Important Stewardship Update! Our Stewardship grant is undergoing an update to better integrate with other HCTF grant programs. For the fall intake in November 2023, HCTF will only accept Continuing Stewardship proposals for 2024-25 funding. The next opportunity to apply for New, New Phase and Seed Stewardship grants will be April 2024.
HCTF recognizes the importance of environmental stewardship and invests in projects that create stewards. Stewards include individuals, practitioners, and community organizations who take responsibility for promoting, monitoring, conserving, and restoring ecosystems to ultimately result in enduring conservation outcomes for fish and wildlife and their habitats. Proposed projects must align with our purposes as laid out in the Wildlife Act.
HCTF prefers stewardship projects that create stewards through community-based, hands on engagement programs, including Citizen Science. Stewardship projects may include some on-the-ground components such as habitat restoration.
For schools interested in grants, please see our HCTF Education Grants.
Guidance Document for Applicants 2024-25
HCTF may receive money from court awards arising from fish/wildlife/habitat infractions. On occasion, the funding from these awards is restricted to specific locations, species and/or habitats. In these cases, HCTF first looks for a match in our list of currently approved projects. If there is no suitable match, we advertise the awards here prior to the fall intake each year.
If you think you may have a project that fits the requirements of one of the listed restricted contributions or court awards, please:
Please note that applications for restricted funding are subject to HCTF technical review process along with all other enhancement proposals.
In some cases – and at the HCTF Board’s discretion – projects may be granted funding from other revenues, if there is not enough restricted funding available to support recommended projects. For clarity, the budget request in your proposal does not need to match the specific restricted funding amount available; if your project requires a smaller or larger amount, please develop your budget table according to the project needs.
If you have any questions or want to discuss an idea for a project, please contact Biological and Evaluation Services.
Region | Amount | HCTF Reference # | Restriction |
6 | $ 95,000.00 | 30502 | Fish, wildlife, and habitat initiatives in the Skeena Region, with a preference for restoration work along the Skeena River between Terrace and Prince Rupert |
1 | $ 8,000.00 | 16111-1 | Sum of $8,000 to be used in its entirety for the Fiddlehead Farm area and that of Powell River, British Columbia for conservation purposes. |
3 | $ 6,860.00 | 43225 | To be used for elk enhancement in the Kamloops region. |
2 | $ 2,505.00 | 2738-1 | For a study on the effects of non-lethal bear management |
The Stewardship grant stream operates on the same cycle as the Enhancement and Restoration granting stream. HCTF operates on a standard fiscal year, running from 1 April – 31 March. For example, a proposal submitted on November 1, 2019 would request funding to support project activities to take place between 1 April, 2020 and 31 March, 2021. Proposals are approved on an annual basis—a multi-year project must apply EACH YEAR for funding for the next year’s activities.
HCTF operates on a standard fiscal year, running from 1 April – 31 March. For example, a proposal submitted on November 1, 2019 would request funding to support project activities to take place between 1 April, 2020 and 31 March, 2021. Proposals are approved on an annual basis—a multi-year project must apply EACH YEAR for funding for the next year’s activities.
Submission of both HCTF Enhancement and Restoration Grant and HCTF Stewardship Grant Applications is through the HCTF Online application portal. HCTF Online typically opens in early to mid-September, but Application worksheets are available earlier for use drafting your proposal.
Applications for NEW projects are first sent to a Primary Reviewer, typically a subject expert, who assesses the project on areas such as its proposed objectives, methodology, and cost/benefits.
All Applications (i.e., seed, new, and continuing proposals) are then evaluated on technical merits by a committee of experts, composed of both government and non-government biologists. Our technical committees are divided broadly into Fisheries, Wildlife, Stewardship, Wild Sheep, and White Sturgeon subject areas. The technical reviewers meet to discuss, score, rank, and make a funding recommendation for each proposal based on their technical evaluation and the Primary Review.
The HCTF Board of Directors meets in early March to make final funding decisions. The comments and recommendations from the previous stages are taken into account by the Board. Funding decisions are final. For those proposals that are not approved, applicants will receive communication from HCTF explaining the reasons for the decision. Often this feedback can be used to improve the proposal for potential re-submission in future years.
A Preliminary Approved Projects List is posted on the HCTF website in mid-March. Official notifications are emailed to individual proponents before the end of the month.
Once you have been notified that your proposal has been approved for funding, HCTF will mail you a Conditional Grant Agreement which must be signed and returned to HCTF in order to receive your first installment cheque.
Proposed project activities can begin on 1 April of the year in which they are approved. If a proposal is approved subject to a funding condition, that funding condition must be met prior to commencing any work.
Note that HCTF funds multi-year projects one year at a time. To apply for multi-year funding, you must submit a continuing application each year of the project using the appropriate form.
Each fiscal year’s project activities must be complete by March 31. Grant Reports are due annually on April 15th.
Important Stewardship Update! Our Stewardship grant is undergoing an update to better integrate with other HCTF grant programs. For the fall intake in November 2023, HCTF will only accept Continuing Stewardship proposals for 2024-25 funding. The next opportunity to apply for New, New Phase and Seed Stewardship grants will be April 2024.
The intake for Continuing Stewardship grant applications for 2024-25 funding is now closed.
Multi-Year Project Update! The duration for Multi-year proposals is now 3 years maximum (e.g., Year 1 of 3 Years). If proposals are submitted for a 5 year cycle, HCTF will correct the timing to 3 years. This change in duration does not apply to previous Multi-year proposals that have been approved for 4 or 5 years.
We encourage all Project Leaders to read the our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Applications before beginning their proposal.
Proposal submissions for the Stewardship Grant are completed online through the HCTF Survey Apply system. Please note that all applications must be submitted using Survey Apply as HCTF cannot accept applications by email.
HCTF recognizes the importance of environmental stewardship and invests in projects that create stewards. Stewards include individuals, practitioners, and community organizations who take responsibility for promoting, monitoring, conserving, and restoring ecosystems to ultimately result in enduring conservation outcomes for fish and wildlife and their habitats. Proposed projects must align with our purposes as laid out in the Wildlife Act.
HCTF prefers stewardship projects that create stewards through community-based, hands on engagement programs, including Citizen Science. Stewardship projects may include some on-the-ground components such as habitat restoration.
If your proposal focuses primarily on applied research, inventory or habitat restoration for fish or wildlife, you should apply under the Fish & Wildlife Grant and select the Fisheries or Wildlife project group. Visit our Fish and Wildlife page.
For schools interested in grants, please see our HCTF Education Grants.
Before beginning your online application, we strongly recommend that you complete the application worksheet available for download in the list below. The worksheet is intended as an added resource for you to draft your application and once completed you can copy and paste the information into the online system. Please note you are required to submit the excel budget spreadsheet as a separate attachment at the end of your online application form.
Important! If you are approved for Multi-year funding, please remember you must submit a proposal for each year of your project. Continuing proposal forms should be submitted for subsequent years (Years 2, 3).
Please note that HCTF funds Multi-Year projects one year at a time – you must submit an additional continuing application for each subsequent year of the project.
Following are links to an example table for the objectives and activities section of the proposal.
For all proposal applications except for seed, use the Excel spreadsheet to develop your budget. You will also upload this same spreadsheet to the online Survey Apply system.
HCTF Proposal Budget Spreadsheet 2024-25For more details on completing your budget spreadsheet please refer to the instruction document below.
HCTF Budget InstructionsImportant Note: Your budget should contain enough detail for reviewers to determine if it is cost effective. Be sure to explain any differences from previous years—if your budget or activities are different from those you predicted, or if you want to alter the length of your project, provide a rationale for these changes.
Check carefully that you have:
In order to maximize the on-the-ground impact of every conservation dollar, HCTF will consider requests for capital assets where they are necessary to complete the project and where the cost per asset does not exceed $3,500. This threshold may be lifted in certain circumstances, such as for immobile assets (e.g. cattleguards, aerators, etc.). Please contact HCTF to discuss if you wish to request an asset over $3,500. Note that any asset purchased must only be used for conservation purposes.
Stewardship proposals should:
To ensure you submit a good proposal, make sure to:
Each proposal goes through a multi-level, objective, technical review process prior to final Board decisions. These three main stages of review, include an assessment by a primary reviewer, and a review by a technical committee, prior to being sent to the Board for final funding decisions.
Download the Technical Assessment of your Proposal: Review Criteria at a Glance document for more information about what our technical reviewers look for.
*Measures of Success should be specific quantitative targets that can be used to track desired change and project success. They can be short, medium or long term. Although it is common to report on outputs (e.g. number of collars deployed, square meters of habitat restored), assessing conservation success also depends on evaluating outcomes (e.g. reduction in mortality of sheep, habitat restoration to support elk population).
Download the Technical Assessment of your Proposal: Review Criteria at a Glance document for more information about what our technical reviewers look for.
If you have questions about your project’s eligibility, your proposal, what our reviewers are looking for, or any other details, contact us to ask!
The next opportunity to apply for Seed Grant to develop a Stewardship proposal will be April 2024.
Seed grants are for proponents who have an idea for a new Stewardship project but need to do some planning and preliminary work to develop their idea before submitting a full new proposal. Proponents may apply for seed funding of up to $5,000 to help fill information gaps, explore project feasibility, identify project partners, and prepare technical information.
*Please note seed funding is not intended for a small, stand-alone project; seed grant project activities are meant to culminate in the development of a full Stewardship proposal (submitted within two years). Seed funding does not guarantee subsequent funding of a full Stewardship proposal.
Before beginning your application on the Apply system, we strongly recommend that you complete your application using the Word worksheets. Once you have completed your application in the Word Worksheet, you can copy and paste the information into the Survey Apply online system.
Seed Application Worksheet 2023-24 Seed Budget Spreadsheet 2023-24
We encourage all Project Leaders to read the Application FAQs before beginning their proposal.
Submission of Grant Applications is through the HCTF Survey Apply system. Please note that all applications must be submitted using Survey Apply. HCTF cannot accept applications by email.
If you have questions about your project’s eligibility, your proposal, what our reviewers are looking for, or any other details, contact us to ask!
The next deadline for submitting grant reports is April 14, 2023. All Project Leaders with approved grants from 2021-22 onward need to complete their grant reports in our online Survey Apply system. Reporting requirements remain relatively consistent from previous years with a new simplified and easy-to-use structure.
We encourage all Project Leaders to read the our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Reporting before beginning their report.
Submission of Stewardship Grant Reports is through the HCTF Survey Apply system. Please note that all reports must be submitted using Survey Apply. HCTF cannot accept applications by email.
As a trust of public funds, HCTF has a number of requirements to ensure accountability and due diligence of trust funds. We have a responsibility to ensure that funds are invested in activities and projects that contribute to conservation of fish, wildlife, and habitat in BC. As a public foundation, HCTF is required to prepare annual financial statements which undergo a thorough audit process. Grant reports help ensure funds were utilized in accordance with the purposes of the trust, which is a requirement for HCTF’s audit.
Specifically, grant reports allow HCTF to evaluate:
Consistent with HCTF’s operating cycle and with the end date of most conditional grant agreements, projects must be completed by March 31st. Subsequent grant reports are due April 15th.
HCTF has recently launched a new online reporting system. All Project Leaders with approved 2021-22 grants are required to submit their grant reports in Survey Apply, the same system that was used for proposal submission Reports in older formats or reports that come in by email submission will not be accepted.
Project Leaders with active projects from 2020-21 and prior (before Survey Apply was implemented) will submit using the previous report forms and processes. These Project Leaders (and those with approved contract extensions) will have received an email from HCTF with reporting instructions and forms. If you did not receive this email, or if you have any questions, please contact reporting@hctf.ca.
Current grant reports for 2021-22 onward: Please note you now need to complete and submit the grant report form online (link to online system) and will need to upload the new separate excel budget spreadsheet with this online submission. Click one of the template links below to begin drafting your report for our online Survey Apply system.
Outstanding grant reports from BEFORE 2020-21: If you had a contract extension or still need to submit an outstanding report, please contact us at reporting@hctf.ca for a copy of the 2020-21 grant report template.
Before beginning your online report, we strongly recommend that you complete the reporting worksheet available for download in the list below. The worksheet is intended as an added resource for you to draft your report and once completed you can copy and paste the information into the online system. Please note you are required to submit the excel budget spreadsheet as a separate attachment at the end of your online report form.
If you had a contract extension or an outstanding report from BEFORE 2020-21, please contact us if you need a copy of the previous report template. Otherwise please use the template above and submit your report through our online Survey Apply System.
For more details on completing your budget table please refer to the instruction document below.
Report Budget InstructionsPlease note you will also be required to upload this same spreadsheet to the online Survey Apply system.
ERS Grant Report Budget Spreadsheet
If you had a contract extension or an outstanding report from BEFORE 2020-21, please contact us if you need a copy of the previous report template. Otherwise please use the template above and submit your report through our online Survey Apply System.
Some HCTF projects produce a comprehensive technical report detailing the methods and analyzing the results. Technical reports may require more time to complete and are therefore not tied to the final payment if the Grant Report is complete. HCTF requires an electronic copy of the technical report once it is completed. Ideally, we would like to receive it as an attachment to the Final Year Grant Report.
Some projects may produce information that will be published in a peer-review journal. These articles do not constitute a final report, but are of interest to HCTF. We recognize that published journal articles take time for publication. Please send us a PDF copy of the published article or a link to the article, once it is available.
HCTF uses a variety of methods to assess approved and/or completed projects to ensure that Foundation grants are providing the greatest conservation return on investment. Each year, HCTF staff and/or Board select projects and meet with the project leaders to review project performance. This evaluation includes assessing on-the-ground accomplishments as well as reviewing financial records. For further information, contact the Manager of Biology.
The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation uses conditional grant agreements to transfer monies to a proponent for an approved HCTF project. Unlike unconditional grants (which can be used for any purpose the recipient sees fit), a conditional grant is for a specific purpose and may not be used for any other project.
The conditional grant agreement is like a contract in that it is signed by both parties and contains specific conditions for spending the approved budget. The underlying basis for the agreement is the proposal submitted by the proponent and approved by HCTF, although HCTF may include additional conditions to the proposal before approving it.
While each conditional grant agreement pertains to the individual project, there are some terms and conditions common to all HCTF conditional grant agreements. Some of these include:
You can view an HCTF sample Conditional Grant Agreement – please note that this is a general template and specific terms may vary depending on the project.
Insurance Requirements: It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that your organization is carrying the correct insurance to deliver the project and to budget for your insurance costs accordingly in your proposal. Please note, project leaders are no longer required to provide HCTF with a Certificate of Insurance for General Liability (CGL).
Proposed project activities can begin on April 1st of the year in which they are approved. If a proposal is approved subject to funding condition, that funding condition must be met prior to commencing any work. Note that HCTF funds multi-year projects one year at a time – if you would like funding for future years of a project, you must submit a continuing application each year.
Each fiscal year’s project activities must be complete by March 31st. Grant Reports are due annually on April 15th. Please note that your project final approval is subject to you (or your organization) entering into a Conditional Grant Agreement with HCTF. Preview the sample CGA here.
Approved non-government project leaders must submit their Conditional Grant Agreement online via Survey Apply. Follow these instructions for downloading, signing, and uploading.
Please read your Conditional Grant Agreement carefully, as HCTF has made significant changes to the agreement language this year. Ensure you obtain all internal approvals from your organization before returning the signed copy to HCTF. Questions? Please contact our Finance Officer.
Note that Provincial Government project leaders are not required to complete the Survey Apply steps above, as the Conditional Grant Agreement is signed directly with headquarters for each Ministry. Government project leaders can familiarize themselves with the requirements of the agreement at the link above and are also encouraged to request and review their specific agreement from headquarters.
Submit your Conditional Grant Agreement
Please remember that the deadline for Contract Extensions and Project Change requests is February 15, 2024. We recommend submitting these requests as early as possible to allow time for review.
Contract Extension Request – Form
Contract extensions are intended for projects where activities in the proposal could not be completed within the original timeframe. If you also have changes to your project objectives, budget or activities please submit a Project Change request form (see above).
If you are unable to complete your project within the fiscal year of your Conditional Grant Agreement (April 1st through March 31st, unless otherwise specified), you will need to request a Contract Extension to extend your Agreement into the next fiscal. The annual deadline for contract extension requests is February 15th. An email from the Finance Officer will be sent in early January with the Contract Extension Request Form and instructions to email the completed request to reporting@hctf.ca.
Please note that even though activities and expenditures will occur in the following fiscal year, they will still be invoiced and reported on under the original Agreement. The Grant Report (see Reporting Tab) will be due when that year’s activities are complete.
In some cases, a project may have a Contract Extension concurrently with another funded year of the project. HCTF requires that expenditures and project outcomes for each grant must always be tracked, invoiced and reported on separately. That also means that any unspent funds from one grant cannot be “rolled into” the project budget for a subsequent year.
For example, a multi-year project may receive a contract extension to complete Year 1 activities concurrent to activities already approved for Year 2. Each of these proposals is considered a separate contract. Therefore, you must report for each of them separately by completing a Grant Report for each of these project years, reporting against their respective proposals. That is, you would submit a Grant Report for Year 1, reporting against the Year 1 proposal; and another Grant Report for Year 2, reporting against the Year 2 proposal, even though the Year 1 activities took two years and happened at the same time as the Year 2 activities.
The support provided by HCTF must be acknowledged in any publicity issued, printed or distributed, including signs, displays, reports, announcements, articles, press releases, or media interviews. Full information on HCTF communications guidelines and copies of the HCTF logo are available here.
Guidance for Applicants 2024-25
HCTF Priorities for Fraser River Sturgeon (2021-2026)
Review Criteria at a Glance document
Stewardship Continuing Application Worksheet 2024-25
HCTF Proposal Budget Spreadsheet 2024-25
HCTF Proposal Budget Instructions
Sample HCTF Conditional Grant Agreement
Contract Extension Request Form