Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund (IYCFF) Information Session

Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund (IYCFF) Info Session

Hey there! Join us online for a Information Session all about the Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund (IYCFF) at Laidlaw Foundation. If you're curious about how this fund can support Indigenous youth and communities, this is the place to be! We'll walk you through the details, answer your questions, and help you get ready to fill out the grant application. Don’t miss out!

Overview of the Fund

Through the Indigenous Youth & Community Futures Fund (IYCFF), we invest in opportunities for Indigenous youth to connect with their land, languages and cultures, and each other. We want to support change-makers to engage in acts of decolonization, nation and community building and cultural resurgence.

More specifically, the IYCFF grants are for Indigenous youth to develop and lead projects where they:

• learn about and are immersed in their lands, languages, rights, laws and cultures
• participate in acts of resurgence, reclamation and cultural care
• build relationships within and across diverse Indigenous communities and nations
• address environmental racism and promote sustainable relationships with the land and water.

Eligibility

This funding call is open to Indigenous youth-led groups based in remote, rural, and urban territories across Ontario. This means the organization, project leads, and project activities must all be located within Ontario.

A youth-led group is defined as a project developed and led by at least two Indigenous young people, 35 years of age or under. We welcome the involvement of adult allies, community members, Elders, and knowledge keepers in supportive roles, as long as the project idea originates from and is led by Indigenous youth.

We are committed to inclusivity and strongly encourage applications from First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Afro-Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, and disabled young people.

Please note that Laidlaw Foundation is able to support grassroots groups. However all successful applicants who are not part of a registered nonprofit, charity, or First Nation band office must partner with an Organizational Mentor (OM) to receive funding. Laidlaw can assist unincorporated groups in finding an OM.

Types of Activities

Projects could include:

• Land-based learning opportunities and land stewardship like seed planting, community gardens, harvesting, etc.
• Environmental justice initiatives such as climate action, and Indigenous land and water protection
• Language immersion opportunities
• Culture camps or culture-based education that includes ceremonies, medicines, arts, and sciences
• Social justice, law and rights-based education
• Healing, life promotion and community building
• Other projects that communities deem important to support decolonization reconciliation, nation-building and cultural resurgence

Grant Amount

You can apply for up to $30,000 for small-scale projects that can last between 6 to 12 months. Please note that due to the number of applications we receive and the limited funds available, grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested.

If your group was a past 1-year IYCFF grantee, you may apply for a maximum of $30,000 per year for up to two years, for a maximum total of $60,000. However, first-time IYCFF applicants, or those who have not successfully completed a one-year project, may only apply for a one-year grant, with a maximum amount of up to $30,000.

To review the full guidelines click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ER6nl-2iW2385Jl_x0DxlAdbp6-fDORcBtuBMfJ0P0c/edit?usp=sharing

Artwork by Amber Waboose