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.
Stewardship proposals:
Each year, HCTF provides approximately $600,000 in Stewardship Grants. There is no upper limit on funding requests but there is a 5-year limit to project funding*. Stewardship Grant budgets typically range from $10,000 to over $80,000 annually, with an average grant of approximately $30,000.
Note that projects requesting significantly higher amounts of funding will be reviewed with greater scrutiny to assess cost-effectiveness and to ensure the potential conservation benefits justify this level of funding. When reviewing proposals, our Board also considers the multi-year implications of investments.
* After 5 years of continued HCTF funding, a proponent can access another cycle of funding by reapplying using the Continuing – New 5-Year Cycle application form.
HCTF Stewardship grants are available to anyone who has who has a good idea that benefits fish, wildlife and habitat in British Columbia. Proponents can include:
HCTF strongly encourages cost-shared proposals, and project leaders should explore the possibility of partnerships with other organizations or agencies (local, provincial or federal).
The following activities and types of projects are not eligible for Stewardship Grant funding:
Please note that all Stewardship Grant proposals have the same eligibility restrictions, deadlines, application requirements, and review criteria as E&R Grants, unless specified otherwise.
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.
Submission of HCTF Stewardship Grant Applications is through the Survey Apply application portal. The 2020-21 application deadline is 4:30 PM PST on November 6, 2020.
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. The application deadline this year is 4:30 PM PST on November 6, 2020. 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.
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.
Please note that your project final approval is subject to you (or you organization) entering into a Conditional Grant Agreement with HCTF. In the weeks following the receipt of your preliminary approval letter, you will be mailed two copies of a conditional grant agreement and an accompanying checklist. Please read your grant agreement carefully, and complete all requirements on the checklist before returning to HCTF. Questions? Please contact our Financial Officer.
All non-government project leaders will need to provide HCTF with a Certificate of Insurance for General Liability (CGL) indicating that HCTF has been added as an additional insured (see section 9 of the sample Conditional Grant Agreement above for details). Your insurer can assist in completing this certificate. It is your responsibility 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.
Important Note: For projects that require more than one year to complete (i.e. multi-year projects), a new conditional grant agreement is required for each year of the project and it is tied to the approved proposal for that year.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a Stewardship Grant application by the November 6th deadline. These applications are now being reviewed and applicants will be notified about whether or not they have been approved for funding in mid-March 2021. Your next opportunity to apply for this grant will be fall of 2021.
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 Enhancement & Restoration Grant and select the Fisheries or Wildlife project group. Visit out Enhancement & Restoration Apply page.
Before beginning your application on the Apply system, we strongly recommend that you complete your application using the Word worksheets.
Three different Word Worksheets are available, depending on the type of proposal you will submit:
Note that HCTF funds multi-year projects one year at a time – you must submit a continuing application each year of the project.
Once you have completed your application in the Word Worksheet, you can copy and paste the information into the Survey Apply online system.
A project is considered NEW if:
If you have a new project that has not been funded by HCTF before, or you have previously applied for HCTF funding and were not approved, use the New proposal Worksheet.
New Project WorksheetA project is considered to be Continuing if:
Continuing projects need to provide information on progress-to-date for previous years’ work, as well as how the current year’s work will contribute to the overall project objectives.
Continuing Project WorksheetFor all proposal applications except for seed, use the Excel spreadsheet to develop your budget. You will also uploais same spreadsheet to the online Survey Apply system.
HCTF Budget Table 2021-22
For more details on completing your budget table please refer to the instruction document below.
Budget Table Instructions
Important 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:
Following is a link to an example table for the objectives and activities section of the proposal.
Note: The Measures of Success (MOS) should be specific quantitative targets that can be used to track desired change and project success. Short-term outputs (e.g. number of workshops held) can be useful to track project progress. However, assessing conservation success also depends on evaluating longer-term outcomes (e.g. changes in awareness or behaviours), so you should include at least 2-3 long term outcome measures of success (e.g. population increase for species of interest, increased awareness in community through post-program survey).
Submission of Stewardship 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.
Note: All proposal groups/categories (i.e., Fisheries, Wildlife, Stewardship, Wild Sheep, White Sturgeon) are submitted through the Survey Apply program “Enhancement & Restoration and Stewardship Grants” (ERS). The application form contains a drop-down question so applicants can select their proposal group. All Seed proposals are submitted through the Survey Apply program “Seed Grants (ERS/Stewardship only).
The application deadline is 4:30 PM PST on Friday, November 6, 2020.
Stewardship Application Checklist
Stewardship proposals should:
To ensure you submit a good proposal, make sure to:
If you have questions about your project’s eligibility, your proposal, what our reviewers are looking for, or any other details of application and grant management, contact us to ask!
Each proposal goes through a multi-level, objective, technical review process prior to final Board decisions. These three main stages of review, as outlined on the Stewardship Grant Cycle webpage 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 workshops held, number of nestboxes installed), assessing conservation success also depends on evaluating outcomes (e.g. changes in landowner behaviour, reduction in mortality of migrating western toads).
Download the Technical Assessment of your Proposal: Review Criteria at a Glance document for more information about what our technical reviewers look for.
This year’s deadline for submitting grant reports is April 15th, 2021. Please note: if you are able to submit your report prior to the April 15th deadline, we highly encourage you to do so! This will allow us to get you your final payment sooner, by cheque or electronic fund transfer.
Grant Report templates were updated in 2019. There are three grant report templates: Seed Grants, Annual Grants, and Final Year Reports for Multi Year Grants. Please ensure you use the correct and up-to-date form for your project (*** i.e. the versions dated October 2018 in the footer).
HCTF has a responsibility to our contributors to ensure that funds are invested in activities and projects that contribute to conservation of fish, wildlife, and habitat in BC. 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.
Important Note: If your project has produced an annual technical report or journal article, you may attach that document. However, you must still complete Section 6 of the Grant report to provide a synopsis of your project’s results for the grant year, and discuss the other relevant components of this section (i.e. challenges, future activities, contribution of this year to overall project objectives, etc.).
A report form specifically designed for Seed Grants was created in 2019 (please see report template and instructions below).
A seed report should describe:
Choose this form for single year projects, or for each year of a multi-year project except the final one.
HCTF requires project leaders to submit an annual grant report describing activities and expenditures undertaken with HCTF funding under that year’s Conditional Grant Agreement (please see report template and instructions below). Reports are reviewed by staff to ensure the objectives and activities in the approved project proposal are met.
Important Note: The final invoice for each year of the Grant Agreement will only be paid when a Grant Report has been received and approved by HCTF.
Please ensure you:
Example of reporting obligations for a 3 year project with HCTF:
Year 1 – submit an annual Grant Report by April 15th to receive the 20% hold back on the Year 1 budget.
Year 2 – submit an annual Grant Report by April 15th to receive the 20% holdback on the Year 2 budget.
Year 3 – submit a Final Year Grant Report by April 15th (Sections 1 -10 cover the Year 3 activities and expenditures and Section 11 summarizes Years 1 through 3 inclusive) to receive the 20% holdback on the Year 3 budget.
For projects spanning more than one year, the multi-year final report is a summary or roll-up of all the completed activities and results across the years of the project. The first half of the form is intended for reporting on the final year, and the second half of the form allows for a multi-year project summary. The Final Year Grant form template and instructions are provided below.
Final Year Grant Report Template Final Year Grant Report Instructions
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.
If circumstances have changed and your approved project requires modifications from your original proposal in terms of objectives, activities/methodology, or budget allocation, you must submit a written request to HCTF using the Project Change Request Form.
Project change requests can be submitted at any time and should be sent to shannon.west@hctf.ca. Depending on the nature of your request, it will be reviewed by either HCTF staff or an appropriate technical review committee.
We’ve extended the deadline for applying for a current-year contract extension to April 30, 2020. The Contract Extension Request form can downloaded using the link below:
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.