Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund – Indigenous Grants Program

Introduction

Supporting Indigenous engagement, capacity building and knowledge sharing

The Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) supports the development and deployment of clean energy and transportation infrastructure that will enable the development and expansion of critical minerals projects in Canada. Indigenous engagement is a crucial part of this infrastructure and mining development, especially given that many proposed projects would take place on traditional Indigenous territories and treaty lands. The CMIF Grants program supports Indigenous engagement, knowledge sharing, and capacity building related to clean energy and transportation projects that would enable critical minerals development.

Available funding

This first national call for proposals will provide up to $3.5 million in total in grant funding to eligible projects. The maximum funding available per project ranges from $50,000 to $150,000, depending on the type and location of the organization applying.

Applicant type	Northern or remote area	Not a northern or remote area
Representative Organization	$150,000	$100,000
Not a Representative Organization	$75,000	$50,000

• Representative Organizations are those that represent the rights and interests of multiple Indigenous nations or communities, which could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographic area or treaty / comprehensive land claim boundaries. This would include tribal councils, treaty organizations, land claim organizations, regional-level organizations and national organizations.

• Northern or remote area include:
• All Northern communities located in the Northwest Territories, Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Yukon
• Remote communities that:
• are not connected to the broader critical infrastructure networks such as the electrical grid, highway system or piped natural gas network
• lack year-round surface transportation and have a year-round population according to the national census
• are either a long distance from larger settlements or lack transportation links that are typical in more populated areas
• receive infrequent postal services as shown on the postal codes of remote areas table

In total, the CMIF Indigenous Grants program will provide up to $13.5 million in federal funding from 2024 to 2030.

Eligibility

Applicants must be either:

• an Indigenous organization (for example, Indigenous community, Indigenous government, tribal council, national or regional Indigenous organization, or an Indigenous for-profit or not-for-profit organization), or
• a non-Indigenous organization that is working with or on behalf of an Indigenous partner (for example, academic or research institutions, not‑for‑profit groups, and provincial, territorial or municipal governments and their departments and agencies)

Non-Indigenous organizations will be asked to include a letter from an Indigenous partner organization confirming they are working with or on behalf of that Indigenous partner.

What projects and activities are eligible

To be eligible for CMIF grant funding, an applicant’s project would need to undertake one or more of the following activities related to a proposed or actual clean energy or transportation infrastructure project (an “eligible infrastructure project”) that aims to enable critical minerals development at the mining stage (i.e., not including processing or manufacturing).

• Engagement. It can take place, for example, through meetings and consultations, including with government, industry, and other natural resources stakeholders and partners (in-person or virtual). Engagement also includes connecting with other Indigenous groups, for example to discuss the feasibility of deployment of potential infrastructure projects and natural resources development.
• Capacity building for the applicant’s organization. These activities may help the organization to learn about, engage in, negotiate, and advance discussions about the feasibility or deployment of a potential eligible infrastructure project and related natural resources development and conservation proposals.
• Knowledge gathering and sharing. These activities may be targeted, for example, as an input to a study, or may be broad, for example, publishing a report for community and public use.

Clean energy or transportation infrastructure projects that unlock critical minerals access could include, for example, a proposed road to an area where mines may be established or a new solar energy project that would support an existing mine. These infrastructure projects could either be in the planning stages (for example, in the process of obtaining permits or conducting impact or environmental assessments) or could be already underway. Eligible infrastructure projects may or may not proceed to completion. These projects may also qualify for CMIF contribution funding.

For this call for proposals, projects must be completed by March 31, 2026.

What expenses are eligible

CMIF grants may cover up to 100% of eligible costs needed to complete an eligible project. Eligible costs include:

• Salaries and benefits for employees’ time spent on the project
• Costs for training, including wages, stipends, or other forms of financial transfers to non-salaried trainees and students, and fees paid to trainers and training organizations
• Honoraria, ceremonial costs and hospitality costs (including cultural gifts and prizes) for community engagement events and project meetings
• Rental of facilities, transportation and equipment
• Travel costs, including meals and accommodation, based on National Joint Council rates
• Professional, legal and contracting services
• Communications and media services
• Translation, editing, publication and printing
• Laboratory, scientific, field, and personal safety equipment and supplies
• Overhead expenditures, such as office operating expenses, to a maximum of 15% of total eligible expenditures, provided they are directly related to the project
• Provincial sales tax, Goods and Services Tax, and harmonized sales tax costs, net of any tax rebate to which the recipient is entitled

Ineligible costs include capital expenditures, costs for construction, lost income, renovation of buildings, and legal fees related to litigation or similar legal actions. CMIF grants will not cover these costs.

Optional expression of interest

Before preparing a full application, applicants may choose to submit an optional Expression of Interest form to see if their project is likely to be eligible for a CMIF Indigenous Grant. After submitting that form, someone from the CMIF program will reach out to the applicants to indicate whether or not they should apply to the CMIF for grant funding, or if more information is needed.

Download the Expression of interest form (PDF, 364 KB)

How to apply

The application form includes detail about the information that you will need to provide. In brief, applicants will be asked to provide the following:

• Basic information about the organization and the person submitting the application
• The purpose of the project, including the name of the eligible infrastructure related to the project
• Planned activities
• Estimated timeline of the project
• The location(s) of the project
• Expected outcomes of the project
• Any potential challenges to the project’s success, and how these will be mitigated
• The project’s expected costs
• Any other financial contributions for the project
• Information about the team that will undertake the project

When you are ready to apply for CMIF Indigenous Grants funding:

1. Please click on the link below to download the CMIF Indigenous Grants Application Form
2. Please fill all fields on the application form including text boxes, checkboxes and drop‑down menus
3. Please submit the completed grant application form to cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca by December 31, 2024, at the latest

Download the application form (PDF, 513 KB)

Selection process and timelines

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application submission by email.

Applications will be assessed and funding will be provided on a first-come, first‑served basis. Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as soon as it is complete rather than waiting until the end of the call for proposals.

Each application will be reviewed to ensure it is complete, that the proposed activities are feasible, and that the project meets the eligibility requirements and overall objectives of the CMIF program. This will include consideration of any recent, ongoing and expected activities undertaken by the infrastructure and critical mineral development projects that the Indigenous Grants project relates to, as well as how the community or organization applying may be impacted by that infrastructure and critical mineral development. Applications linked to infrastructure and critical mineral development projects, with high likelihood of realization and/or potentially significant impacts on Indigenous communities may be prioritized for funding.

A representative from the CMIF team will reach out if more information is needed to assess your application, or to communicate a funding decision.

About the CMIF

The CMIF will provide up to $1.5 billion in grants and contributions funding over seven years to support clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects that are necessary to enable the sustainable development and expansion of critical minerals in Canada.

Visit the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund webpage to learn more about the program.

Contact us

If you have questions about CMIF Indigenous Grants, please contact the CMIF team at cmif_ig-sa_fimc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.

Disclaimer

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) reserves the right to alter or cancel any call for proposals, funding amounts and/or deadlines associated with any program component, or to cancel any call for proposal process at its sole discretion. Any changes will be communicated to applicants via the program website.

Any costs incurred for the submission of a project application are at the applicant’s own risk and cannot be considered as part of total project costs. In all cases, any funding under any submission, review and assessment process will be contingent upon the execution of a grant agreement.

Until a written grant agreement is signed by both parties, no commitment or obligation exists on the part of NRCan to make a financial contribution to any project, including any expenditure incurred or paid prior to the signing of such grant agreement.