Applicant’s Guide for the Indigenous and Local Communities Engagement and Partnership Program – Indigenous Marine Coordinator (ILCEPP-IMC) – Contribution Funding

From: Transport Canada

The ILCEPP-IMC is not accepting applications at this time.

Transport Canada's (TC) Indigenous and Local Communities Engagement and Partnership Program - Indigenous Marine Coordinator (ILCEPP-IMC) is a new component of the program that provides capacity funding for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations, and entities to fund a marine coordinator position to help build their internal capacity to support their meaningful participation in the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) and/or other Transport Canada marine initiatives.

This guide explains how First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations, and entities can apply for funding under this program.

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Program description

ILCEPP-IMC provides capacity funding to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations, or entities to support their meaningful participation on one or more Oceans Protection Plan initiatives and other marine initiatives led by Transport Canada. This objective can be reached through the employment of resource(s) (e.g., marine coordinator, technical resource), and to build capacity and relationships for ongoing participation in the marine safety system.

Note: The ILCEPP-IMC program is designed to help build sustainable capacity to help communities, organizations or entities participate in the Oceans Protection Plan on a long-term and ongoing basis. If you require short-term funding (under $5,000) to participate in an ad hoc engagement event or meeting please apply for funding under the Community Participation Funding Program.

Available funding

Contribution funding is available for up to 4 years and all activities must be completed by March 31, 2027.

We will provide funding for up to 100% of eligible expenses.

For IMC positions for communities, organizations or entities not in the Arctic:

  • The maximum contribution per project is up to $125,000 per year for up to four years, with a total contribution maximum of $500,000 per project

For IMC positions for communities, organizations or entities in the Arctic Region:

  • The maximum contribution per project is up to $150,000 per year for up to four years, with a total contribution maximum of $600,000 per project

Eligibility assessment criteria

Eligible recipients

To receive funding, you must demonstrate your organization, community or entity is affected by marine transportation strategies, programs, projects and policies that relate directly to the Oceans Protection Plan and/or other marine transportation initiatives led by Transport Canada.

Eligible recipients include:

  • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations or entities
  • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments
  • Partnerships or aggregations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit groups

Eligible activities

The project proposals must meet these objectives:

  • The ILCEPP-IMC provides funding to support and encourage eligible recipients to:
    • participate in long-term engagement on one or more Oceans Protection Plan initiatives and/or other marine initiatives led by Transport Canada;
    • build capacity and relationships for ongoing participation in the marine safety system at Transport Canada.

The recipient will be expected to ensure that appropriate data collection processes are in place to enable the capture and reporting against performance indicators used to measure the achievement of the project's outcomes on an annual basis, detailing how the eligible activities meet the objectives and project outcomes proposed.

Eligible activities include the employment of a resource(s), a technical expert or a consultant resource to help First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations and entities participate and contribute to the development, improvement and implementation of marine transportation strategies and policies that relate directly to the Oceans Protection Plan and/or other marine transportation initiatives led by Transport Canada to:

  • prepare, participate in or coordinate engagement/consultation activities (like meetings, online/written submissions, discussion groups)
  • coordinate and work with communities members to solicit, collect and compile input
  • lead and facilitate local and regional consultation activities (meetings/discussions) to improve existing collaborative arrangements and advance discussions, including those on collaboration and partnership in marine safety, environmental protection and marine stewardship
  • support talks to give First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, organizations or entities a bigger role in the design and implementation of initiatives
  • share information and Indigenous knowledge on the impact of proposed policies, programs, processes, directives, regulations or legislation related to the marine safety and environmental regime
  • foster the development and establishment of partnerships to support participation and collaborative management in the marine safety and environmental regime, through the Oceans Protection Plan programming and/or marine initiatives led by Transport Canada
  • support the implementation of federal-Indigenous programming that improves the safety of Indigenous-owned recreational or commercial vessels, their use, and operators (e.g. work with multiple communities to increase awareness of boating safety and safe boating practices)
  • lead training sessions among multiple communities related to the Oceans Protection Plan and/or marine initiatives led by Transport Canada
  • develop region-specific guidance for vessels and community interactions to improve marine safety or security or other items related to the initiatives
  • monitor marine safety or security among multiple communities
  • improve Transport Canada-led emergency management between multiple communities and the federal government
  • develop programs, guidance, or projects for communities that work to resolve marine safety or security conflicts, or address marine safety, marine conservation or environmental protection concerns
  • review or provide input on technical documents, including frameworks, policies or discussion papers or conduct research and studies on environmental or transportation topics

Ultimate recipient

Applicants that represent more than one recipient must clearly indicate the name of each group/community they represent in their application. Note that authorized individual(s) for each represented group(s)/community(ies) will need to sign a document confirming that the applicant is representing them. This will form part of the official contribution agreement.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses include:

  • staff salaries and benefits (see Note 1)
  • fees for contracted services (e.g. accounting, audit and consultation)
  • room rentals and other facility costs
  • public outreach, communications materials and associated activity costs
  • honoraria (see Note 2)
  • travel expenses, including cost of accommodation, vehicle rental and kilometric rates, bus, train, airplane or taxi fares, allowances for meals and incidentals (see Note 3)
  • administrative expenses for up to 15% of Transport Canada's total contribution (including general administration expenses, translation, rent, insurance, office equipment rental and membership fees)

The above expenses may include in-kind expenditure when Transport Canada's contribution is less than 100%. In-kind expenditures may take the form of:

  • Goods, services or assets consumed by the recipient for which costs are incurred and no cash is exchanged
  • Donations of goods, services or assets to the recipient, for which no costs are incurred, and no cash is exchanged

Note 1: It is suggested that a maximum of $100,000 per year for non-Arctic positions and $125,000 per year for Arctic positions be dedicated to the salary and benefits expense category. The remaining portion of the funding requested amount be spent on travel expenses for the employed resource and other project related expenses.

Note 2: Honoraria can include monetary or non-monetary expression of appreciation (e.g. ceremonial tobacco)

Note 3: Applicants must base their amounts on the rates and allowances of the Travel Directive of the National Joint Council.

Ineligible expenditures

Expenses that are not eligible for funding include:

  • costs incurred before the funding approval date or after the final claim date identified in the funding agreement
  • expenditures for provincial sales tax and Goods and Services Tax, or the Harmonized Sales Tax, where applicable, for which the recipient is eligible for a rebate, and any other costs eligible for rebates
  • purchase of land and/or buildings and related real estate fees
  • expenditures related to infrastructure (for example servicing, maintenance or replacement of new or existing safety equipment or docks or wharfs)
  • purchase or long term-lease of vehicle
  • financing charges and interest payments on loans
  • hospitality expenses (for example, alcoholic beverages)
  • travel and per diem expenses over and above rates determined by the Travel Directive of the National Joint Council.

Project duration and approvals

Projects can start incurring costs on the date they are approved by the Minister, and all activities must be completed by March 31, 2027. However, reimbursements won't be provided until a funding agreement is signed.

We may consider advance payments in very rare circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please email: TC.ILCEPP-PPMCAL.TC@tc.gc.ca.

Merit selection criteria

Transport Canada will assess your project proposal to determine if it meets the eligibility assessment criteria. If eligible, the proposed project will then be assessed against the merit selection criteria described below.

You must provide the information listed below in your application.

Relevance of the project

Alignment with the Oceans Protection Plan and/or Transport Canada's marine initiatives:

  • How closely does the proposed project correspond with the objective to:
    • participate in long-term engagement work on one or more Oceans Protection Plan initiatives and/or other Transport Canada marine initiatives through the employment of a resource(s) (e.g., marine coordinator, technical resource)
    • build capacity and relationships for ongoing participation in the marine safety system
  • How does the proposed project correspond to one or more of the following Oceans Protection Plan pillars:
    • safer marine traffic
    • better protected coastal ecosystems
    • stronger incident prevention and response
    • stronger partnerships with Indigenous and coastal communities
  • Describe how the funds will be used, including employing a resource(s) and other expenses
  • Describe how the project aligns with regional priorities and initiatives

Note: Applications that include Oceans Protection Plan initiatives will be prioritized

Relevant experience and capacity

How will your community, organization or entity execute the project, in terms of resources, personnel and expertise? Specifically, Transport Canada will consider the applicant's:

  • mandate, experience and/or expertise
  • proven commitment based on past or current projects
  • institutional, management and organizational structures, financial controls and other support you need to successfully deliver the project

Project objectives and workplan

Are your planned activities, schedule, budget, targeted results, roles and responsibilities clear, realistic and consistent with the project's objectives? The project will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • clearly stated objectives and outcomes
  • realistic project plan, concrete deliverables, budget and timelines
  • detailed risk analysis and mitigation strategy
  • experienced and qualified project lead with clearly established roles and responsibilities

Value for money

Does the proposal efficiently use resources? Do you have plans for producing outputs in an affordable way?

Other criteria

When choosing which projects to fund, we may also consider:

  • regional representation and balancing funding across regions of Canada
  • prioritizing representative organizations, communities and entities (aggregates) to meet objectives of regional representation and balance funding across Canada
  • prioritizing of organizations, communities and entities who are not currently receiving capacity funding from Transport Canada for the Oceans Protection Plan and/or other marine initiatives led by Transport Canada

Notification

After we have assessed your project proposal, we will inform you by email notification whether you have been selected for funding or not. Transport Canada reserves the right to accept or reject any project proposal.

Service standards

In an effort to continually improve service and conduct a transparent process, the following service standards have been established:

  • Our goal is to provide applicants with written acknowledgement of receipt of their application and/or project proposal within 10 business days
  • Our goal is to issue payments within 20 business days following notification to the recipient that the requirements outlined in the funding agreement have been fulfilled

Note: If the program cannot meet these standards, we will advise you in a timely manner.

Funding agreements

To receive funding, you will need to sign a funding agreement. The following sections highlight some of the key parts of this legal document.

Risk-based funding agreements

We will conduct a risk assessment of your approved project before we sign a funding agreement. This will ensure that the requirements related to your funding agreements will be aligned with the project's risk level and will support your organization/community/entity's ability to complete your project.

The project risk assessment will determine:

  • how often you will need to submit progress reports
  • which financial documents you will need to submit with payment claims
  • how often site visits will be made and/or contacting the recipient and
  • audit requirements (all funding agreements include Transport Canada's right to audit section)

The risk assessment will be based on, but not limited to, the information provided in your project proposal.

Project scope and agreement

Your project proposal will form the foundation of the project scope, mandatory legal documents, clauses, terms and conditions, and payment structure that are included in the funding agreement.

Once the funding agreement is signed, the project's scope (including budget, structure, timelines, etc.) can't change without prior written agreement between your organization/community/entity and Transport Canada.

Reporting requirements

The funding agreement will include the reporting requirements. These may include:

  • financial claims
  • list of invoices
  • progress reports
  • annual reports, and
  • a final report

Progress reports

You must submit annual progress reports, unless otherwise communicated by Transport Canada and as identified in the funding agreement. These reports must explain the progress you've made during the reporting period and include financial claims.

You will ensure that appropriate data collection processes are in place to enable the capture and reporting of the performance indicators used to measure the achievement of the Project outcomes. These performance indicators will be established with you when the funding agreement is being developed.

Annual reports

For multi-year projects, you must submit an annual report. This report must include:

  • a detailed description of the project's progress and major achievements during the year
  • an update on how the project is moving forward and how it relates to initial objectives and final results
  • the latest data on performance indicators listed in the funding agreement compared to the start of the project
    • the recipient will ensure that appropriate data collection processes are in place to enable the capture and reporting of performance indicators used to measure the achievement of the project's outcomes.
  • annual reporting on the project eligible expenses incurred and based on the breakdown of the eligible expenses claimed, in accordance with the funding agreement's budget;
  • issues, areas of concern or risk factors that may affect completion, the schedule or the budget of the project as per original plans, and also proposed mitigation strategies to correct any issues; and
  • highlights of project communications activities during the reporting period, if applicable

Final report

When the project is complete, you must submit a final report. The final report should summarize the information required in the annual reports and verification of all project activities, costs and outcomes. Under the funding agreement, we must receive the final report before we pay the final expense claim.

Along with the information required in the final report, we may also ask you to include an overall assessment and analysis of the objectives met, outcomes achieved and lessons learned.

Financial claims

You can only submit claims for reimbursement of incurred expenses that are identified in the funding agreement. You will be provided with templates that reflect the eligible expenses as noted in the funding agreement.

You will also be required to submit a list of invoices with each claim.

Official languages

You must respect the Official Languages Act when delivering a project funded under this program. There may be language requirements that you will have to comply with, depending on the scope of the project (national, regional or local), or on the specificity of the regions and targeted audiences of projects. Transport Canada will work with successful recipients to determine how this applies to their projects.

How to apply

The following sections detail the documents required to submit a proposal.

You must use the templates to complete your project and budget proposals. You should have received these templates as part of your email package. If you did not receive them, please email tc.ilcepp-ppmcal.tc@tc.gc.ca.

The application package must include:

  • Title of project and executive summary
  • Applicant information:
    • Legal name of the organization/community/entity
    • Name and position of the primary contact for applicant organization/community/entity
    • Contact information such as office phone/fax numbers, mailing address, email/web address
  • Community, entity and/or organization profile:
    • Type of organization
    • Organizational structure and governance
    • History of the organization
    • Mandate of the organization
    • Organizational activities
  • Project management personnel/contact
    • Each project must have a designated project contact; please include their contact information (if different from the organization/community/entity)
  • Declarations:
    • Conflict of interest questionnaire
    • Declaration by applicant organization/community/entity attesting to the accuracy of the project proposal and their commitment to implement the project signed by an authorized agent
  • Project description:
    • Project objectives and goals
    • Location of project delivery
    • Proposed start and completion dates
    • Major activities for the project, including a list of OPP and/or other initiatives led by Transport Canada activities are linked to
    • Project work plan
    • Partners and contributions (if applicable)
    • Ultimate recipient information
    • Risk assessment and mitigation measures
  • Communications plan (if applicable)
  • Letters of support, including financial support (if applicable)
  • Project budget

Note: The project proposal template and budget template are attached to the invitation. We strongly recommend that you use these templates for your project proposal.

Submitting an application

Application deadline

Applications must be received by June 9, 2023. 

Transport Canada will acknowledge receipt of your application and/or project proposal within 10 business days.

All applications and project proposals must be signed, complete, accurate, comprehensive, and presented using the templates provided. You must provide legal documentation confirming your organization is a legal entity, such as:

  • attestation with Bands Indian Act of Canada Band number
  • letter signed by the Band Manager (Resolution Document – Band Council Resolution)
  • constitution and By-Laws
  • department of Indigenous Services Canada registration number
  • other legal instruments

Missing or incomplete information will slow the processing of the application and may result in its rejection.

Email:

An electronic application package must be in MS Word, MS Excel or PDF format and sent to: TC.ILCEPP-PPMCAL.TC@tc.gc.ca

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