Indigenous Food Systems and Agriculture Skills & Training Program
ISAT Closed for 2025/26
All funding decisions have now been made, and program funding has been committed.
IAF encourages applicants to explore similar opportunities such as the New Relationship Trust’s Food Security Grant, which support Indigenous sustainable food initiatives, or their Nation Building Grant, which focuses on projects that strengthen BC First Nations governance, culture, and community.
Supporting Indigenous Nations, communities, businesses, and organizations to increase Indigenous participation in agriculture, seafood, food processing and related community economic development initiatives.
The Indigenous Food Systems and Agriculture Skills and Training Program (ISAT) is a multi-year program under the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative (AWDI).
AWDI is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement. The initiative is a $15M fund designed to support BC’s agriculture industry to provide a stable and increasing food supply through targeted efforts to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce to meet the labour needs of the industry. AWDI is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF).
Sign up for Indigenous Food Security and Agricultural Programming Updates
Program Overview
The ISAT program supports Indigenous Nations, communities, businesses, and organizations in increasing Indigenous participation in agriculture, seafood, food processing and related community economic development initiatives.
The program does so by addressing labour capacity and workforce challenges within the food, seafood and agriculture sectors. ISAT funds activities involved in training and skills development, peer-to-peer learning, and revitalization of cultural and economic food harvesting and production practices.
The program provides up to $80,000 of funding per project. Program funding is available to successful applicants for projects beginning on or after January 1, 2025. Projects can be up to 12 months in duration and must complete no later than January 31, 2026.
Program Objectives
- Increased capacity for Indigenous participation, leadership, and Indigenous-led training and extension services in the agriculture and food sector and community economic development initiatives.
- Improved awareness, applicability, access to and outcomes of applied skills development and training programs and/or curriculum for the food and agriculture sector.
Program Goal
The goal of the Indigenous Food Systems and Agriculture Skills and Training Program is to support Indigenous People’s food systems and agriculture-related endeavors through increased capacity.
Approach
Applications for funding will open on November 1, 2024. All applications will be received online through the IAF Client Portal and applicants will be able to apply for non-repayable funding of $25,000-$80,000 towards eligible projects and activities.
Eligibility
ISAT supports Indigenous Nations, communities, businesses, and organizations in increasing Indigenous participation in agriculture, seafood, food processing and related community economic development initiatives.
Eligible Applicants
To be considered eligible for this program, an applicant must be in the Province of British Columbia, and must be:
- an Indigenous government, community, or Indigenous-led organization (including a band or tribal council, government of a self-governing First Nation or Métis Nation Chartered Community, Society or Association, economic development corporation, not-for-profit other Indigenous organization¹, or association); or
- an Indigenous business² or entrepreneur³ engaged in food production and/or processing with a minimum of 2 years in operation (including a for-profit or social enterprise, cooperative or institution, or other Indigenous business, partnership or joint venture).
¹ An Indigenous led not-for-profit is defined as a not-for-profit organization where Indigenous persons have at least 51% decision-making power.
² An Indigenous business is defined as a business where an Indigenous person(s) has/have at least 51% ownership and control of the business.
³ Indigenous entrepreneurs are defined as independent business owners, including sole proprietors and limited companies and partnerships owned by, or where the majority of shares are held by, an individual or family members, resident in the Province of British Columbia.
Guiding Principles for Projects
Proposed projects should align with the following principles:
- Build labour market capacity and identify innovative approaches.
- Engage employers, communities, service providers and clients in driving new/improved employment practices.
- Have potential for broader application, such as informing/influencing future program/policy development or for projects in other areas/regions to learn from (demonstration purposes).
- Include a sound research model and project evaluation.
- Not establish a need for ongoing government funding after project completion.
Funding Amounts
ISAT will accept applications for funding from $25,000-$80,000. Funding is non-repayable and there is no minimum cost-share requirement for this program.
Eligible Activities/Expenses
This program funds activities involved in training and skills development, peer-to-peer learning, and knowledge-sharing to support the revitalization of cultural and economic food harvesting and production practices.
Eligible project activities and expenditures include:
- Skills and training programs to increase Indigenous participation in agriculture, seafood, food processing and related community economic development initiatives.
- Identify need for and/or develop Indigenous-specific and led training, skills development and/or peer-to-peer learning programs and/or curriculum.
- Projects that support the revitalization of cultural and economic food harvesting and production processing practices through training, knowledge transfer and/or peer-to-peer learning.
- Revitalizing traditional production methods and knowledge, such as:
- Food harvesting,
- Food preservation, and.
- The production of culturally appropriate foods
Ineligible Activities/Expenses
The following activities and expenses are not eligible for funding:
- Costs incurred prior to January 1, 2025 (no retroactive costs will be considered).
- Applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements of the program.
- Any costs not specifically required for the execution of the project.
Applying to the Program
High demand is expected for ISAT. We encourage you to submit a completed application(s) as soon as possible. Applying is not a guarantee of funding.
Applications will be reviewed and adjudicated on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are fully committed.
Funding decisions will be provided within 8 weeks of complete application submission.
In 2025 project timelines were extended to Jan 31, 2027, previously 2026.
Important Program Dates
Applications Open
Application Close
Project Start
Project Completion
Accessing the IAF Client Portal
To apply to the program, you must first create an IAF Client Portal account and register your organization by navigating to the IAF Client Portal and selecting “Create an account now.”
If you have previously applied to an IAF-delivered program you can skip this step – you’re already registered!
Sign Up & Register
Starting your ISAT Application
To find the application navigate to the ‘Opportunities‘ tab in the IAF Client Portal and select ISAT.
Review and Adjudication
After the applications have closed, IAF will review all applications and make recommendations for funding decisions.
Notifications & Obligations
Funding Notifications & Contracts
Notification will be provided via email and on the IAF Client Portal within six weeks of a complete application submission.
If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions. The applicant then enters into an agreement with IAF which outlines the obligations of each party.
Funding is project-specific and must be used for the approved project and related expenses. Funds are non-transferable.
Project activities requiring financial resources cannot commence until the contribution agreement has been signed by both the applicant and IAF. If you are not able to complete your project according to the approved project details, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible.
Reporting Requirements
Program participants are required to submit progress and financial reporting to IAF. Progress and financial reporting will be made available to the Province. Reporting and supporting materials will be uploaded through IAF’s Client Portal.
Reporting will be based on the following performance measures (where applicable):
- # of programs/training events completed
- # of participants
- # of Indigenous trainers, experts, knowledge holders engaged in training
- # of peer-to-peer knowledge transfer events
- type of knowledge transfer tools/materials developed and shared
- Reach of knowledge transfer events/tools/materials
- Feedback surveys and/or qualitative information on project impacts
Funding Acknowledgement
This program is funded by the Government of BC, therefore; acknowledgment of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgments, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Materials must be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.
Changes to Contracted Projects
If you are not able to complete your project or require a change, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible using the IAF Client Portal.
Evaluation Criteria
| Criteria | Consideration for Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Program Alignment | Does the project align with the program goal and objectives? |
| Applicant Eligibility | Is the applicant eligible to apply for funding? |
| Project Eligibility | Are all project activities and expenses eligible for funding? |
| Project Alignment | Does the project align with the guiding principles for this program? |
| Project Benefits | What is the expected scope and reach of the project benefits? |
| Sustainability of Benefits | Are project benefits sustainable and will they extend beyond project funding? |
| Key Performance Indicators | How will the project capture and report on performance measures? |
| Project Plan | Are the project objectives realistic within the project’s timeline and budget? |
| Applicant Resources/Capacity | Does the applicant have sufficient human resources (internal, partners, consultant) to undertake the project? |
Resources
Funding provided by
This program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.