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602 – 1200 West 73rd Ave
Vancouver, BC, V6P 6G5
Registered Charity Number: 77442 2281 RR0001
ISF Grant Making Programs
ISF provides grants to Indigenous communities across the province leading environmental protection and restoration projects. Our funding is delivered through two main streams: the Salmon Resiliency Grant Program and the Climate Emergency Grant Program.
45
Indigenous-led environmental projects funded by ISF to date
$2,684,243
Funding provided to support First Nations environmental leadership
Salmon Resiliency Grant Program
British Columbia is home to 25% of the Pacific’s wild salmon, a keystone species that supports more than 130 other species, from bears and orcas to eagles and entire forest ecosystems. For generations, First Nations across the province (and around the world) have faced unpredictable salmon returns and severe declines in fish stocks. Today, more than 70% of salmon populations are below their long-term average, putting ecosystems, cultures and food systems at risk.
Despite these challenges, Indigenous peoples continue to uphold their responsibility to protect, restore, and steward aquatic ecosystems for the wellbeing of future generations. The Salmon Resiliency Grant Program strengthens this leadership by supporting Indigenous-led salmon and watershed conservation across BC through one-year and multi-year grants that build capacity and advance vital habitat protection efforts.
Climate Emergency Grant Program
Recognizing the urgent and escalating environmental challenges posed by climate change on aquatic ecosystems, the Indigenous Stewardship Fund (ISF) created the Climate Emergency Grant Program to directly support First Nations as they respond to and recover from climate-driven crises.
Through this program, ISF provides rapid, flexible funding to help Indigenous communities address the impacts of wildfires, droughts, floods, atmospheric rivers, extreme temperatures and other high-impact environmental emergencies affecting their territories across British Columbia (BC). These events place immense pressure on salmon habitats, river systems and community infrastructure.
The Climate Emergency Grant Program aims to ensure that communities have the resources they need not only to recover from climate disasters, but to build greater environmental resilience for future generations.
First Nations Fisheries Legacy Fund
For more than a decade, six First Nations—Katzie, Kwantlen, Musqueam, Kwikwetlem, Tsleil-Waututh, and Tsawwassen—have been working together to safeguard the health of the Fraser River and Burrard Inlet, two of the most important and culturally significant aquatic systems in British Columbia.
Supported operationally by ISF, these Nations have formed a stewardship alliance grounded in shared values, longstanding relationships, and a united commitment to protect the lands and waters that sustain their communities from the impacts of major provincial infrastructure and transportation projects.
Together, they advance coordinated monitoring, habitat restoration and environmental oversight, collaborating to offset the ecological impacts of these large-scale developments and ensuring that critical ecosystems remain resilient for generations to come.
Fraser River 30X30 Challenge
Inspired by the United Nations global conservation commitment adopted by more than 190 countries, the Fraser River 30×30 Challenge is an initiative spearheaded by ISF and Fraser Riverkeeper to advance the protection of 30% of the Fraser River watershed by 2030.
The initiative aims to:
- Work alongside First Nations connected to the Fraser River to understand their priorities, interests and capacity needs.
- Mobilize support from corporate partners, foundations and government agencies committed to safeguarding the Fraser River.
- Help connect First Nations with the resources needed to plan, advance and implement Indigenous-led water and habitat protection projects.