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Natural Infrastructure Fund

Federal program supporting natural and hybrid infrastructure projects that deliver climate resilience, environmental quality, biodiversity and climate mitigation benefits.

  • Provider
    Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
  • Closed

Natural Infrastructure Fund

Federal program supporting natural and hybrid infrastructure projects that deliver climate resilience, environmental quality, biodiversity and climate mitigation benefits.

  • Provider
    Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
  • Closed
  • DETAILS
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Categories
  • Environment, water and climate change
  • Parks and recreation
  • Planning and development
Description

The Natural Infrastructure Fund (NIF) supports communities to implement natural and hybrid infrastructure projects that deliver multiple benefits. Natural infrastructure uses ecosystem features and materials (vegetation, sand, stone, water) to deliver conventional infrastructure outcomes. Hybrid infrastructure incorporates grey infrastructure elements to enhance or support natural infrastructure and ecosystem processes.

Announced in Budget 2021, NIF provides $200 million to support projects that recognize natural infrastructure solutions as win-win investments — delivering conventional services like flood protection and stormwater management while also providing cleaner air and water, temperature regulation, green space access and habitat connectivity.

Program Objectives:

  • Increase the use and uptake of natural and hybrid infrastructure
  • Build community awareness on the value of natural and hybrid infrastructure and delivery of multiple outcomes

Two Funding Streams:

The NIF delivers funding through two streams based on project scale:

Small Projects Stream:

  • Projects with eligible costs from $30,000 to $3 million
  • Maximum federal contribution: $1 million (contributions) or $250,000 (grants)

Large Projects Stream:

  • Projects with eligible costs over $3 million
  • Contact program directly for stream-specific requirements, timelines, and application process
  • Details and intake timing to be confirmed with program

Community Services Requirement:

All projects are assessed on their ability to deliver one or multiple of five community services:

  • Climate Change Resilience: Adapting to or transforming in response to anticipated or experienced climate hazards (erosion prevention, flood protection, temperature regulation, reducing costs and damages from climate hazards)
  • Environmental Quality: Enhancing efficiency, productivity, and functionality of ecological processes to provide healthy environments (stormwater management, water filtration, groundwater replenishment, wastewater treatment)
  • Access to Nature: Enhancing quality or quantity of healthy and safe natural systems to connect people to nature (increased public greenspace, active transportation, signage and design elements)
  • Biodiversity and Habitat: Reducing fragmentation, loss, or destruction of important habitats and species (ecological connectivity, reduction of invasive species, increase in native species)
  • Climate Change Mitigation: Increasing capacity of natural systems and processes to sink and store greenhouse gases (carbon sequestration, energy efficiency benefits)
Resources
  • Funder's website
    • Natural Infrastructure Fund
  • Contact
    • NIF-FIN@infc.gc.ca
Important Dates
  • Application deadline
    Closed. Next call for proposals TBD.
Eligible Applicants
  • Municipalities
  • First Nations
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • Municipal-owned Organizations
Funding Details
  • Funding Notes
    • Small Projects Stream
    • Grants (unconditional transfer):
    • • Projects with total $30,000 to $250,000
    • • Maximum federal contribution: $250,000
    • Contributions (conditional transfer):
    • • Projects with total $250,000 to $3 million
    • • Maximum federal contribution: $1 million
    • Large Projects Stream
    • • Projects with eligible costs over $3 million
    • • No maximum limit on project size
How to Apply
  • Fund Guidelines
    • Available here
  • Online Application
        • Applications are submitted through HICC Applicant Portal when an intake is open

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Disclaimer

We make every effort to ensure the program details in this guide are accurate. In the event of a discrepancy between this guide and the funder’s official website, the information on the program website will take precedence.

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