Support your community through the pandemic with an ONLINE project!
What is the #IndigenousYouthRise: COVID-19 Support Fund?
The #IndigenousYouthRise: COVID-19 Support Fund provides Indigenous youth in Canada ages 13 to 30 with funding up to $500 so that they can start a project to support Indigenous youth or community through the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many different ONLINE projects that you can organize for your community like:
Art-based workshops & gatherings (beading, drumming, painting, weaving, carving, poetry, music, etc.)
Online concerts, talent shows or performances
Educational webinars (medicines, mental health, cultural teachings, language, Indigenous
Youth perspectives, etc.)
Storytelling, video projects or podcasts
Care packages
Online community games, challenges & contests (social media, charades, scavenger hunts,
IQ games, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, jigging, powwow, virtual sports, etc.)
Indigenous youth advocacy (roundtables on specific issues, panel discussions, etc.)
Skill and knowledge development training or courses (leadership, mental health training, masterclasses, etc.)
What if I’m under the age of 20?
Youth under the age of 20 will need a helper who is over the age of 20 (parent, relation or community member) that you will share responsibility with for:
Making sure the money is spent correctly
Providing proof the event happened
Submitting a project summary
What if I’m 20 years or older?
If you are 20 or older we do not require you to have a helper, however you will be responsible for:
1. Making sure the money is spent correctly
2. Providing proof the event happened
3. Submitting a project summary
#IndigenousYouthRise: COVID-19 Support Fund Guidelines
Projects need to be Indigenous youth-led, start to finish!
Projects must be done online/take place virtually
All local, provincial/territorial and federal public health policies must be obeyed – be safe!
Projects can’t just be for individuals – they must support groups of youth (or even the whole community) to come together or support mental health in some way.
Individuals / Schools / Communities / Groups can apply for ONE grant at a time.
Once you finish your project, you are welcome to apply again for a new project. (or you can apply to do your original project again!)
You don’t need a non-profit number or anything special to apply - you just need show us you’re able to lead the project.
If your project has been approved, you will need to: sign an agreement & waiver with We Matter, have at least one phone call with We Matter, and complete a short project summary to share how things went after the project is finished.
We’re open to what you need. If you’d like to answer the application questions through a video, or over the phone, we can arrange that. Let us know how we can support you!
Eligible and Ineligible Expenses
Any cost that is directly a part of the project:
Project materials needed, such as: beads, art supplies, wood, traditional materials, etc.
Gifts and offerings for elders and cultural knowledge holders
Care package items (essential items, traditional items, self-care items, etc.)
Honorariums for people who are sharing their skills and expertise like elders, presenters, trainers, and traditional knowledge holders (hunters, craftspeople)
Promotion and advertising of the project
Small door prizes and other incentives for youth and participants, such as swag items, gift or grocery cards
Video conference subscriptions costs for trainings and knowledge development
What is not eligible for my project?
Purchase of alcohol, marijuana and other illicit substances
Accommodation and lodging, such as hotels for presenters and attendees
Costs associated with in-person gatherings (like transportation and venues)
Political projects or religious projects (note: we don’t consider Indigenous ceremonies to be “religious”)
Scholarships
Ongoing projects, or a project that already took place
Purchase of desktops, laptops, video cameras, etc.
Debt repayment of any type
Salaries or wages for staff or admin work
Creating Your Budget
When creating your budget, it helps to categorize your expenses into two groups: Project
Supplies & Honorariums. Be sure to talk with your resource people about what you want them to do, their boundaries, capabilities and what supplies they will need. Some other things to think about are project promotion, how many people will be participating, participants internet connection and which video conferencing service will be used.
Application Review
Our goal is to approve as many complete project applications as we can. Applications will be
processed and reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be reviewed by our Selection Team which will be made up of 2 We Matter team members and 2 Indigenous youth. They will make decisions based on who submitted first, as well as things like the needs of the community, or the amount of youth that can take part. We are hoping for a diversity of applications, and aim to approve projects that support different regions, remote and urban areas, mixed identities, youth of different abilities, two-spirit and LGBTQ+ youth!
Project Summary
Once your project is finished, you will need to have a phone call with We Matter and also send us a project summary of how it went within one week after the project has concluded. Your summary will include: proof that the event happened by submitting photos and video footage (if possible) and some highlights of how everything went. The final summary can be done in writing, through a video, or other artistic means. We Matter would also like to showcase your project on our website and on social media, so we can share with the world all the fantastic things you did! Because, you are amazing. *2-4 weeks for application processing/review once application is submitted*