Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund: Program Guidelines

Research, engagement and knowledge gathering

These activities help communities learn about missing children and understand where burial sites may be.

• Working with partners and impacted communities to create an inclusive plan to find missing children and burial sites at, or linked to, a specific residential school.
• Archival research to review records, maps, photos, student lists, and other documents about missing children and possible burial locations.
• Gathering local knowledge by speaking with people—for example, Survivors, families, Elders, or other community members, about missing children and possible burial locations at, or linked to, a specific residential school.
• Developing plans or proposals for unmarked or known cemeteries and burial sites at, or linked to, a specific residential school.

Bringing children home

These activities support work to identify possible burial locations and honour cultural protocols.

• Finding possible burial locations by doing field surveys or archaeological work.
• Working with other impacted communities to create an inclusive plan for identifying individual remains and, if families choose, possibly bringing them home.
• Holding on-site ceremonies and cultural activities before, during, or after fieldwork, guided by cultural protocols (such as feasts or healing circles).

For information on the eligibility of activities that support the physical identification and repatriation of human remains, please contact: enfants_disparusenfants_disparus-missing_children@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca-missing_children@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

Memorialize or commemorate missing children and burial sites

These activities support remembering and honouring missing children and Survivors.

• Identifying ways to honour burial sites linked to former residential schools, such as installing or repairing grave markers, landscaping, placing monuments, or creating healing gardens or quiet spaces for reflection.
  • The program supports limited enhancements—such as modest landscaping, markers, or small contemplative spaces—rather than large scale or capital intensive installations.
• Organizing commemorative events for cemeteries or unmarked graves left undisturbed, and honouring Survivors whose knowledge and stories supported this work.

Eligible expenses

These are the costs the program can approve funding for. They must be directly linked to your community-led and Survivor-driven work to find and document missing children and burial sites. If a cost is not clearly connected to the approved work, it cannot be funded. For a full description of eligible costs, please refer to Annex A, which provides more information on eligible expenses.

These are costs we cannot pay for:

• Costs that are not directly related to your approved activities
• Buying land or anything to do with land acquisition
• Building or fixing major buildings or other large capital projects
• Pay, benefits, or other costs for full‑time elected leaders
• Costs for people running for elected office
• Employee benefits that go beyond what your organization normally gives (for example, extra vacation days or special bonuses not included in your usual policy)

Every day or ongoing operating costs (not eligible):

• Regular office or day‑to‑day costs
• Costs that support your basic operations or core funding
• Work that staff already do as part of their regular jobs

Note: These costs can only be covered by the 10% administrative fee

Other ineligible costs:

• Routine repair or maintenance work for your organization's own space or buildings (for example, fixing your regular office space, building upkeep, or repairs that are part of your normal operations )
  This does not include small fixes or upkeep needed for your initiative space or project equipment.
• Litigation costs (a ny costs related to lawsuits or legal disputes )
• Buying motor vehicles or heavy equipment

Application process

To complete the application process, please ensure you follow the below steps:

1. Complete, sign and date an application package. This includes the application form, a workplan, detailed budget, and cashflow forecast. If you wish to obtain an application form and/or templates from the program, please submit an email request to: enfants_disparus-missing_children@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca
2. Attach all the required supporting documents (for example letter of support from Chief and Council, Tribal Council/Organization).
3. Submit your application to the following email address: enfants_disparus-missing_children@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

1. Your initiative

• whether your initiative fits the objective of the program
• whether your activities and budget match the eligible activities and cost types
• whether the work can be done within the time you have and within the funding period
• whether the amount you are asking for is reasonable and needed to do the work
• whether the initiative can still move ahead if the program can only offer partial funding

2. Your organization

• whether you meet all eligibility rules
• whether all required reports from past funding have been submitted
• whether your team has the capacity to lead the work

3. Program authorities and available funding

• staying within the maximum amounts allowed
• following stacking limits
• looking at any unspent funding related to the same activity
• considering realistic cash needs for the fiscal year (including delays in signing agreements)

4. Phased Funding:

Some parts of this work depend on what is learned in early phases. The program may use a phased funding approach, which means:

• you may receive funding for early phases first
• later phases may be approved after you finish early work and share the results with the Department

Ceremonies and gatherings

Items may include:

• ceremonial gifts (see limitations on eligible expenses below
• materials and supplies (for example, cloth, tobacco, medicines)
• honoraria (see limitations on eligible expenses below)
• insurance, permits, or licenses
• refreshments
• site clean up
• site security
• venue costs
• technical support (visual, sound, lighting)
• venue rental
• other (specify)

Community engagement sessions/workshops

Items may include:

• honoraria and ceremonial gifts (see limitations on eligible expenses below)
• materials and supplies
• outreach costs
• refreshments
• venue rental
• workshop or seminar costs

Cultural and emotional supports (connected to project activities)

Items may include:

• cultural materials and supplies (for example, medicines, cloth, bundles)
• Elder services
• health support worker (project related)
• Traditional Healer services

Environmental and search technology costs

Items may include:

• environmental assessment costs
• search technologies (for example, ground penetrating radar, LiDAR)
• site preparation costs (for example, small clearing, levelling, temporary access)
• site protection (for example, fencing, security)
• site clean up
• workshop or seminar costs
• other (specify)

Equipment

Items may include:

• custom programming
• rental or purchase of equipment (for example, laptops, computers, scanners)
• repair and maintenance of equipment originally funded
• software purchases (for example, GIS, mapping, data management)
• other (specify)

Meetings (project coordination, advisory councils or committees, partners)

Items may include:

• honoraria (see limitations on eligible expenses below)
• materials and supplies
• photocopying
• printing
• refreshments
• translation
• venue rental

Memorial or commemorative spaces and markers

Items may include:

• design and planning fees
• excavation and site preparation
• installation costs
• materials and construction (for example, gravel, stone, woodwork)
• restoration costs
• other (specify)

Professional and consultant fees

Items may include:

• accounting fees (project specific only, for example, hiring an outside bookkeeper or firm to support this initiative only - for example, 5 hours per week)
  • Note: If your own organization's finance staff do the work, put these costs under Administration (10%) or Salaries, not here.
• audit fees (project specific only, for example, extra fees to add this project's schedules to your community's annual audit)
  • Note: the regular yearly community audit should be covered within Administration (10%).
• communications or consultant firm
• legal fees (project specific only, for example, help with contracts or privacy forms)
• archaeologists, anthropologists, genealogists, forensic experts, investigators
• archivists or researchers
• information technology support
• monument or plaque design
• project management fees
• speakers
• honoraria (see limitations on eligible expenses below)
• other (specify)

Promotion and communication

Costs directly paid for by the community and not covered within professional or consultant fees.

Items may include:

• advertising
• information pamphlets
• marketing design and promotion
• photographer
• press conference costs
• publishing and printing
• signage
• translation services
• website development and maintenance
• other (specify)

Rent and utilities

Items may include:

• meeting space rental
• office space rental
• storage space rental
• utility costs (for example, heat, electricity, internet)
• cell phone costs

Research (archival, statement gathering, interviews)

Items may include:

• data storage
• honoraria (see limitations on eligible expenses below)
• materials and supplies
• photocopying
• printing
• recording equipment (for example, audio recorders, cameras)
• refreshments
• translation

Salaries

(For full time, part time, seasonal, or contract staff within the recipient's payroll system.)

Items may include:

• community liaisons
• coordinators
• project manager

Travel (transportation, meals, accommodation)

Travel expenses must follow the National Joint Travel Directive

Items may include:

• freight costs
• local transportation (for example, mileage, gas, taxi, bus)
• travel and accommodation
• other (specify)

Volunteer participation expenses

Items may include:

• accommodations
• distinctive clothing (for example, safety vests, event identification)
• parking costs
• refreshments (see limitations on eligible expenses for hospitality below)
• safety equipment
• training costs
• transportation
• other (specify)

Administration (maximum 10 % of total contribution)

Items may include:

• accounting fees (when not project specific; in house finance work)
• regular yearly audit (community wide audit)
• general administration
• general operating costs
• office materials and supplies
• office equipment rental
• administrative salaries, fees, and benefits
• other (specify)

Limitations on eligible expenses

• Travel expenses must follow the National Joint Travel Directive.
• Hospitality expenses must follow the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures- Canada.ca.
• Honoraria and individual gifts must not be more than $1,000 per person per day.

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