Annual conservation funding is available for Participating First Nation organizations that seek operational funding each year to support a stewardship office or guardian watchman program. If you are seeking funding for a specific conservation project (e.g. research or training), please refer to the Conservation Project funding application process.

Purpose and Goals

The conservation fund is a permanent endowment fund that supports eligible programs and projects focused on sustaining or enhancing the ecological integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii (the Project Area). Its goals include supporting and enhancing First Nations’:

• Application of traditional ecological and cultural knowledge to the management of ecosystems, protected areas, lands, and resources in the Project Area;
• Participation in the management of protected areas and ecosystems within the Project Area;
• Science, research and monitoring of ecosystem function and processes;
• Collaborative efforts that sustain and enhance the biodiversity, productive capacity and resilience of ecosystems in the Project Area to ensure the sustainability of cultural and traditional resources, such as fish, wildlife, and cedar in perpetuity; and
• Maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of habitats and ecosystem productivity in protected areas to ensure populations of migratory birds are maintained or enhanced, species at risk or of special concern are stabilized and enhanced where possible, and productive riparian areas are maintained and restored; and
• Capacity to maintain a permanent base of jobs – seasonal or full time – to support conservation planning, research, monitoring and interpretation.

Before You Apply

Prior to developing an application, please ensure the project and your organization are eligible for funding. If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please do not hesitate to contact Raine Playfair, Stewardship and Governance Specialist at raine@coastfunds.ca or 604-684-0223 ext. 1.

Submitting a Complete Funding Application

In order for a project to be considered for review, a fully completed funding application must be received that includes the following attachments:

• Funding application form
• Annual operating plan with a detailed annual budget
• Current financial statements
• Strategic plan (if available)
• Council and/or Board resolution of support

> Download an Application Form to get started

If you have applied in a previous year, please contact us and we will setup your application.

Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7 or higher is required to use Coast Funds forms. Adobe Acrobat is free software. If using macOS, you will need to specifically open the form in Adobe Acrobat Reader – do not use Apple Preview or you may corrupt your application.

Application Deadlines

There are four rounds of funding each year. Please see Apply for all application deadline dates this year. Complete funding applications, with all supporting documents, must be received on or prior to these deadlines to be considered in that round.

Funding Decisions

Once an application is complete, it will be reviewed by Coast Funds’ Project Review Committee and/or the full Board for decision. Committee and/or Board approval is required for all applications.

Project Reporting for Approved Projects

Once approved, Coast Funds works with recipients to monitor progress and issue payments following approval of progress reports.  Reports should be provided in Coast Funds’ specified Adobe Acrobat PDF format – see a sample final report template available for download at the bottom of this section. The sample report PDF is for reference only; we will provide you with reports that are pre-populated with your approved work plan to make reporting as seamless as possible for you.

For all approved projects, recipients are required to provide a final report following completion of the project that provides:

• Community well-being outcomes achieved for the year funds were provided;
• Confirmation that approved work plan activities were completed;
• Financial information (produced from an accounting system) that accounts for all funding contributions and expenditures occurring within the year funds were provided;
• Management plans, research, reports, or other key documents that were produced during the year; and
• Digital photos of field research, guardian watchman activities, and other conservation projects that occurred during the year.

> View a template for Coast Funds’ Final Report (sample only)

If you are seeking to file a final report for a funded project,
please contact us and we will prepare your report for you.

Contact Us

For all applicants seeking advice on submitting a funding application, and for recipients with an active, funded project who are seeking to submit a progress or final report, please contact:

Raine Playfair
Project and Governance Specialist
raine@coastfunds.ca
604-684- 0223 ext 1