Aboriginal Women's Programming

• Objectives and Eligible Activities
• Women's Community Initiative
• Family Violence Initiative
• Self-Government Initiative
• Eligible Recipients
• Eligible Expenditures
• Ineligible Expenditures
• Proposal Format

Objectives and Eligible Activities

Women's Community Initiative

The objectives of the Women's Community Initiative are:

• to influence public policy and decision-making related to concerns and aspirations of Aboriginal women at all levels of Aboriginal and Canadian government;
• to maintain the cultural distinctiveness and preserve the cultural identity of Aboriginal women;
• to enhance and develop strong leadership capabilities, individual and collective skills and talents, so that Aboriginal women can play a central role in their own communities as well as participate effectively in Canadian society; and
• to undertake projects to improve the social and economic conditions of their community.

Women's Community Initiative activities must be community-based, culturally relevant, and address one or more of the following issues. (Please note, the following are examples and not an exhaustive list)

• organizational/Skill Development and Capacity Building
• rebuilding Cultural Strength
• political Awareness and Representation
• policy and Legislative Change
• youth and Family Concerns
• economic Development and Independence

Family Violence Initiative

The objectives of the Family Violence Initiative are:

• to examine and address issues of violence in immediate and extended Aboriginal families; and
• to research and develop holistic and culturally-appropriate responses to family violence.

Family Violence Initiative activities must focus on one or more of the following specific issues:

• expanding the information base on family violence in Aboriginal communities
• examining innovative, holistic, and traditional healing methods
• developing community and culturally-appropriate models
• assisting new communities to lay foundations and seek partners for long-term family violence initiatives
• exploring partnerships that combine holistic/culturally appropriate approaches with conventional mainstream approaches
• examining the application of new technology in addressing family violence in off-reserve communities, particularly for addressing the needs of Aboriginal youth
• developing Aboriginal leadership and expertise in the field of family violence.

Please note: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is responsible for administering funding under the Family Violence Initiative for First Nations women living on-reserve. Information for Family Violence Initiative funding for First Nations can be found at: Family Violence Prevention Program for First Nations.

Self-Government Initiative

The objectives of the Self-Government Initiative are:

• to develop Aboriginal women's positions, strategies and research on Aboriginal self-government;
• to participate and partner with other Aboriginal and women's groups/organizations as well as Aboriginal governments on self-government initiatives; and
• to communicate with and inform Aboriginal women on this very critical issue affecting their lives and those of their children and families.

Self-Government Initiative activities must focus on one or more of the following specific issues:

• fostering the involvement of Aboriginal women in existing and new women's organizations both on boards and as members to address self-government issues;
• supporting the full participation and partnering of Aboriginal women's groups and organizations with Aboriginal organizations and governments in negotiating and implementing self-government;
• developing Aboriginal women as community leaders and volunteers in the field of self-government;
• creating community and information networks on the issue of self-government; and
• developing/strengthening communications links, which will enable Aboriginal women and their organizations to interact with the local Aboriginal community or government on self-government initiatives.

Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients include not-for-profit, autonomous Aboriginal women controlled:

• organizations;
• independent community groups; and
• ad-hoc committees.

Please note, the following are not eligible to apply for funding:

• individuals;
• non-Aboriginal organizations.
• for-profit organizations;
• federal departments and agencies; and
• provincial/territorial and municipal governments and their agencies.

Eligible Expenditures

Subject to ministerial approval eligible expenditures must be directly related to the project activities and may include:

• salaries^[1] and employee benefits, identifying the position and rate of pay for each
• travel within Canada^[2]
• training for employees and volunteers
• meeting expenses
• equipment rental/service/purchase
• honoraria
• professional/consulting/Elder fees
• issue specific newsletters
• translation of specific materials produced as part of project
• administration (see below)

Administrative costs will not exceed 15 percent of the total approved funding. Administrative costs at the project level may include:

• bookkeeping services
• office supplies
• insurance
• telephone, fax
• utilities
• postage, courier
• photocopying/printing
• rent for office space
• audit
• legal
• translation

Ineligible Expenditures

Ineligible expenditures are:

• capital construction and renovation
• stipends, allowances or honoraria for attendance in a course/activity
• costs incurred before the application is made
• salaries and honoraria for a principal officer or Board members
• regular annual general, executive or board meetings of an organization or association
• start-up and operation costs for institutions, training centres, commercial enterprises, and support for the development of cultural/professional industries
• on-going organizational newsletters
• contingency/miscellaneous fees
• deficit recovery

Proposal Format

In addition to submitting the information required in the General Application Form, in preparing your proposal it is required that you provide information to address each of the following points:

Need

The proposal must include information on:

• the target population;
• why this project is needed; and
• community consultations.

Objectives

The proposal must demonstrate how the project will help towards achieving one or more of the objectives of the Women's Community Initiative and/or the objectives of the Family Violence or Self-Government Initiatives.

Activities

The proposal must:

• describe the activity/activities to be funded, i.e., what will take place;
• clearly link each activity to the Women's Community Initiative, Family Violence Initiative and/or Self-Government Initiative objective(s) that it addresses;
• describe how the proposed activity/activities meet the needs;
• include a proposed timetable/schedule showing when each activity would take place; and
• identify the staff position(s) that will carry out the project, e.g., full-time project coordinator and part-time cultural worker.

Expected Results

The proposal must describe the expected results of the proposed activity/ activities, i.e., who is expected to benefit and how, and how these results relate to the project objectives.

The expected results should include:

• quantitative results related to the project, e.g., number of workshops, number of participants, etc.; and
• qualitative results that describe the impact of the project, e.g., as a result of the workshop, the participants gained knowledge/awareness/capacity in XYZ, etc.

Budget

The proposal must include:

• a detailed budget and a signed, authorized monthly cashflow that clearly links to the proposed activity/activities, and that provides a breakdown of administrative costs;
• budget notes that show how amounts were calculated;
• information on any other funds requested for the proposed activity/activities, including the source of funds, and how they are to be applied against the budget;
• an estimate of the total revenue of the project for the fiscal year in question, including the funding sources; and
• details on how any equipment costing $1,000 or more will be used or disposed of when the project is over.

Partnerships

The proposal must identify any organizations and institutions that will be involved in the project and clearly identify the role that they will play in the project.

Reporting

The proposal must commit to providing timely activity, evaluation, and financial reports and other related information, as requested by the Department. For detailed reporting requirements, please refer to the "Aboriginal Women's Programming Element Community Project Reporting Guide".

Support

The proposal must include the following:

• letters of support from the community to be served; and
• the name(s) of any organization(s) with which the applicant organization is affiliated.

Recognition

The applicant must describe how the APP contribution will be recognized in a way that ensures that both the participants and, to the fullest extent possible, the community are aware of the support provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Notes

• ^[1] Each position covered by salaries must be identified along with the amount paid to each.
• ^[2] In the case of employee travel, the rate of reimbursement may not exceed Treasury Board Guidelines on travel expenses as found at : Travel