

For this funding stream, we welcome applications led by:

• Registered not-for-profit organizations and registered charities, including:
  • industry associations
  • regional and sectoral organizations
  • educational organizations and institutions
  • community-based organizations, and
  • economic development organizations
• First Nations, including governments, bands, corporations controlled by First Nations, and First Nations not-for-profit organizations
• Local and regional governments, including municipalities, regional districts, and incorporated areas

We encourage proposals that foster economic reconciliation with First Nations and Indigenous people. Often, great projects create meaningful partnerships and mutually beneficial opportunities based on holistic, values-driven approaches to attaining community economic prosperity.

Under this stream, we don’t fund individuals, community-benefit companies, or businesses operating for private profit.

Under the Act governing the Trust, projects must be located within our defined service region. See Our Region for a map.

• Projects that support individual businesses without broader sector impact or that are not collaborative across the sector
• Initiatives affecting First Nations rights or title where First Nations are not expressly supportive or participating
• Sector development focused on extraction without value-added local manufacturing

We fund 50% of the total project to a maximum of $30,000 per project. Our investment is always one part of a larger funding package that includes other funders and ideally a contribution from the organization leading the project.

• Consultant and professional service fees
• Research, analysis, and planning activities
• Community and partner engagement activities
• Data collection and technical studies
• Other direct costs required to complete the approved project
• Costs incurred after Trust staff have provided written confirmation the application is complete

• Ongoing organizational operating expenses
  Internal staffing and administration costs
• In-kind contributions
• Capital purchases and construction activities
• Costs unrelated to the approved scope of work
• Cost incurred prior to Trust staff providing written confirmation that the application is complete

We have a continuous intake with no posted deadlines. When we start working together, we focus on preparing a complete application for one of the three Regional Advisory Committee meetings we hold each year.

To learn more about our process, see How We Fund – Building your proposal.

We bring more to a project than money. We aim to be a true partner, invested not only in what gets built but in the impact it creates and the outcomes it delivers. Our How We Fund page walks through our developmental approach to investing in economic projects, from the first conversation to the final report:

• Connecting with us
• Building your proposal
• Submitting
• Due diligence, review, and decision
• Agreement and funding
• Project implementation and reporting

As you build your proposal, we encourage you to read our Application Form. 

When you are ready to submit, your complete application includes the documents below. We are glad to talk through any of them with you before you start.

Detailed Project Plan, including your description of the sector development project you will be developing and the process you will undertake to produce the following deliverables:

• Evidence of collaboration among the private sector, governments, and First Nations
• Evidence that the lead organization or organizations are uniquely positioned, with the organizational capacity, to develop the sector
• An analysis of the key factors in developing the sector, such as financial, regulatory, supply chain, distribution, logistics, workforce availability, land and infrastructure, natural resource stewardship, and target market considerations
• An outline of the innovative approaches the project will take to promote sustainable practices
• A description of how developing the sector will create new employment for community members through workforce development and skills training
• A detailed work plan and budget

Along with the project plan, please provide:

• Quotes from one or more qualified consultants or business advisors
• Letters of support from partners, rightsholders, and key stakeholders, including local businesses or industry associations that identify the sector as a priority for development
• Your most recent financial statements, audited if available
• For first-time not-for-profit or community-owned company applicants: your constitution, bylaws, articles, and current list of directors