Stewardship

Thank you to everyone who submitted a Stewardship grant application by the November 5th deadline. These applications are now being reviewed and applicants will be notified about whether or not they have been approved for funding in March 2022. Your next opportunity to apply for this grant will be fall 2022.

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.

For applicants interested in School-based programs, please see our HCTF Education Grants.

Stewardship Guidelines and Application Forms

Guidance for Applicants 2022-23

• Stewardship Application Worksheets

  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:

  1. 1. New proposals (first-time proposals or proposals in which a new 5-year phase is starting)
     2. Continuing proposals (proposals that have received previous HCTF funding and are in Year 2, 3, 4, 5)
     3. Seed proposals (small grants up to $5000 maximum to conduct preliminary work to develop a full proposal in future)

  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.

  ---

  New Projects (Year 1)
  

  • This project has not been funded by HCTF before;
  • If this project is related to one previously funded HCTF, the objectives and/or activities have changed substantially from those originally approved;
  • It was not approved for funding in a previous year but has been revised to address the Technical Review Committee’s and/or the Board’s concerns.
    • If you are re-applying for HCTF funding for a project that was not approved in the past, please use the New Project form.
    • If changes have been made to the project scope or technical approach of a Continuing Multi-year Project, a New Project application form must be submitted.
    • Continuing projects that were approved for “One Year Only” must apply using the ‘New Project’ form.

  Note: Please make sure to complete the Multi-Year Budget table to show your planned funding requests for future years; estimated amounts are acceptable.

  New Project Worksheet

  ---

  Continuing Projects (Year 2 – Year 5)

  • This is a multi-year project;
  • This project is in its second or subsequent year of HCTF funding based on the number of years approved in the Year 1 proposal;
  • This project develops on a previously funded project; the objectives are essentially the same as originally approved, although some aspect (e.g. location, site, species, timing) may be altered slightly.
    • Continuing projects must provide a summary of progress-to-date for the previous years’ work, and explain how the current year’s work will contribute to the overall project objectives.
    • If changes have been made to the project scope or technical approach of a Continuing Project, then a ‘New Project’ application form must be submitted.
    • Proponents should not self-extend. For example, if a 3-year Multi-year proposal is approved, the Year 3 proposal must be the final year. If funding for a 4th and 5th year is desired, the Year 4 request must be submitted as a New proposal as Year 1 of 2.
    • Continuing projects that were approved for “One Year Only” must apply using the ‘New Project’ form.
  • If significant changes are planned to the Objectives and Activities, it’s best to submit as a New proposal.

  Note: HCTF funds multi-year projects one year at a time – you must submit a continuing application for each year of the project.

  Continuing Project Worksheet

  ---

  New Phase (New 5-Year Cycle)

  • HCTF administers Continuing projects in 5-year cycles. Projects with a lifespan longer than 5 years must be identified and approved by HCTF at the initiation of the new 5-year cycle project.
  • Once a longer-term continuing project has completed 5 years, the applicant must submit a New Phase proposal for Year 1 and use the same project name and number. HCTF will re-evaluate the project’s goals and objectives considering HCTF’s other funding priorities
  • If the New Phase proposal is approved for multi-year funding, subsequent Years (Year 2, 3, 4, 5) are submitted as Continuing proposals.
  • This type of proposal should explain exactly what has been accomplished over the past 5 years and provide a detailed work plan for the next 5-year cycle.

  Note: For New Phase proposals, it is important to include a detailed summary of your results achieved in the previous 5-year cycle in the “Progress to Date” section of the application form (Reviewers do not have access to your previous years’ grant reports).

  New Phase Worksheet (New 5-year Cycle)

  ---

  HCTF Budget Table Template

  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 Budget Table 2022-23

   

  Budget Instructions

  For more details on completing your budget table please refer to the instruction document below.

  HCTF Budget 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:

  • placed proposed expenditures in the correct sections;
  • included your full project budget, not just the portions that you are asking HCTF to fund;
  • included only the detailed costs for the coming year;
  • filled in the Multi-Year Budget table and Capital Items table, if relevant;
  • explained any administration fees; and,
  • captured any anticipated partner contributions.

  ---

  Seed Projects

  • Seed grants are for proponents who have an idea for a new enhancement and restoration 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. Note that this funding is not for a small, stand-alone project; the seed grant activities are meant to culminate in development of a full HCTF proposal (submitted within two years).

  Seed Project Worksheet SEED Budget Table 2022-23

• Example Table - Objectives and Activities

  Following is a link to an example table for the objectives and activities section of the proposal.

  • Stewardship Example

  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).

How to Apply

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).

Survey Apply Application System

Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQ Page

Stewardship Application Checklist

Stewardship proposals should:

• Indicate how long benefits of any agreements and education/outreach efforts are expected to persist. What are the risks to the longevity of these efforts (i.e. increased knowledge does not last forever in individuals or groups and will need to be repeated to sustain benefits)? How will these risks be mitigated?
• Indicate if there will be costs to maintain the project investment(s), for example non-legal land stewardship agreement and education efforts will need to be renewed on a regular basis.

To ensure you submit a good proposal, make sure to:

• Explain how your project matches HCTF goals
• Include details: What, Where, How, When, Why
• Make a clear link between how your project outcomes will lead to improved management of fish and/or wildlife, or habitat
• Include enough detail in the proposal form, do not rely on attachments
• Complete all sections in the form
• Proofread your proposal for clarity, typos and good grammar

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!

How are Grant Applications Reviewed?

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.

• What do our primary reviewers look for?

  • Does the proposal define the management or conservation issue well?
  • Is the need for this project clearly supported?
  • Are the project objectives clearly explained and linked to the issue statement?
  • Are the objectives realistic and attainable?
  • How well are the activities and methods explained?
  • Is the timeline realistic?
  • Does the proposal provide a plan or strategy to evaluate success?
  • How well are the measures of success explained?
  • How well does the proposal describe larger ecosystem benefits and implications to fish and wildlife populations?
  • Are the potential positive and negative impacts of the project explained?
  • How realistic is the project budget?
  • Is the proposed work technically feasible?

   

  Download the Technical Assessment of your Proposal: Review Criteria at a Glance document for more information about what our technical reviewers look for.

• What do our technical reviewers look for?

  • A detailed description of the conservation issue you will address
  • A summary of your prior experience and knowledge in leading this type of work
  • Realistic objectives that are linked to the issue statement
  • Well-explained methods which are based on current and accepted best practices for stewardship
  • Clearly defined target audience with an explanation of how your proposed approach is designed to reach that audience
  • For educational and outreach programs, there is ongoing contact rather than only a 1-time event
  • Clear and specific Measures of Success*
  • For Citizen science programs or other specialized surveys, that you have the necessary technical expertise in place
  • Tangible outcomes (How many stewards will be created? What attitudes or behaviours will change as a result of this project? How will this project improve conservation of fish and wildlife?)

  *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.

• What does our Board look for?

  • Alignment with HCTF priorities and strategic plan
  • Eligibility of activities and expenses
  • Cost-effectiveness—do the proposed benefits justify the investment of HCTF funds compared to other projects?
  • Conservation need—did the proposal build a compelling case that the project will lead to positive conservation outcomes for fisheries, wildlife, and habitat in BC?
  • Are there management applications from this work?
  • Endurance of conservation benefits – will the benefits to fish/ wildlife/ habitat persist over biologically relevant timeframes?

HCTF is pleased to announce the launch of our new online reporting system. All Project Leaders with approved 2021-22 grants will be submitting their grant reports in Survey Apply, the same system that was used for proposal submission. Reporting requirements remain relatively consistent from recent years with a new simplified and easy-to-use structure. This cloud-based system will provide significant improvements by streamlining workflow and adding automated services to increase convenience. We are very excited to integrate this new system to add more clarity and functionality to our reporting processes.

The next deadline for submitting grant reports is April 15th, 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We encourage all Project Leaders to read the Reporting FAQs before beginning their reports.

Reporting FAQs

Survey Apply System

Complete Grant Report

Reporting Requirements

• Why do we have reports?

  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:

  • compliance with the proposal (that the funds were used for the activities and goals for which they were intended) and
  • conservation outcomes (or reasonable progress towards them).

• Report Submission

  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 15^th.

  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.

Reporting Templates

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.

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.

• Enhancement & Restoration / Stewardship (ERS) Reporting Worksheets

  ERS Grant Report Worksheet ERS Grant Report Budget Spreadsheet Report Budget Instructions

   

  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.

• Seed Reporting Worksheets (ERS only)

  Seed Grant Report Worksheet Seed Grant Report Budget Spreadsheet Report Budget Instructions

   

  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.

---

Other Attachments

• Technical Reports

  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.

• Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  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.

Project Evaluation

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.

• Project Change Requests

  • If 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. Depending on the nature of your request, it will be reviewed by either HCTF staff or an appropriate technical review committee. Project change requests must be submitted by February 15th and should be sent to karen.barry@hctf.ca.
  • If you wish to reallocate your budget, please also submit a revised budget table (Excel file) which shows the updated amounts if your reallocation is approved (i.e. add a new column with new $ amounts). For example, if you initially had $15K in Wages and you want to reallocate $5k towards Site Supplies, the budget line item for Wages should now be $10K and the Site supplies would be $5K.
  • If you wish to request a budget increase, please contact karen.barry@hctf.ca for additional instructions. Requests for budget increases will be accepted from May 1- November 1 only.

• Contract Extensions

  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.

• HCTF Acknowledgement

  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.