Indigenous Tourism BC in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada and the Aboriginal Financial Institutions in BC are delivering a $5 million dollar Tourism and Hospitality Fund through the Indigenous Community Business Fund.
This fund will provide non-repayable grant contributions of up to $250,000 per community to First Nation and Inuit community-owned and Métis collectively owned businesses and microbusinesses in response to the economic impacts of COVID-19 over the period April to August 2020.
Inuit and Metis communities and collectives can access funding to support their community-owned businesses whose revenues have been affected by COVID-19. This fund prioritizes Indigenous community-owned businesses who were not eligible for other government relief measures or who can demonstrate additional need. It is intended to relieve financial pressure and allow these businesses and microbusinesses to strengthen operations and support their viability during the pandemic, with the goal of positioning them for recovery.
Funding will be proposal-based. Applications must be submitted by the community or collectives on behalf of the business. Funding will be transferred directly to communities and collectives. For First Nations and Inuit community-owned businesses, the funding will be administered by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) regional offices. For Métis collectively-owned businesses, funding will be administered by delivery partners.
Your community or collectives are eligible if the business:
A First Nation, Inuit or Métis community or collective may apply for funding for 1 or more community-owned businesses.
You will receive an acknowledgement notification within 2 business days of submitting an
application.
Other documents could be requested from the applicant if needed. If you have been in operation for less than 1 year, please provide interim financial statements.
There are no submission deadlines. Applications for funding are accepted on an ongoing basis until all funding has been allocated.
Non-repayable contributions where business revenues have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will be considered for these reasonable operating costs:
Costs not eligible for non-repayable contributions include:
Indigenous Tourism BC is working with the following Aboriginal Financial Institutions for the delivery of this fund:
Applications will be triaged for review by one of the Aboriginal Financial Institutions in the order they are received. They will be screened by one of the Aboriginal Financial Institutions for eligibility, using the criteria above, before proceeding to an assessment to determine the amount of eligible funding.
Decisions will be shared with applicants as they become available. Applicants who are unable to clearly demonstrate that they meet all recipient and cost eligibility requirements will be declined.
At any time during the intake and assessment process, Indigenous Tourism BC or Aboriginal Financial Institution may contact the applicant for additional information, including missing or incomplete documentation. Delays in responding to requests for additional information within 5 business days may result in a delayed or declined decision.
All proprietary data, commercially sensitive information and potentially valuable results or ideas will be protected from unauthorized, inadvertent or untimely disclosure. Beyond the parties already mentioned above, confidential commercial information will not be shared without the applicant’s consent.
Recipients will be required to submit periodic project reports and annual financial statements. Project reports will provide details on results and completion of deliverables.
Please contact the Indigenous Tourism BC office if you have any questions about the application.
Gail Joe
Phone: (604) 505-7762
Email: [email protected]
For more information about the Indigenous Community Business Fund, you can visit the Indigenous Services Canada website.
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