Funding Opportunity – Habitat Stewardship Program (Terrestrial)
October 5, 2022
Maximum Funding Amount: $25,000 to $100,000 per year (max. 5 years)
Statement of Interest (SOI) due: October 19, 2022
(please notify SBPP by Oct 12 if you intend to apply)
Now in its 24th year, the Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) through Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) provides funding for projects that contribute directly to the recovery objectives and population goals of species at risk listed in Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and prevents others from becoming a conservation concern. The overall objectives of the program are to: support habitat projects that benefit species at risk and prevent others from becoming a conservation concern, enable Canadians to become actively involved in stewardship projects for species at risk which will result in tangible and measurable conservation benefits; and improve the scientific, sociological, and economic understanding of stewardship as a conservation tool.
Proposed projects must demonstrate how they contribute directly to the recovery objectives and population goals of target species. Further, the application must contribute to one or more of the following Conserving Nature Core Responsibility expected results:
- Canada’s wildlife and habitat is conserved and protected
- Canada’s species at risk are recovered; and
- Indigenous peoples are engaged in conservation
Proposed projects must target the following species:
- Species listed on Schedule 1 of the SARA (except those listed as extirpated), and/or
- Species assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as endangered, threatened, or of special concern but have not yet been listed on Schedule 1 of the SARA.
High-Priority Species for 2023-24 are as follows:
- Bank Swallow
- Blanding’s Turtle, Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population
- Cerulean Warbler
- Eastern Foxsnake, Carolinian population
- Grasshopper Sparrow pratensis subspecies
- Kirtland’s Warbler
- Louisiana Waterthrush
- Monarch
- Piping Plover circumcinctus subspecies
- Pitcher’s Thistle
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Spiny Softshell
- Jefferson Salamander and Unisexual Ambystoma, Jefferson Salamander dependent population
- Western Chorus Frog, Great Lakes / St. Lawrence – Canadian Shield population
- Whip-poor-will
HSP project proposals may also have a higher chance of success if they:
- target multiple species and demonstrate a focus on ecosystem-based recovery initiatives
- involve collaboration among multiple partners with priority being given to projects that involve a greater number of confirmed partners
- implement high priority activities described in established recovery documents, established wildlife and/or habitat conservation plans
- mitigate the threats of climate change to the target species; and/or
- target priority sectors and/or threats as identified in the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada
Note that 1-to-1 matching funds (from non-federal sources) are required. Please provide the applicable account codes for these matching funds with your SOI.
If you are interested in applying, please inform either Max Smith (max.smith@trca.ca) or Samuel Hale (samuel.hale@trca.ca) by October 12th to facilitate a phone call with an HSP coordinator to discuss your project’s alignment.
SOIs are due no later than October 19.