Climate Change Adaptation Program
Status: Closed to applications
About the Climate Change Adaptation Program
NRCan’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (2022–2027) helps to position Canada’s regions and sectors to adapt to a changing climate. The Program aims to:
- Support decision-makers in identifying and implementing adaptation actions;
- Enhance adaptation knowledge and skills among Canada’s workforce; and
- Increase access to climate change adaptation tools and resources.
The Program is reviewing proposals for cost-shared projects that will make important contributions to advancing adaptation progress in Canada. Up to $15 million in funding may be awarded through this Call for Proposals.
We are reviewing proposals for projects that address climate change adaptation on the following topics :
- Adaptation skills
- Economics
- Emerging issues
- Natural resource sectors
Projects requesting less than $150,000 of NRCan funding are not being considered through this Call for Proposals.
Note: The Government of Canada may fund up to 60% of the total project costs, with the exception of projects led by Indigenous organizations, governments or communities or by Territorial governments, where NRCan may fund up to 100% of the total project costs.
Eligibility
This Call for Proposals is open to individuals and organizations that are incorporated or registered in Canada, including:
- Academic institutions;
- Non-governmental organizations;
- Industry, research, and professional associations;
- Companies and businesses;
- Indigenous communities or governments;
- Community, regional and national Indigenous organizations; and
- Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies.
Competitive process - Closed to applications
Non-competitive process (only for Indigenous applicants)
A targeted application process with up to $2 million in dedicated funding was offered for eligible Indigenous applicants who require additional support to develop their project proposals outside of the competitive process.
We have reached the maximum number of applications for the Non-competitive process for Indigenous-led projects. At this point, we will only continue to receive and review completed LOIs for the purpose of sharing with other active funding programs.
Information sessions
The Program hosted two virtual information sessions in July 2023 (one in English and one in French) to provide information about this Call for Proposals and to answer questions from applicants. You can click on the link below to watch the English recording.
Information session - Climate Change Adaptation Program Call for Proposals
Transcript
Catherine Laflour: Welcome everyone. We'll just give a few minutes for everyone to get established and connect to the audio on their computers. Welcome everyone. I see there's still a few people logging in, so I'll give it another 30 seconds. Alright, welcome everyone. Good morning or good afternoon depending on where you are across the country. My name is Catherine Laflour. I'm a senior policy manager here in the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Division at Natural Resources Canada. I'm on the line with you today with a few colleagues, Nicky, who you can see on the screen, as well as Kate and Dominique who will be joining us for the Q and A session. I'd like to acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people.
The objectives of our session today are to learn about the key elements of the Climate Change Adaptation Programs call for proposals. And just to make sure everyone's in the right place, this is an adaptation call for proposals. It's closely aligned with mitigation, but these are all about adaptation proposals, so how we can take adaptation action to make Canada more resilient to the impacts of climate change. And the second part is to get clarification on the application process, eligibility criteria, funding guidelines, et cetera. The session is being recorded and it will be posted on the Call For Proposals website afterwards. Because of the large number of people on the call, we've disabled the chat function and the mute, unmute and video options. You can submit your questions via the Q and A box.
Nicky will be giving a presentation with some background about the program and the topic areas. Feel free to start submitting your questions during the presentation. The presentation will be about 15 minutes and then we'll have the remaining time within the hour to answer questions. Note that we'll be giving priority to questions to which the answers will be useful to many people rather than very specific of interest to just a few. And if your question doesn't get answered, we have an email box that you can send your question to at the end and we'll put that up at the end. So now I will turn it over to Nicky to continue with the presentation.
Nicole: Great, thanks very much Catherine. And thanks to everyone for joining today for our information session. So I'll start with a quick overview of our Climate Change Adaptation Program and then go into more detail about our call for proposals. So again, just to clarify, by adaptation, we're referring to planning, decision-making and actions to reduce risks from climate change impacts, so impacts like flooding or extreme weather. And our programming does not include mitigation, which is more focused on GHD emissions reduction. So Natural Resources Canada has been supporting work on adaptation in Canada for over 25 years now. And the program builds on our previous years of programming, but also supports Canada's first national adaptation strategy, which was released just a couple of weeks ago. So in a nutshell, the program helps to position Canada's regions and sectors to adapt to a change in climate with a particular focus on three elements, as you can see on the slide here.
So the first is supporting communities, decision-makers and natural resource sector businesses, and identifying, developing and implementing adaptation actions. The second area is around supporting the enhancement of adaptation knowledge and skills among Canada's professionals and workforce. And the third is around increasing access to climate change adaptation tools and resources. So we'll go to the next slide please.
So through this call for proposals, we're looking to fund cost shared projects that focus on one of the following four topics. There's adaptation skills, the economics of climate change impacts and adaptation, emerging adaptation issues and natural resource sectors, and specifically the energy forestry and mining sectors. These topics largely align with kin's mandate and focus areas and you'll see that we have certain amounts of funding that we've set aside for each of these topics. So we strongly encourage you to read through the applicant guide, which is available to download from the Call For Proposals page on NRCan website. In the guide you'll find a lot more detail about the types of projects that we're interested in funding under each of these four topics.
As Catherine mentioned though, we won't go through that level of detail in today's information session because we really want to leave more time to get to questions after the presentation. Go to the next slide please. So I'll speak a bit about our review process. The applications will be reviewed by staff within the climate change impacts and adaptation division at NRCan, and we'll be referring to five equally weighted review criteria, which I'll just briefly summarize. And again, we would encourage you to review the applicant guide where you can find a lot more detailed information about each of these criteria.
So the first criteria and assesses the overall scope of the project and what it hopes to achieve. So your proposed project should align with at least one of the funding topics that I mentioned on the previous slide, and the project objectives really need to be clearly outlined. The intended audiences should be clearly defined and appropriate for the scope of work that you're proposing. Products and outputs generated through the project should help to enable adaptation action and the intended outcomes should focus on delivering impact.
Secondly, the methodology and work plan should clearly focus on demonstrating how the project objectives will be met and should include enough detail for us to have a good understanding of the specific activities that you're proposing, how the intended audiences will be involved in the project and when, the approach that will be used to mobilize knowledge generated through the project. Considerations related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, how progress will be measured and the types of indicators that will be used, any innovative approaches that will be used, or new knowledge that will be generated that can help to advance progress on adaptation in Canada. And if appropriate, an explanation of the approach that will be used to incorporate indigenous knowledge or to engage with indigenous communities, organizations, or groups.
The third criterion is focused on the capacity of the lead organization and the project team to deliver the project. Specifically with respect to technical expertise and experience with knowledge mobilization, as well as capacity and experience with managing funds. For the project budget, we're looking to ensure that the proposed costs are both eligible and reasonable. And again, please see the applicant guide for information about eligible and non-eligible expenditures. We do want to ensure that any contributions from funding sources other than NRCan are clearly documented in letters of support, and I'll speak a bit more to this in a later slide. But more generally, we want to ensure that the overall budget delivers good value for achieving the proposed objectives and outcomes as outlined in the application. And lastly, we'll be looking for evidence of collaboration and partnerships to deliver meaningful results. So, appropriate project partners should be identified and the role should be clearly outlined in the application. So we strongly encourage applicants to consider these review criteria as they develop their applications. And in our decision-making, I just wanted to mention that we'll also be considering factors such as regional diversity and the number of funded projects across the different topics and subtopics. We can go to the next slide please.
So with this call for proposals, there's a competitive process that's open to all eligible applicants as well as a non-competitive process for indigenous-led projects. I'll speak briefly to both processes as there are some key differences to be aware of. So for the competitive process, we have up to 15 million in funding available for a portfolio of cost shared projects. And these projects should request a minimum NRCan contribution of 150,000. So while there's no maximum amount that can be requested per project; we do have maximum funding available under each of the four topics and we're looking to fund multiple projects in each area, so just something to be mindful of. The earliest that projects can start is January 1st, 2024, and they must be completed by December 31st, 2026. So, this means that projects will have at most three years in which to carry out their work. Lastly, I just wanted to mention that proponents can submit more than one application. Can go to the next slide please.
So as I mentioned earlier, this call for proposals is for cost shared projects, which means that NRCan will contribute up to 60% of the total project budget. The rest of the funding will need to come from sources other than the government of Canada, and that can include cash and or in kind contributions. And these other funding sources will need to be documented in letters of support or emails from the respective organizations, which should be submitted along with your application. So just a few points to note, as you prepare the budget for your project; we'll be considering the total amount of funding coming from other sources over the course of the entire project, meaning that the ratio of NRCan funding to other funding doesn't have to be exactly say 60 to 40% for each fiscal year. Also, NRCan funding is available according to the Governor Canada's fiscal year, which goes from April 1st to March 31st, and it is not transferable from one fiscal year to the other. So any funds that aren't spent in a given fiscal year will unfortunately be lost. They can't be repro profiled to another fiscal year.
The other point I wanted to mention is that NRCan can provide up to a hundred percent of the total project costs for projects led by indigenous organizations, governments, and communities, as well as territorial governments. Next slide please.
How to apply? We encourage you to go to the call for proposals page on the NRCan website and download the applicant guide, the application form and the budget template. And we have the QR code on the slide that will redirect you to that page. So firstly, we'd really encourage you again to read the applicant guide in full. There's critical information in this document that will help you as you prepare your application. Please ensure that you submit a complete application. We unfortunately can't consider incomplete applications. So, this includes the application form with all the fields completed a detailed budget using the budget template provided, short CVs of around two pages for each key member of your project team. you also have the option of preparing a work plan in the application form itself or submitting it as an attachment depending on what you prefer.
And lastly it should also include letters of support from the organizations that we'll be providing cash and or in kind contributions towards the project. Please take note of the deadline September 22nd at midnight eastern time. The application should be submitted by email to the address on the screen and you'll receive a confirmation email from us that your application was indeed received, and we'll be informing all applicants of the funding decision within 16 weeks of the deadline. Next slide please.
So as I mentioned, we also have a non-competitive process with up to 2 million in dedicated funding for a portfolio of indigenous-led projects. And this is a new funding stream for a program and we're really excited to be launching it as part of our call for proposals. So the non-competitive process aims to reduce barriers for indigenous applicants by providing funding of up to a hundred percent of the total cost of the project by streamlining the initial assessment of eligibility for funding and alignment with the program, but also providing additional support towards the development of full project proposals in cases where that's needed. So the proposed projects must align with at least one of the four funding topics that I mentioned earlier. And projects will also be subject to the same review criteria as the competitive process, which I also mentioned earlier.
Funding will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. But I also wanted to mention that NRCan will be respecting the OCAP principles of ownership, control, access and possession, and other equivalent protections for indigenous knowledge and data with respect to projects that are funded through this process. Next slide please.
How to apply through the non-competitive process? We encourage interested indigenous applicants to contact us for more information by emailing the address that you see on the screen. You'll then be connected with a member of our team who will provide you with additional information and assist you with the application process, which also includes filling out a letter of intent template. This step will help to determine eligibility and alignment with the program. I also just wanted to mention that we'll start reviewing the letters of intent that we receive as of August 14th, so that's just a a date to keep in mind. So we can go to the next slide please.
So this is the last slide before moving on to our Q and A portion of the session. We thought we would share a few tips for applicants to consider as they prepare their applications. So as I mentioned earlier, there will only be up to three years for projects to be delivered, so we really encourage you to think about what type of impact your project can deliver in that timeframe. As you'll see throughout the applicant guide, there's a strong focus on adaptation actions for many of the topics. So, we're really looking to support projects that move beyond planning to actually taking action to advance adaptation in Canada. while we recognize that adaptation at all levels is important, we are particularly interested in supporting projects that have broader relevance. So this could include national scale projects, but it can also include projects at other levels that generate knowledge or resources that can be applied elsewhere in the country, so case studies would be one example.
We're also looking for strong evidence of collaboration and partnerships. So with relevant partners, right holders and end users in the projects that we'll fund through the call, and early and continued engagement with intended audiences is a key factor that we're going to be looking for. Recognizing there's a lot of excellent work on adaptation that is already taking place, projects should seek to build on existing knowledge and resources where possible or focus on generating new knowledge. And lastly, we ask that you please take care to ensure that your application is as clear and concise as possible. So for instance, you'll see that we have some suggested word counts in the application form. And the more clearly you can express how your project aligns with the review criteria, the better. And again, lastly, please ensure that you submit a complete application with all the requested attachments. So we can go to the next slide. So with that, I'll pass the floor back to Catherine and she'll facilitate the question and answer portion of our session. Thank you.
Catherine: Thank you very much Nicky for the high level overview. I hope everyone found that informative. And as well some of your questions may have been answered as Nicky spoke, but I really appreciate that you were starting to type questions in as we were going through the presentation. So a couple general questions to get started on the Q and A is if this presentation will be being made available and that sort of thing. So we are recording the presentation and it will be posted on the website along with a frequently asked questions document in the coming weeks. I think someone had asked if we were going to email out the presentation. We won't be emailing it out, I don't believe, but we'll post it on on the website. And if we can get Kate and Dominique to join as well, we can now start going through a few more of the questions. We had a lot of questions generally about matching funds and like can matching funds be from another federal agency, so a few questions along those lines. I'm not sure who on my team wants to tackle, I'll kind of scroll through. We had a few questions about matching funds. I'll scroll through and read a few, but Dominique did you want to answer in general?
Dominoque: Yeah, I can provide a quick answer. I saw that a few people were asking if the matching contribution could come from another federal department and the answer is no. So, all matching contribution have to come from a source other than federal departments. I saw that someone was asking about provincial government. So yes, matching from a providential government would be eligible.
Catherine: We have some other questions about approximately how many projects is NRCan hoping to support under each topic area. And a few questions about, are those amounts that were listed, the maximum per project or maximum overall? And they're definitely maximum overall and we want to support a number of projects. And if someone on the team has a bit of historical - like, it really depends on how much each project has asked for how many we can fund in each category, but do we have some historical data to share just to give people an indication.
Kate: That's one, Catherine. Not having a ton of history, but I think this will answer a few questions because there's also a question about whether there's a maximum. So there is no maxim, but you can see the envelopes that we have. And of course, we want to fund a number of projects under each of the topics. So I think in the past, you know, our minimum is 150, and the past projects tend to be in the three to $500,000 range per project. They can be smaller, they can be bigger. We haven't put bounds on that to give us flexibility for sort of exceptionally good applications that might be outside. So, that's the case for the competitive process. And for the non-competitive process, it's about a $2 million envelope in total. So same thing, you can kind of do the math. We're going to be looking for a selection of indigenous-led projects that total $2 million and that help us to demonstrate the value of rolling out a process like that that is catered just for indigenous-led projects. So we're looking at probably a handful, half a dozen, something like that depending on what we see in the LOI's.
Catherine: While we're on that topic, Kate, maybe I can keep going with you. Is there a consideration within program to distribute funding geographically across Canada to different regions and provinces?
Kate: Yes. So I think when NRCan went through the criteria, we will be making sure that anything funded reaches their sort of answers to any and all of the criteria that we've set out. But at the same time, we have to look at the program as a whole and make sure that we have a strong narrative about the program outcomes at the end of the day. So we will looking for some distribution across the country and across the topic areas in the final decision on projects.
Catherine: Thanks Kate. Moving a little bit to general topics. Is there someone who can expand on examples of what we mean by adaptation actions. So very general, and I know we have a number of different categories in there. So I don't know, maybe if each of you want to give from within your kind of theme or topic areas what type of actions you mean?
Kate: I'll start, I'll just speak to the natural resource topic. So there's five subtopics within that and the actions can be, in the past we've had things like guidebooks made by professional associations that help members of those associations to implement different behaviors and practices when they go about their professional work. But they can also be regional studies that look at the vulnerability and risks around certain sectors or combination of sectors and provide sort of analysis and recommendations for how to address those at a regional scale. So, those would be a couple examples from the natural resource topic.
Catherine: Does anyone else want to jump in on some examples? Dominique, go ahead.
Dominique: Yeah, I can speak a bit about the adaptation skills topic. Of course, it's a bit different than the natural resources sector topic. But for example, and you'll find a few examples also in the applicant guide, but we have adapting existing training resources and tool to ensure that the adaptation skills and need within one or more professions are met. So developing some tools to make it more accessible, developing business cases for enhancing adaptation knowledge and skills. We also have another example: integrating and mainstreaming climate change adaptation knowledge and skills into professional development or past secondary education. So these are a bit different but few examples for the skills, and you can find more again in the guidance document.
Nicole: And I can speak briefly to the other two topics. So for the economic analysis, it's really more about doing research to help inform decision making on the costs and benefits of different adaptation actions. So it's perhaps less of an action per se, but looking at, again, the costs and the benefits of different types of actions to respond to different kinds of impacts. There's also funding being allocated for case studies, so looking at examples of different actions that have been taken and trying to better understand what worked well, what could be improved, what were some of the lessons. There's also the emerging issues topic, which again is more forward looking. So, learning from the implementation of adaptation actions, looking at behavioral, social and cultural barriers and drivers. So I'd say with those two topics it's more trying to better understand the context around adaptation actions and how they can be improved going forward, as well as generating new knowledge that can help to inform future action.
Catherine: Great. Thanks everyone. You want to add something else, Kate, go ahead.
Kate: Yeah, I just see that there's also a question specific to examples for the indigenous projects that we qualify, and so I'll just maybe use that as a way to say that the non-competitive indigenous-led process is really a different process, but the program remains the same. So, the evaluation criteria and the topics are common, and there's no difference between them or between the competitive and the non-competitive streams or processes. So, the kinds of projects that we've just described are the same that would apply to indigenous-led projects as well. Maybe I'll just make one more point, which is that this, as Nicky said, it's the first time that we've dedicated funding for indigenous-led projects, and so this is very much a learning process for us and we want to hear feedback and any kind of ideas or concerns that people have about things like those common elements. So for the moment it's all under one program with the same objectives and the same expected outcomes, but we are looking to learn as much as we can through sort of this pilot exercise.
Catherine: Great, thanks Kate. Now we'll move to some questions around collaboration and number of applications you can send in, and if groups can send in multiple applications. So like if a government is planning to submit an application with various projects under each topic, should they submit their own separate application forms or can the ministry submit one for the whole program? Another similar question, I'll just read a few similar and then panelists can address them all. Can a single agency submit multiple applications? So an application for different projects within the agency, and then talking about collaboration; if someone's considering applying for a project idea but expects that there's others that may be applying for a similar topic, would it make sense to partner with the other entities? Would this strengthen the application? And would NRCan be willing to give us an idea of who else may be applying for a similar topic so we can consider joining forces?
So as Nicky outlined, collaboration is one of the review criteria, so that's definitely important. It may be challenging for us to share seeing as we won't really know who's applying until the application deadline and all applications need to be in before that, so try and use your networking skills on finding out who else is working in that area in order to come up with a more collaborative project. And I'll turn it over to the team if they have anything about the multiple or single applications from the same agency, and if anyone wants to add in on ways that we can help make projects more collaborative.
Dominique: Maybe I can jump in Catherine and others can build on my answer. But quickly. As Nicky mentioned during the presentation, an organization or an agency can submit more than one proposal, so each project should have one proposal. So to answer, I think it was the VC question, we would strongly encourage one proposal for each project - as for each project, there will be a contribution agreement for each project that will be funded, there will be a contribution agreement and it's per project. So yeah, we would strongly encourage an application per project and can submit more than one project for sure across the topics. It doesn't have to be of course in the same topic, but can be a proposal in different topics. And Kate and Nicky, if you have anything to add on this?
Nicole: Well, I don't have anything to add. I think that was a pretty comprehensive Dominic, and again we really do encourage organizations to work together, especially if they have a similar project in mind, you know, a project can include multiple components and perhaps it makes sense for different partners to lead on different components. So, we would definitely encourage that as much as possible.
Catherine: Great. Just scrolling through the questions. We still have quite a few questions in the Q and A box, so thanks for your patience if we haven't got to your question yet.
Kate: Catherine, there's one that I can answer quickly, which is around whether there's a deadline for indigenous funding stream. So no, there's no deadline that said, it's a relatively small amount of money, 2 million envelope. And basically, if you get in contact with us, we'll send you a letter and template that just allows us to see a little bit more about your project. We'll have a discussion with you about it to be able to ask a few questions and learn a little bit more, and we're going to start doing that review on August 14th. So we're waiting, we're giving people a few weeks to kind of generate their ideas, and then as of August 14th, we'll start having those discussions and sort of nominally allocating money out. We're not committing anything because we still need to go through a full application process with each of the applicants, but that will be supported by members of our team if needed. It's a continuous intake, but at some point we are going to have all the money allocated, so we don't want to raise too many expectations that in six or 10 months we'll still have money to give out.
Catherine: Okay, thanks Kate. Just scrolling, I see another question about other funding that's referenced in the national adaptation strategy, such as the coastal resilience and communities. And that will be a separate call for proposal. It is also run by our division, but it'll be coming out in the fall. Nicky, I know you flagged something, I'm not sure if it's been answered fully - about the a hundred percent for a project led by indigenous communities. Is that for the non-competitive process only or also under the competitive process?
Nicole: So that is for either process whether it's competitive or non-competitive for organizations - sorry, indigenous organizations, communities or businesses. NRCan will provide up to a hundred percent of the funding for the project.
Catherine: Thanks Nicky. Another quick question. Do you anticipate future calls for applications to this fund or do you anticipate this will be the only intake? So this is the only intake for the Climate Change Adaptation Program. But like I said, the climate resilient coastal communities call for proposals will be coming out in the fall through our division as well.
Dominique: Catherine, a question that I can quickly answer. There's one about, will there be any flexibility in the timeline to conduct project activities? For example, if a project sees unanticipated delays, could the timeline extend beyond December 31st, 2026? Unfortunately I have to answer no, because the Climate Change Adaptation Program ends in March, 2027, so there is no option for us to extend that. December, 2026 is really for us to wrap up the projects, process the last payments and all the administrative tasks related to a project. So for now, there was no flexibility to extend that date.
Kate: Catherine, there's a question about whether indigenous applicants would be rejected after we hit the 2 million. I know it's sort of a tough process to follow because it's fairly flexible at the moment. So what we're hoping to do is after that amount is allocated is to first keep a record of the interest in the hopes that there may be more pockets of money opening. But then also, to support people to find other programs across the government that they may be eligible for to put in an application for. So, we're trying to network ourselves across the current suite of government funding for indigenous applicants and we'll do our best to help people get their projects to other programs that may have more funding than we do.
Catherine: Yeah, that's a good point, Kate. With the release of the national adaptation strategy recently, a number of federal departments are releasing programs, so I guess emails to the adaptation mailbox here can help redirect you to appropriate programs. There's a lot of need up there for adaptation and this is just one source of funding.
Nicole: Catherine, I see a question about reporting requirements, so I can speak to that briefly. That'll apply to any approved projects. So typically once a project is approved, the lead organization would enter into a contribution agreement with the government of Canada and that outlines all of the requirements in terms of reporting, outlines, the budget, et cetera. So for reporting, it'll depend on your schedule of payments, but typically it's either quarterly or bi-annually, and that would require a progress report as well as a financial report. And then there's also a separate annual report that you would need to complete. But again, all of this would be outlined in the contribution agreement and share we can share a template. If that's something that anyone wanted to look at in advance, you just have to email us at the adaptation email address and we can share that.
Catherine: We have a question about previous projects. Can we see what projects were previously funded under this program?
Dominique: Yeah, definitely. I think I saw two questions related to that. Unfortunately, our webpage is not that up-to-date, but if you go on the Climate Change Adaptation platform, you will have access to projects that were funded, not the last round, but the round before. So they were organized by working group outcomes. So by topics, so there some in agriculture by biodiversity, so the topics were a bit different, but you'll have access there on projects that were funded previously in other programs. I'm not sure if I can add the link somewhere, but if not, we'll make sure we include it in the FAQ document we'll post online.
Catherine: I have another question about impacts of projects and kind of factors that we're taking into consideration. So can you explain to the applicants what factors NRCan has, if any, in terms of assessing the potential of projects to have Canada wide impact? More foundationally, is that the defacto explanation expectation from NRCan that projects should have nationwide benefit? Maybe a few of you can chime in on this one.
Kate: I'll start on that. And this is a very good question because it's a topic of internal discussion as well of how we sort of scope and describe our ambitions on this. And I'm actually going to steal from Al Douglas who said to me recently that, you know, what we need is speed and scale. So from our perspective, we need to accelerate people mainstreaming adaptation into their everyday decision-making and lives, and we need to do it at a broad scale, which sort of needs to be across the board. So Nicky spoke to our piece in this is related to NRCan mandate and to some extent the NAS Economy and workers system, which frames out some of our objectives quite well, I think. So the work adaptation can be done locally of course, and regionally, but what we want to do is make sure that the lessons are learned that help other people in other places in the country accelerate their adoption of adaptation action. So even if the implementation work itself is more localized or more regional, we do want to encourage work that that gets the word out there and helps others to adapt at scale and more quickly. So, that's how I would frame up my answer, but my colleagues may have a different way of answering that.
Catherine: Does anyone else want to weigh in on that one?
Nicole: I think that was a good way of framing it, Kate. The only thing I would add is that it probably depends on the particular topic and subtopic that you're applying to. Obviously some of the subtopics wouldn't have the same national consideration, and case studies again would be a perfect example. There might be a highly localized case study, but lessons from that work would be applicable to other areas across the country. So again, we'll be taking all of that into consideration as we review the applications and the proposed ideas.
Catherine: Great. I have a couple of questions coming your way, Dominique. A quick one. Does in kind contribution include staff time commitment, and then another one related to skills. So are the projects under the adaptation skills category focused only on natural resource sectors?
Dominique: Yeah, maybe I can start with the first one and I see that there's another question about matching. Can you elaborate more on the 40% funding that needs to be from other funding than the government of Canada? Any restriction cash versus in kind? So maybe I would also encourage you to go back to the applicant guide for more information, but no, there's no restriction of cash versus in kind, so both are considered as matching contribution and under matching contribution. Yes, it can be staff time paid from non-federal sources, but it also can include things like time of presenters, free use of meeting space and things like that, so that would be considered as matching contribution as long as again, in the matching contribution that are supported. And you can have, again, more information in the guidance document. And Catherine, I believe the other question was on scales. So if you go to the annex A of the guidance documents, you'll see that it's not only the skills adaptation skills topic is not only targeting natural resources sectors workforce, but it's also targeting professionals, so professional that are well positioned to play a role in climate change adaptation. And we do include for example, engineering engineers planners, landscape architect, accountants and related professions. So not only, again related to natural resources sectors.
Catherine: Thanks Dominique. We have some more questions on the indigenous application and different processes. So one of them - if we have an indigenous organization as a partner in the application, do we apply under competitive or non-competitive. And then I'm just scrolling, but I think there was another one about, like can somebody else hire, like maybe a consultant apply on behalf of an indigenous applicant? Go ahead, Kate.
Kate: We would encourage anybody in the competitive stream to have indigenous partners. So yeah, that would be the appropriate place to apply. If one of your collaborators or partners are indigenous communities or organizations, then by all means, that's I think part of the criteria that we've outlined to encourage that. And the second, which was it Catherine?
Catherine: I can't find the exact question, but it was [crosstalk40:51.
Kate: Oh, it was on behalf of... So consultants implying on behalf of - I think get in touch with us about that. We're trying to reduce barriers obviously and lend additional support where it's needed. That might be a case where some of the additional support that we would offer for the full call for proposals or for the full application isn't needed. But I think we would want to take that on a case by case basis. So, I'd say please get in touch with us directly on that one. There are also a couple of questions about the 2 million envelope for Indigenous stream and whether that's per project. And unfortunately, no, that's the full amount that we have for that process. And why is it so limited? And that's the reality. It's a 10% carve out of our program, and the program was not designed to be targeted to indigenous people when it was sort of first designed, so this is kind of what we can do at this stage. And I think we're all quite happy with the amount of interest in the full program. We have lots of people in this call and lots of people asking questions to our mailbox, so I think we're very happy with the level of interest to the program and the indigenous stream and that's encouraging for us to grow the envelope in the future. But for now, that's what we have.
Catherine: Great. If the team wants to keep scrolling through questions feel free. But I have a question here about I imagine actual implementation installation of net zero resilient technologies such as heat pumps would not be eligible. Just saying that that is correct, we don't fund capital investments, so you can look towards some other NRCan programs like Greener Homes and other green technologies as well as Infrastructure Canada and their DMap programs.
Kate: I saw another question, Catherine, or a couple actually that have asked for more guidance on the equity, diversity and inclusion component of the criteria. And again, I think my colleagues may want to weigh in on this as well, but I would say we don't have specific minority or equity seeking groups that we're trying to target there. This is just more of a general paying attention to vulnerable groups. We know there's lots of evidence to be to be drawn from about which equity seeking groups are at more risk because of climate change impacts, so please pay attention to those. And I think somebody mentioned, you know, inner city at risk people; certainly, there are climate change impacts that are specific to those kinds of populations. So those are the kinds of groups I think we would like people to to consider. If it's a question about whether we have sort of specific framework for that that we're looking for, it's a, it's more of a general conceptual ask because we know that it's a big topic intersecting adaptation with equity seeking populations.
Catherine: Thanks Kate. Definitely one of the overarching goals of adaptation and the national adaptation strategy. Some quick application questions. If you have a project that touches on two of the funding topics, should you submit two applications even though it's the same project? So the answer to that is no. Please submit just one project and put it in the stream that is the closest fit with your particular topic area.
Dominique: Yeah, Catherine, there's another, or a couple other related to that topic. I'm trying to find it again, but I think one was asking about if they submit a proposal and we consider that it hasn't been submitted in the right topic, will we be able to move it around or will we be able to change where it fits? And I think that was the question. Oh yeah, if we submit a project for one category, but NRCan believes it fits better in a different one, will they consider it in either regardless of submitting category? So yeah, we have some flexibility to move projects proposal around if it doesn't - if we think it fits best in another topic,
Catherine: Sort of along those lines.. With the amount of funding under the indigenous stream, it's also possible you can submit if it's more specific to a certain topic area you can submit in the competitive process and then that a hundred percent matching still applies in the competitive process.
Nicole: Catherine, there are a couple questions I see here that I can answer pretty quickly. One person was asking whether an organization that's applying can provide matching funding themselves. So yes, absolutely. The lead organization can provide funding in terms of in kind or financial commitment to the project. That is perfectly fine. It doesn't have to be a separate organization. There's also a question about what is the definition of a partner and do nonprofits count? So yes, absolutely. We've considered the term partner fairly broadly that can include different types of organizations; could be a government organization, non-for-profit, it could be a community. So really it's, you know, whoever the best fit is for the project and the scope, they're certainly welcome to apply as a partner for the project.
Catherine: Okay. I'm just noticing there's a lot of questions on specific topics and we probably won't have time to get to all of those, but please feel free to submit those to the adaptation email address and we'll put the address up again at the end of the presentation. A quick question about can a member of a federal department be on part of the project? They're welcome to be as advisors, but because they work for the federal government, their time does not count as an in-kind contribution.
Kate: Also a quick one, can a university be a partner? Yes.
Dominique: Another quick one, the amount of funding available. So yes, under the competitive process, there's 15 million available, and under the non-competitive for indigenous-led project, there's up to 2 million available. So up to 15 and up to two millions.
Catherine: I think we have a question about budget. Maybe if the submission can be in tiers in terms of something with a specific scope, and then additional optional items. I'm not sure we've gotten that question before. We usually assess everything that we do receive. There are some things that may be excluded from the budget if they aren't eligible cost categories that we can fund under our terms and conditions, but I don't know if anyone wants to weigh in on the sort of the Cadillac version of the report or if there's additional work that could be done for additional cost.
Nicole: I think that's a good question and I'm not sure that we've really encountered that in previous calls. I think our preference would be to have the scope clearly outlined in the application form of what's being proposed with the budget for those specific activities, obviously within the context of the eligible costs outlined in the applicant guide. That is typically what we've done in the past and I think what we'd be looking for, for applications under this call. But if my colleagues have other thoughts, please weigh in.
Catherine: Okay. I think that makes sense, Nicky, you know, everything's delivered as a package to get the greatest impact. And all components are kind of essential to the project that you're proposing. There have been a couple questions about, you know, sharing the people that are involved in this call and that sort of thing, and I believe we have privacy restrictions that unfortunately don't allow us to do that. Just on that note, there's another question. If there are no project partners, will the application still be considered? I'll get Nicky to maybe weigh in, but when you go through the project criteria, you know, collaboration is one of the big pieces that's being measured. And I think just by having a collaborative approach and getting more people involved in the project, that helps with the engagement and the knowledge dissemination as part of this. So, it's an important factor. Do you have anything to add on that, Nicky?
Nicole: Yeah, again, I would just say that it probably depends on the specific project and which subtopic you're applying under. But generally, collaboration partnerships are encouraged. But again, it will depend on the scope of the project. It'll depend on who the intended beneficiaries are. And really we encourage you to just consider the number - Well, to consider the different types of organizations that are also working in that space because they might be able to strengthen the work that you're looking to do by bringing their own contribution to the project. So, I'll just say again, please refer to the applicant guide because there are a lot of different types of projects that can be funded under this call.
Catherine: There's a another question about specifically what costs can the grant cover. I just want to make sure that this funding is not grant funding. It's contribution agreement, which requires the matching and the applicant proposal and the budget templates will outline the different cost categories that are eligible.
Dominique: Yeah, Catherine, talking of budget, there's a question here. Do data provided by NGOs partnering with the proposal count as in-kind financial contribution? So I would say that it depends. In-kind contribution need to be contribution to the execution of the proposed project. So it cannot be, for example, the use of a database that was produced as part of another project. So generally, databases do not qualify, but if you have any additional information or need any further clarification, we would encourage you to send us a question in the adaptation mailbox.
Catherine: There's some questions, Nicky, I don't know if you can glance back at your presentation about - just going over the criteria number three and perhaps criteria number two as well. I'll give you a minute to find that particular slide.
Kate: Yeah, I'll just tackle a quick one while you get that up, which is, the natural resources sector topic include agriculture? No, it doesn't. So there's lots of topics from critical for adaptation that we're not covering, agriculture being one, health being another. The specifics are in the applicant guide, but we really are focused in the natural resources on energy, forestry and mining.
Catherine: I'm just pulling up the slides and we'll go to the criteria slide. Again, while the funding topics is up, those are maximums for the overall category, not for project. And here we are back at review criteria. So Nicky, if you just want to outline, I think it was like number two and number three again.
Nicole: Yeah. So for number three, what we're looking for basically is the capacity of the lead organization and the partners that are identified in the application form to deliver the project. So here we're looking for evidence of your experience, both on the technical side as well as knowledge mobilization, but also any previous projects that you might have managed and evidence of your capacity to manage funding for projects. So, that's typically what we're looking for this criteria. and then the other one was for - I just don't have the question in front of me, Catherine, if you have it top of mind.
Catherine: I think they were just looking at number two and number three.
Nicole: Number two and number three. So number two is quite broad as you can see from the slide; it does cover a number of different components. So everything from, you know, any considerations related to equity, diversity and inclusion, how different end users will be considered throughout the project and at what stage, providing some information about how the project will go about measuring progress towards the objectives that were outlined in the application form and the types of indicators that'll be used. But again, I would really encourage you to go to the applicant guide. There's a lot more detail about all of the different components of the review criteria that we'll be considering. And again, a project doesn't necessarily have to touch on every element depending on the scope of the project, but we will be looking for these criteria to be at least touched on in some capacity. So again, please refer to the applicant guide for a lot more detail on each of these.
Catherine: I'm seeing we are getting a few questions about the difference between adaptation and mitigation and whether those can be integrated from a broad perspective. Those definitely need to work hand in hand, but the focus of this proposal is definitely on adaptation and increasing resilience. I don't know if the team has - I see we're coming up to the end of the hour here. I don't know if the team has any questions that they have flagged and I can't see them right now. Feel free to jump in.
Dominique: There are many Catherine that haven't been, unfortunately, we only had an hour, but again, we'll be happy to answer questions if you send them to the Adaptation mailbox.
Catherine: Yeah, so we've answered as many as we can. We really appreciate your patience and your participation in sharing your questions. Feel free to reach out to your networks and collaborate to come up with these proposals. We will be posting this webinar session on our website, [unclear57:25]. So once the two have been completed and we compile the frequently asked questions, that will be posted on the website in the coming weeks. We look forward to receiving your applications and like we said, feel free to send your questions. I know some of you put your questions in anonymously into the box, so if you want an answer and we didn't get to it today, please send it to the mailbox so that we can reply. And even if you did put your name on the question, we don't have an email address that's associated with that. So if we didn't get to your question and it's still outstanding, after the webinar, please submit it to the email address that you see there on the screen. Thank you very much for your participation, everyone, and enjoy the rest of your day.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is meant by projects that have a national or broader relevance?
Adaptation work supported through this call for proposals may be done regionally and locally but it’s important that others are able to learn from those experiences to help accelerate their own adaptation activities. The Program is looking for outcomes from individual projects to have impact by way of guidance or insights that can be shared across regions, even if the impacts of climate change differ geographically.
Can funding be provided to support municipal or community projects?
Municipalities and communities are eligible for funding. Projects must align with the topics in the Call for Proposals and as noted in Q1, include activities to share the results findings and lessons with other communities. The program will not fund projects that seek to develop local risk assessments and adaptation plans.
Will NRCan fund existing or ongoing projects?
A new component that builds on existing or previous work can be funded if it meets all criteria, including 40% of the budget for the new work coming from non-federal funding sources. NRCan will contribute funding based on the criteria set out in the Applicant Guide, including alignment with the described topics and sub-topics.
Can I discuss my project idea with NRCan staff before submitting a proposal?
Unfortunately, we do not have capacity to discuss project ideas or provide specific advice to all interested applicants ahead of submitting a proposal, or in the case of the non-competitive process for Indigenous-led Projects, ahead of submitting a Letter of Intent. We can however answer questions to help clarify the information in the Applicant Guide and questions about the Application Form, the Budget Template, and Letter of Intent Template.
What is the likelihood of any one proposal being funded?
In previous iterations of Climate Change Adaptation Call for Proposals, approximately 1 in 3 proposals were funded. The ‘success rate’ for projects submitted through the competitive process will depend on the number of applications received. As the non-competitive process for Indigenous-led Projects is new to this program, we are unable to provide any indication of the likelihood of funding for applicants that submit a Letter of Intent through this process.
Is there a maximum amount of project funding that an applicant could receive through this call for proposals?
There is no maximum amount set by the Program. The funding available for each topic is limited as indicated in Annex 1 of the Applicant Guide, and we intend to fund several projects under each topic.
Will NRCan fund capital investments or equipment through this call for proposals?
NRCan will not fund any capital expenditures through this call for proposals, which includes any items that have value after the project is completed (e.g., office furniture, facility and technical equipment, land, buildings). Laptops and desktop computers, or other material goods that are used within the lifetime of the project, may be approved on a case-by-case basis. See Section 3.3 of the Call for Proposal Applicant Guide for more information on eligible expenditures.
Is there consideration within the Program to distribute funding geographically across Canada to different regions and provinces?
Final decisions on funded projects will consider the need for work to be done across the many regions of Canada as well as across the priority topic areas set out in the Applicant Guide. All funded projects will also need to meet all of the stated funding criteria.
What will the reporting requirements be for approved projects?
Once a project is approved, the lead organization would enter into a contribution agreement with the government of Canada that outlines the obligations of both with respect to the contribution, including the reporting requirements. Typically, reporting is done either quarterly or semi-annually and involves progress reporting, financial reporting, and an annual report. Specifics will be outlined in each contribution agreement.
Can we include the costs of writing the progress reports in the budgets?
Delivering progress and final reports is essential to the ability of the Climate Change Adaptation Program to demonstrate its value and will be required for all projects and outlined in Contribution Agreements. The time taken to report on progress and outcomes of the projects should be considered a necessary part of the delivery of the project and can be included in the project budget.
Will NRCan be issuing any further calls for proposals for the Climate Change Adaptation Program over the next three years?
No future calls for proposals through the Climate Change Adaptation Program are anticipated at this time. A related program also administered through NRCan’s Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Division is expected to be launched in fall 2023 about Climate Resilient Coastal Communities. The information will be made available on the NRCan webpage.
Where can I learn more about other Government of Canada funding opportunities for work on adaptation?
Do other sources of funding (cash and/or in-kind) need to be confirmed at the time that the application is submitted?
We require that any declaration of sources of project funding (cash and/or in-kind) other than from the Government of Canada be accompanied by letters of support from the intended contributor. If, at the time of submitting your application, the confirmation of the financial or in-kind contribution is “pending”, you can include an explanation in your application form, or in the appropriate letter of support, and it will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Applications with confirmed funding will be considered more favourably, but we understand there are exceptional circumstances.
Can other sources of funding include provincial, territorial, or federal funding?
The Government of Canada, including NRCan and any other department, will provide a maximum of 60% of the project budget. Cash or in-kind contributions from provincial or territorial governments are eligible to be considered as part of the 40% requirement for other funding sources.
Does NRCan favour cash contributions over in-kind contributions for meeting the minimum requirements for other funding sources?
No, while cash contributions are encouraged, a project may meet the requirement for other sources of funding entirely through in-kind contributions.
Would the value of data count as eligible in-kind financial contribution?
No, the value of data used or collected for the project cannot be counted as an in-kind contribution. In-kind contributions need to be contributions to the execution of the proposed project.
Can several individual projects be submitted under one application?
No, several individual projects cannot be combined and submitted as one application. Each project must have a separate proposal submitted. If applicable, one project can include several components, but distinct projects each require their own application.
Our project idea spans several different topics and sub-topics. What should we indicate on the application form?
Please submit your proposal under the topic that best aligns with your proposal.
Can applicants submit more than one application within a single topic?
Yes, applicants can submit more than one application in a single topic or can submit different projects across multiple topics.
If we have an Indigenous organization listed as a partner in the application, should we apply under the competitive or non-competitive process?
Projects submitted through the non-competitive process must be led by eligible Indigenous applicants.
Can Indigenous applicants apply through the competitive process?
Indigenous applicants can decide to apply for funding through either the competitive or non-competitive process. In either case, they can receive 100% funding from NRCan. Please note that even though there is no requirement for Indigenous applicants to include other sources of funding, collaboration and partnerships are still an important criterion for all projects.
What kinds of projects are eligible for the non-competitive process?
The non-competitive process was designed specifically for Indigenous-led projects to reduce barriers for accessing adaptation funding. To be considered, projects will need align with the Climate Change Adaptation Program’s objectives, topics and review criteria, which are the same across the competitive and non-competitive processes. If you’re interested in the non-competitive process, please email us and we will send you a Letter of Intent template to fill out and the Applicant Guide specific to the non-competitive process.
Is there an application deadline for the non-competitive process for Indigenous-led projects?
No, there is no fixed deadline, however funding is limited and will be allocated on a “first-come-first-serve basis”. We will start reviewing the received Letters of Intent on August 14th and will have follow-up discussions with applicants to evaluate those that should proceed to complete a full proposal.
Can Indigenous-led projects that don’t receive funding through this call be redirected to other funding sources?
Where projects don’t meet the Program criteria, and after the envelope for this non-competitive process has been fully allocated, we will help applicants as best we can to find other programs across the federal government that may be able to support their projects. A listing of Indigenous climate and environmental funding is also available on this website hosted by Environment and Climate Change Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/indigenous-partnership/funding.html
What is the benefit of applying through the non-competitive process vs. the competitive process?
The non-competitive process is designed to help Indigenous applicants who may have lower capacity to complete the full application form required for the competitive process. The Climate Change Adaptation Program team will provide feedback about the eligibility and alignment of the project following review of submitted Letters of Intent and, if applicable, support the development of a full proposal. For those invited to complete a full proposal, there is no fixed deadline, however funds cannot be released until full proposals are completed and subsequent contribution agreements signed.
Is there a minimum or maximum amount eligible for Indigenous-led projects applying through the non-competitive process?
There is no minimum or maximum funding per project under the non-competitive process, per annum or in total. However, there is up to $2 million in funding available for the entire process and NRCan is looking to fund multiple Indigenous-led projects through this process.
How will non-competitive projects be selected?
The same evaluation criteria as the competitive process will be applied to non-competitive applications. Feedback will be provided to Indigenous applicants about project ideas based on submitted Letters of Intent. In cases where small changes could be made to the project to make it fully eligible for funding, these will be discussed with applicants on a case by case basis.
Project scope and eligibility
NRCan funding and eligible expenditures
Other sources of funding
Application process
Indigenous-led projects
Need help? Contact us
If you have any questions about this Call for Proposals, please contact us at adaptation@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
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