Community action

This component is made available to Indigenous community action organizations that provide services for Indigenous client groups. The funding provides financial support for the organizations’ overall mission, and is part of the government policy to recognize and support community action.

The general objectives are:

• to recognize and promote the work of Indigenous community action organizations that serve Indigenous client groups,
• to establish services for Indigenous people, and
• to improve the socio-economic conditions of Indigenous people.

• Indigenous community action organizations that meet the criteria of the reference framework for community action (Cadre de référence en matière d’action communautaire)
• Indigenous non-profit organizations:
  • whose mission is not limited to the interests of their members,
  • that are rooted in their community,
  • that are associative and democratic, and
  • that are governed by a board of directors

All applicants must provide the following information:

• Proof of the organization’s legal status
• The resolution of the board of directors approving the application for funding
• A description of the organization’s overall mission, including:
  • its scope,
  • the population affected or targeted, and
  • the needs that the organization meets or hopes to meet
• A detailed annual or multi-year action plan for achieving the organization’s mission, specifying:
  • the programs, activities and services planned to meet the needs identified,
  • the number of employees needed and their duties, and
  • the expected outcome.
• A detailed annual or multi-year budget for achieving the organization’s mission, specifying:
  • expenditure and expected sources of funding, and
  • the financial need
• The organization’s general by-laws and letters patent
• The most recent financial statement and annual report, if the organization is already operating

To be eligible, applications must be submitted to the Secrétariat before December 31, 2026 and implemented by March 31, 2027.

When reviewing an application, the SAA verifies that the organization is eligible, using the criteria in Section A, and has submitted all the information required in Section B. All applications for financial assistance are assessed using the following criteria:

• The quality of the organization’s action plan and its relevance to its mission
• The size of the organization, the area it covers, and the scope of its mission
• The remoteness factor and the cost of living
• The organization’s management capability and the appropriateness of its organizational structure
• The organization’s interaction in its environment and the diversity of its funding sources
• The organization’s financial situation, including its debt ratio and unrestricted net assets

If necessary, applications will be sent to the relevant government departments and agencies for a sectoral review in terms of relevance, feasibility, and funding.

Applications will be reviewed on the basis of the government’s sectoral responsibilities that are relevant to the organization’s mission.

Eligible costs include:

• employee costs for the organization’s basic operations,
• costs associated with the achievement of the organization’s overall mission,
• costs associated with preparing and producing financial documents and other reports required to comply with the financial agreement signed with the SAA, and
• eligible general costs associated with:
  • use of a building,
  • office equipment,
  • the technological and digital infrastructure, and
  • infrastructure upkeep.

Expenditures to erase an accumulated deficit and expenditures for the purchase and renovation of buildings and premises are not eligible. Land purchases are not eligible.

The financial assistance granted will be in the form of a non-repayable contribution to support the organization in achieving its overall mission.

Funding of $25,000 or less will be formalized in an acceptance letter setting out the reasons for the grant and the applicant’s obligations.

Funding of more than $25,000 will be formalized in a funding agreement that may not exceed five government fiscal years, and must include:

• the obligations of each signatory,
• a description of the objectives covered by the funding, and
• indicators for management purposes and the production of reports.

An organization that receives a grant of more than $25,000 must, as a minimum, provide an annual report in compliance with the provisions of the financial agreement. The report must include:

• a full report of the activities completed, and
• a description of the outcomes compared to the objectives.

The report must be accompanied by the organization’s financial statements, which must detail the origin and amount of each amount of public funding received:

• If the total annual amount received from the government (government departments and public and parapublic agencies) is less than $25,000 or if, despite receiving no government funding, the organization has revenue that requires it to submit a report to a funding provider, the financial statements must, at a minimum, be in the form of a compilation engagement and the compilation engagement report must be prepared and signed by a licensed public accountant.
• If the total annual amount received from the government (government departments and public and parapublic agencies) is between $25,000 and $150,000, the financial statements must, at a minimum, be in the form of a review engagement and the review engagement report must be prepared and signed by a licensed public accountant.
• If the total annual amount received from the government (government departments and public and parapublic agencies) is more than $150,000, the financial statements must be in the form of an audit engagement and the audit engagement report must be verified and signed by a licensed public accountant.

The organization must, at all times, keep separate accounts for expenditure attributable to the achievement of its overall mission, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Funding of $25,000 or less may be paid in full once the acceptance letter has been sent.

Funding of more than $25,000 may be paid in a minimum of two annual instalments, the first of which may not exceed 80% of the annual funding granted. In all cases, the last instalment provided for in a financial agreement will only be paid once all reports have been filed with the SAA.

The SAA is implementing a temporary measure to provide a transition period for organizations that received financial support in 2021-2022 under AIF III and are still eligible for funds in 2022-2023 under IIF IV.

An advance can be paid out after an initial review to confirm the applicant’s eligibility and check that the application for funding is complete, as specified in Section B.

Transition period: 2022-2023

Maximum amount per organization: $60,000

The amount of the advance will be determined on the basis of the funding granted for 2021-2022, up to a total of $60,000. The financial assistance may be paid in full following the receipt of an acceptance letter confirming the amount of the advance.