Education and awareness project funding – clean transportation and clean fuels

The call for awareness and education project proposals provided an opportunity to apply for funding across various areas of focus with a single application. The objective is to support projects that address gaps in awareness, knowledge and public and industry confidence in zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) of all classes, lower-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicle options, and clean fuels.

Transitioning to net-zero

The Government of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reductions Plan outlines a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and to put us on track toward our goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

With on-road transportation accounting for about 20 percent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Canada must undertake a transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and, where necessary in the near term, lower-carbon options for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. In addition, clean fuels, such as clean hydrogen, advanced biofuels, liquid synthetic fuels and renewable natural gas will play a critical role in hard to decarbonize sectors such as industry and medium- and heavy-duty freight.

There is a lack of awareness and understanding of, and public and industry confidence in ZEVs and clean fuels, creating a barrier to adoption, which this funding opportunity aims to help overcome.

Learn more about driving toward a greener future by checking out the zero-emission vehicles information hub.

Areas of focus

NRCan is seeking to support projects that increase awareness, knowledge and understanding about the opportunities, benefits and considerations of ZEVs and clean fuels related to three areas of focus*:

^*Projects can cross multiple areas of focus.

Example project activities

• developing in-person or online education and/or awareness events, such as test drive opportunities
• developing curriculum or training material
• outreach and awareness campaigns
• creating web-based resources
• developing in-person professional training or industry-led skills training
• increasing knowledge of charging & refuelling and/or clean fuels options and technologies

Who can apply

To be considered for funding under the program, applicants must be:

• organizations and legal entities validly incorporated or registered* in Canada including not-for-profit and for-profit organizations such as:
  • electricity or gas utilities
  • private sector companies
  • industry associations
  • research associations
  • standards development organizations
  • Indigenous and community groups (if interested, please inquire about the Indigenous-led funding opportunity)*
  • Canadian academic institutions
  • provincial, territorial, regional or municipal governments or their departments or agencies, where applicable, or
• international legal entities validly incorporated or registered abroad** including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations such as:
  • private sector companies
  • industry associations
  • research associations
  • standards organizations; and,
  • academic institutions

*There is a separate funding stream available for Indigenous-led Awareness and Education Projects. The call for proposals is open for continuous intake applications until March 31, 2024. Find more information on Indigenous-led projects.

**Softwood lumber companies and those that are vertically integrated with softwood lumber companies are not eligible for funding under this opportunity.

Successful applicants and past projects

Once the call for proposals has closed, information on successful projects will be available upon signing of contribution agreements.

Explore past successful projects

News and FAQs

• Can my project have more than one area of focus?

  Yes, applicants will be asked in their application to identify their primary and secondary (if applicable) areas of focus. Please note, there is no advantage and/or disadvantage to having more than one area of focus.

• Are vehicle purchases eligible to be reimbursed by NRCan?

  No, the purchase of a vehicle is not considered an eligible expense to be reimbursed by NRCan. The vehicle purchase may be counted against Total Project Costs but must be paid for by the Proponent’s portion of contribution to the project.

• How much support could my organization receive?

  This funding will be delivered through cost-shared, non-repayable contributions for eligible projects via contribution agreements with successful applicants.

  NRCan will fund up to 50% of project costs for for-profit organizations and up to 75% of project costs for non-profit organizations, other orders of government, and Indigenous organizations or businesses.

• Can projects commence prior to signing a contribution agreement with NRCan?

  Successful applicants can start their projects upon receipt of the Letter of Conditional Approval from NRCan. However, expenses incurred prior to the signing of a contribution agreement by Canada are incurred at the Proponent’s own risk. While such expenses may be counted towards total project costs, they are not eligible for NRCan reimbursement.

• Service Standards

  Our goal is to achieve our service standards a minimum of 80% of the time under normal circumstances:

  • responding to general inquiries made to our email address within 5 business days
  • reviewing the completeness of your application and replying within 3 business days
  • assessing your application and sending you an approval or a rejection notification letter within 100 days of the call for proposal deadline
  • sending a draft contribution agreement for review within 30 business days of issuing the Letter of Conditional Approval (if applicable)
  • reviewing payment claims within 15 business days
  • sending a payment within 30 business days of receipt of a duly completed and documented payment claim

Contact us

Any questions or inquiries must be sent by email to: awareness-projects.projets-de-sensibilisation@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca