General Eligibility

All NAFC-member Friendship Centres and Provincial / Territorial Associations are eligible to apply for the IRP.

For other urban Indigenous Social Purpose Organizations, the organization must demonstrate that:

• It is a not-for-profit social purpose organization.
  • A social purpose organization (SPO) is an organization that is not centred on monetary profit and is advancing a social, cultural or environmental mission. A SPO can be a charity, non-profit, social enterprise, or co-operative. For the purposes of the IRP, the NAFC considers all NAFC-member FCs and PTAs to be social purpose organizations.
• It is an organization that provides services primarily to urban Indigenous peoples which is defined as:
  • First Nation, Inuit and Métis people living in small, medium and large communities, including rural, isolated and remote communities, which are: off-reserve; outside of their home community, community of origin or settlement; or outside of **Inuit Nunangat (**Inuit Homelands).
  • With regards to services, the organization can address a number of community needs including but not limited to:
    • Health Services
    • Community / Social Services
    • Housing
    • Cultural / Spiritual Services and Revitalization
    • Youth Services and Programming
    • Creative Arts
  • The organization is an Indigenous led organization, with significant Indigenous representation among its leadership and employees, this can be demonstrated by:
    • Having significant Indigenous representation on the board of directors / leadership of the organization and by having significant Indigenous representation among the employees of the organization.
    • Showcasing how the organization was created by and for urban Indigenous communities.
    • Providing details on the mission, vision and population served by the organization.

All applicant organizations must demonstrate that:

• They have, or intend to operate, a mechanism that generates revenue from the sales of goods and/or services;
• They have, or plan to build, capacity and expertise to carry out the proposed project for which they are applying;
• That the proposed project will assist the organization in fulfilling their respective missions;
• That the proposed project will address a community need, contribute to positive impacts in the community and contribute to the generation of collective intergenerational wealth for the community.

Organizations that received IRP funds in the past are eligible to apply for further funds by submitting an application. Previous IRP funding recipients must demonstrate milestones reached, successes and how additional funding will further advance your investment readiness goals.