Our climate change grants support nature-based solutions, low-emission and renewable technologies, green building and living, and community resilience. Understanding that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the driver of climate change, we prioritize projects with the potential to enable large-scale emission reductions in Canada.
We seek partnerships that empower Canada’s transition to a renewable, net-zero-carbon economy. We believe technological innovation has always been key to human progress, and so we support initiatives that develop, implement, and scale clean technology solutions focused on emission reductions, renewable energy, and energy conservation.
Natural ecosystems in Canada offer huge potential to sequester carbon and contribute to sustainable local community livelihoods. We support initiatives that protect and restore priority ecosystems, support Indigenous lands and protected areas, enhance natural infrastructure in our built environment, and decarbonize our agriculture and forestry sectors to tackle the challenges brought forth by climate change.
Construction is a significant part of Canada’s economy, and buildings are a major source of GHG emissions. There’s an opportunity for this sector to reduce emissions, lower costs, promote innovation, and generate green jobs. We support initiatives that make construction and occupancy sustainable, affordable, and resilient. Priority areas include energy efficiency, low-carbon building materials, and green skills/workforce development.
Climate change is the greatest economic and health threat in human history, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. Considering this, we support initiatives that build engagement, capacity, and momentum among communities in Canada to respond to and build resilience against the consequences of climate change. We value strategies that prioritize the health and well-being of vulnerable communities. Priority areas include access to clean, affordable energy and Indigenous-led resilience.
Grant Types
It’s up to you to determine what type of grant to apply for. The Peter Gilgan Foundation accepts applications for three types of grants:
Project grants fund specific programs or activities over a determined time period. Most of our project grants are single-year. We may award multi-year grants for well-aligned large-scale projects and/or repeat grantees.
Capacity-building grants are discrete, specific investments to strengthen internal capabilities, knowledge, and resources enhancing the organization’s ability to fulfil its mission.
General operating grants are typically only awarded to repeat grantees after a successful project or capacity-building grant, and to Indigenous-led organizations. Grantees may use these funds to cover any costs of running the organization and fulfilling its mission.
Deadlines
There are no deadlines for the Climate Change program. We accept expressions of interest on a rolling basis.
Eligibility Guidelines
To be eligible to apply for funding, your organization must:
- Employ at least one paid staff member
- Have completed a tax return or financial audit for the previous fiscal year
- Have not submitted an unsuccessful Expression of Interest or Full Application to the Peter Gilgan Foundation in the past 12 months
We do not accept applications for:
- Capital campaigns
- Emergency relief
- Endowments
- Fundraising drives
- Fundraising events or galas
- Government services
- Grantmaking intermediaries
- Individuals
- Scholarships
Our climate change grants typically range between $50,000 – $150,000 per year. If you have a bigger project that meets our funding priories, put in an expression of interest and if our committee is interested in learning more we will be in touch.
You can submit a new Expression of Interest through our online application portal once you have provided your Final Report for your current grant.
Our in-house climate change experts calculate each project’s emissions reduction potential following our new GHG Measurement Strategy. We base our analysis on the project activity details you provide in our application form, combined with in-house research on local contexts and opportunities. As part of our analysis, we may reach out to you to clarify assumptions or to request further details to support our calculations.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, learn about our application process.
