Canada

The Canada Standard Grants Program is a matching grant program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out wetlands conservation projects in Canada. Their projects contribute to a comprehensive, programmatic approach towards furthering the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). Project activities involve the long-term conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for the benefit of waterfowl and all wetland-associated migratory birds.

From September 1990 through September 2015, some 160 partners in 538 projects have received more than $484.6 million in grants. They have contributed another $485.4 million in matching funds to affect 16.2 million acres of habitat.

• Canada Standard Grants Deadline: August 7, 2015. This deadline is for the submission of Canadian projects for final U.S. review and approval.  Please see “The Process” below for information on partner deadlines.
• Download the Canada Standard Grants  Fact Sheet.
• Grantees, access the  Canada Grant Administration Standards.

About the Grants Program

The Canada Standard Grants Program began supporting projects in Canada in 1990, shortly after the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989 was passed. This program has been receiving 45 percent of the total available funding for Act-supported projects each fiscal year. In recent years, this amount has been approximately USD$20-25 million annually.

The Process

Applicants submit project proposals through the appropriate North American Waterfowl Management Plan Provincial Steering Committee.  After a preliminary review by the Provincial committees, eligible proposals are then forwarded to the appropriate Joint Venture Management Board, Environment Canada Wetlands Office, and finally the  North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada) for review and endorsement. Projects are then presented to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council) in the United States for funding consideration. After reviewing the projects, the Council recommends them to the  Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for final funding approval. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Bird Habitat Conservation is responsible for administering the grants for the approved projects.

There is not a single deadline for submission to Provincial Steering Committees and/or Joint Venture Management Boards. It is recommended that the JV Coordinators or provincial JV Coordinators be contacted in the first half of the calendar year with any proposed work to see if it would be considered a good fit with Provincial and Joint Venture habitat goals. The Joint Venture partnership will work to include any eligible work into the Joint Venture proposals for the funding cycle.

Contacts

For more information about developing and submitting a project proposal, contact North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada) at:

North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada)
351 Boul. St-Joseph, Place Vincent Massey, 15th Floor
Gatineau, Québec, Canada K1A 0H3
nawmp@ec.gc.ca
 North American Wetlands Conservation Council - Canada

Or contact the Environment Canada Wetlands Office:
Neill Gilbride (neill.gilbride@ec.gc.ca), Canadian Coordinator - NAWCA Funding Program, Environment Canada, Wetland Office, 819/934 6036.

For general program information, contact the Canada Standard Grants Program Coordinator in the United States: Lacy Alison (Lacy_Alison@fws.gov) 703/358 2552.