Environment and Climate Change Canada: Environmental Damages Fund

Sponsor’s Website

Visit the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) website for more information on the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF).

Internal Contacts

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss this funding opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.

Deadlines

Overview

The EDF is a Government of Canada program administered by ECCC. The fund receives money from fines, penalties, court orders and voluntary payments for environmental violations. This money is used to support projects that will benefit Canada’s natural environment, usually in the area where the violation occurred.

The fund invests in projects falling within four categories:

1. Restoration
2. Environmental quality improvement
3. Research and development
4. Education and awareness

The purpose of the EDF is to fund projects that restore damage to the natural environment and support wildlife conservation in a cost-effective way.

Value and Duration

Available funding varies according to the number of court awards and voluntary contributions directed to the EDF. In its sentencing decision, the court may make recommendations about how the fund should be used, including the recipient, location and scope of a project. This information is considered in the assessment of the fine and in the development of the Fund Use Requirements. Details on available funds and the Fund Use Requirements can be found on the EDF webpage and in the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System (GCEMS).

The Fund Use Requirements include a minimum dollar amount that the applicant must request from ECCC to be eligible. Applicants can apply for the full amount of available funding, if appropriate for the project. Some Fund Use Requirements will include both general requirements and priority considerations such as specific locations, topics or types of projects. To be eligible, applications must meet the general Fund Use Requirements for all funds being applied for. Meeting the listed priorities is not mandatory but may strengthen the application.

There is no maximum project duration; however, the average EDF project typically does not exceed five years.

Eligibility

Priority is given to projects that restore the natural environment and conserve wildlife, followed by:

• Environmental quality improvement initiatives.
• Research and development on environmental restoration and improvement.
• Education and awareness on issues affecting the health of the natural environment.

To be eligible for funding through the EDF, projects must:

• Address one or more of the four priority areas.
• Satisfy all Fund Use Requirements.
• Be scientifically sound and technically feasible.
• Be cost-effective in achieving goals, objectives and results.
• Measure results using EDF performance indicators.
• Show that the environment will benefit from the project.
• Demonstrate that the applicant possesses or has access to necessary partnership, experience, knowledge and skills required to undertake the project.
• Involve individuals and communities with local experience and knowledge.

While matching funds are not required, evidence of other funding sources — such as matching contributions (with the respective amounts) or demonstration of the applicant’s ability to raise funds from sources other than the federal government — will be considered an asset at the proposal evaluation stage.

EDF calls are competitive processes. Applications must include all details of the project and expected results. The level of detail provided must support the complexity of the project.

In addition, the project must include at least one of the EDF’s performance indicators and a clear target value for each chosen indicator.

Submitting Your Application

1. Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch. Consult the user’s manual for guidance.
2. Submit an external application to ECCC by following their submission guidelines.