Recognizing the Indigenous leadership central to our history and governance, along with a range of achievements by First Nations and Coast Funds since our inception, the Conservation Finance Alliance featured Coast Funds as a case study in its new global report on conservation funds.

The member Nations of Na̲nwak̲olas Council have been enhancing their research capabilities to best manage and steward their territories, which include the diverse habitats of grizzly bears. Part of that work involves investing in and developing a research partnership with the BearID Project, a project that is developing bear facial recognition software.

Coast Funds, along with a group of investors representing approximately $1.1 trillion in assets under management, congratulated the B.C. Government on its passage of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, an important first step in recognizing Indigenous Rights and strengthening the path to self-determination.

The Director, Partnership Development will work in service of First Nations governments who are undertaking efforts to increase their access to sustainable, self-determined finance for stewardship authorities and economic development projects with Coast Funds.

Tlowitsis First Nation publishes report highlighting important archeological sites throughout their territories. The work deepens cultural understanding and ensures protection of these places from human and natural disturbances.  

A recent McKinsey & Company report examines the significant benefits of protecting our natural world. Coast Funds contributed a case study to the report which explores one of the first “large-scale, multi-party Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiatives”—the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements.

Great Bear Scallops, owned-and-operated by Metlakatla Nation, recently received the 2020 Sustainability Award from BC Food and Beverage. The award was given in recognition of the company’s leadership in sustainability and contributions to helping the environment.

Watch a new video that highlights the outcomes of five years of marine plan implementation by First Nations on the North Pacific Coast, in partnership with the Province of BC.

Coastal First Nations (CFN) has announced a new Guardian Watchmen Strategic Plan that outlines the shared goals and objectives of CFN Guardian programs and presents eight Strategic Priorities to sustain and enhance their work into the future.

Xwémalhkwu Nation has acquired a building at a remote camp near Bute Inlet, an important first step in re-establishing the Nation’s roots in its traditional territory.

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network recently aired a feature story on APTN National News about Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation’s Klemtu Hydropower facility – one of the two Indigenous-owned clean energy projects funded in part through the first round of funding made available under the Renewable Energy for Remote Communities Program.

A new guide by the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative outlines how Indigenous trustees and other investors can ensure that their investments align with their community’s values and long-term vision.

Coast Funds, Dzawada̱ʼenux̱w First Nation, Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation, and the Province of British Columbia announced over $25 million in new First Nations’ investments to transition coastal communities from dependence on fossil fuel-powered electricity to sustainable, locally powered renewable energy systems, eliminating over 175,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

News Release: The Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation (KHFN) has purchased Pierre’s at Echo Bay Lodge & Marina, located on Gilford Island in the beautiful Broughton Archipelago and in the heart of KHFN’s traditional territory.

A new article by CBC Unreserved highlights how growing concern about the fate of Western Red Cedars has prompted First Nations in northeastern Vancouver Island to develop new policies to help protect them for future generations.

A new interactive educational resource that connects children across Canada to the value of the ocean and the blue economy highlights the traditional ocean harvesting practices and technologies of coastal B.C. First Nations, including the history and significance of oolichan harvesting by the Nisg̱a’a Nation throughout history.

Haíɫhzaqv Elder and Knowledge Keeper Hilistis Pauline Waterfall shares her personal story of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explains why living through the current health crisis is a familiar experience to many First Nations Peoples.

The Haida Gwaii Management Council—a joint decision-making body that includes equal representation from the Haida Nation and the Province of B.C.—has determined an Allowable Annual Cut of 804,000 cubic metres for the Haida Gwaii Management Area.

Coast Funds’ 2019 Annual Report reflects on the work that First Nations are undertaking in collaboration with Coast Funds, through new investments that further healthy and thriving communities and ecosystems throughout the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii.