Standing Bear Northern Community Fund
ABOUT THE STANDING BEAR NORTHERN COMMUNITY FUND
The Standing Bear Northern Community fund was developed to support Indigenous communities and organizations, specifically in Northern Ontario, in delivering the Standing Bear program and activities to youth in an engaging and relevant way. Many communities and organizations are already delivering the activities that are detailed in Standing Bear courses and learning modules, including land-based activities, cultural activities and traditions, traditional art forms, sport and recreation activities, health and wellness programs, and career and life skills training and support. By utilizing the Standing Bear Program as a guide, communities can develop and deliver culturally meaningful activities for youth that strengthen connection to community and culture, while developing leadership capacity. Youth can earn credits towards certification through these community led activities.
The fund supports the project costs of Standing Bear activity supplies, materials and program delivery, including honorariums and workshop facilitator fees for elders, traditional knowledge keepers, artists, teachers, specialized experts, etc. needed to ensure successful completion of the program. You may also allocate up to 20% of the fund to cover the cost of a Project Coordinator/Facilitator to help support.
Approved applicants will need to indicate which activities, courses and learning modules they will be delivering (by using the provided checklist) and how many youths will be enrolling in the Standing Bear program prior to funds being released. All youth must register on the My ISWO portal (my.iswo.ca) to earn credits and certifications.
Approved applicants, with the support of ISWO’s Standing Bear program facilitators, will need to create and propose a program that is 8-12 weeks in duration, leading to the completion of the Core Leadership Certificate; if time and interest permits, activities from the elective streams can also be added to the program once the core is completed.
GOALS
The goals of the Standing Bear Fund are to:
- To encourage youth to enroll in and complete the Standing Bear Youth Leadership Program.
- To provide traditional teachings through experiential learnings.
- To support the overall program outcomes of the Standing Bear Youth Leadership Program, including increased confidence, strengthened identity, clear purpose and enhanced support networks.
AVAILABLE FUNDING/RESOURCES
The Standing Bear Youth Leadership Fund is able to fund 10 applicants up to a maximum amount of $5,000.00. Funding is allocated to support communities in Northern Ontario only.
We know that increased costs especially in the North have proven challenging, therefore applicants are strongly encouraged to seek partnerships within their community to support the successful delivery of their Standing Bear program from start to finish.
Funding will be provided in two payments; 80% upon project approval and the remaining 20% once the program has completed.
All youth registered in the program must complete the Core Indigenous Leadership Certificate; learning modules from elective streams can also be added to the program, depending on youth interests, facilitator time and knowledge.
WHO CAN APPLY?
To be eligible to apply for the Standing Bear Northern Community Fund, the applicant must be delivering the program in Northern Ontario and must be an:
- Indigenous band or community;
- Established Indigenous youth group;
- Indigenous not-for-profit organization (including Indigenous schools in Indigenous communities);
- An Indigenous government, provincial territorial organization or tribal council;
- Not-for-profit club or association that directly delivers organized sport projects in Indigenous communities, in consultation and collaboration with those communities, at no cost to participants.
ISWO is responsible for determining the eligibility of each applicant, their project and project-related expenses.
ELIGIBILITY
You are eligible if:
- Your community or organization is located within Northern Ontario;
- You have a minimum of 5 Indigenous youth participating in the program;
- Youth have been engaged in the decision to implement the project in the community;
- You have the support of the leadership of either the community or organization you are applying on behalf of; and
- It is evident that the community/organization has the capacity, resources and motivation to support youth in completing their SB certifications.
For more information, CLICK HERE to view the full Standing Bear Northern Community Fund Guidelines 2025-2025
CLICK HERE for the Standing Bear Northern Community Fund Application