Call for proposals for Nordic Indigenous organizations – Exchanges, diplomacy, and international outreach

Numerous international networks, organizations, forums, and events offer growing opportunities for exchange, outreach, and diplomacy to Indigenous peoples around the world, particularly in the context of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022–2032). The Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie (Ministère) welcomes the opening up of these spaces for dialogue, and presents this call for proposals. The project receives funding support from the Société du Plan Nord (SPN) and is part of measure 3.4.1 of the Northern Action Plan 2023–2028 (PAN), titled Promote Québec’s northern expertise internationally. A component of this measure is specifically aimed at the First Nations and Inuit of Québec whose communities and organizations are located north of the 49^th parallel.

The Indigenous Communities and Cultural Diplomacy component of measure 3.4.1 of the PAN has the following objectives:

• Develop and promote Québec’s northern Indigenous expertise, languages, and cultures internationally.
• Encourage the participation and collaboration of First Nations and Inuit members from Northern Québec in international networks and forums.

For projects

To be eligible, projects must:

• Concern an event or activity that will take place after funding support has been confirmed
• Be completed by March 31, 2026
• Offer an international opportunity for political, legal, artistic, cultural, linguistic, and/or identity-related exchange, outreach, and/or diplomacy

Non-exhaustive list of eligible events, by date:

• 69^th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, New York, March 10–21, 2025
• Arctic Encounter Symposium, Anchorage, April 10–12, 2025
• 24^th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, April 21 to May 2, 2025
• 18th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, July 14–18, 2025
• Arctic Circle Assembly, Reykjavík, October 16–18, 2025
• 17^th session of the United Nations Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), location and dates to be announced
• 30^th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30), location and dates to be announced
• 6^th session of negotiations on the global plastic pollution treaty (INC-6), location and dates to be announced
• Arctic Futures Symposium, location and dates to be announced

For applicants

This call for proposals is open to not-for-profit legal entities, organizations, public corporations, Indigenous public authorities, research centres and institutes, as well as companies, including sole proprietorships operated by natural persons that:

• Have their head office and principal place of business in Québec, north of the 49^th parallel
• Are primarily governed by Indigenous individuals and/or which primarily serve one or more Indigenous communities in Québec, north of the 49^th parallel (Inuit, Cree, Innu, and Naskapi nations)
• Work in the fields of diplomacy, politics, Indigenous rights, education, health and well-being, communication, heritage, art, and/or culture 
• Are active at the time of application
• Have fulfilled all their obligations in connection with prior financial support granted by a ministry or agency of the Government of Québec

Individuals may not submit applications on their own behalf. Self-employed sole proprietors are nevertheless invited to submit their applications.

A maximum of $9,000 will be allocated to successful projects, based on the business plan submitted by the applicant.

The grant will be paid to the applicant after the Ministère has sent an announcement letter.

Eligible expenditures:

• Travel and accommodation expenses
• Living allowance
• Purchase or lease of equipment (maximum 30% of eligible expenditures)
• Event organization fees (in person or virtual)
• Knowledge dissemination costs (publication costs, costs of participating in conferences or symposia, costs of organizing a workshop or seminar, etc.)
• Translation and interpretation costs

Ineligible expenditures:

• Salaries and/or fees related to the project
• First or business class travel (or equivalent) and excess baggage fees
• Transfers to third-party organizations or individuals
• Costs of acquiring capacity-building equipment, vehicles, land, or buildings
• Expenditures for ongoing operations
• Expenditures that do not meet the objectives of the call for proposals

Submitted projects will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of the project (objectives, context, issues) (25%)
• Alignment with the objectives of the call for proposals and preponderance of Indigenous and/or community-supported participants in the proposed delegation (15%)
• Applicants’ ability to complete the project and follow up with the Ministère (15%)
• Realism of the proposal, timetable, and budget (20%)
• Extent, sustainability, and relevance of collaborative relationships created or consolidated with other Indigenous groups and/or international networks, organizations, or forums (15%)
• Promotion and sharing of key achievements with the organization and the community (10%)

The project evaluation process is coordinated by the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie, in close collaboration with the other relevant Québec ministries. Information submitted in response to this call for proposals may, therefore, be shared with these ministries. However, the Ministère retains responsibility for the final selection of projects, and for determining the amounts to be awarded to them.

As part of this call for proposals, all recipients of funding from the Ministère agree to submit a brief (1-page) report on the funded event or activity. This report must include:

• Feedback on the event or activity
• Highlights of participation
• Planned follow-up (participation in a future session; continuation of a partnership; organization of a subsequent activity; communications about the event, the activity, or a related subject, etc.)
• Main benefits for the applicant and the communities with which they are in contact

The report must be emailed to droitsdelapersonne@mri.gouv.qc.ca within 60 days of the event or activity.

Questions about the process

If you have any questions about submitting a funding application or about the selection process, please contact:

Climate Change Resilience: Food Security in Northern Communities

Project objective

To support the participation of the chiefs of Québec’s seven Innu communities in the 24^th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York from April 21 to 25, 2025.

Québec partner

Innu Nation Secretariat

Participation in the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Conference

Project objective

To support the Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association’s participation in the Global Sustainable Tourism Council conference in Fiji from August 5 to 8, 2025. This event contributes to global discussions on sustainable tourism and supports international collaboration.

Québec partner

Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association