Natural Climate Solutions

First Nations are on the front lines of climate change. Guardians programs and related stewardship efforts are increasingly advancing powerful, natural based, solutions to these issues. At the same time, they are supporting community and Nation-level priorities such as education, health, poverty reduction, youth empowerment, language and cultural revitalization, and economic revitalization.

In 2021, the Government of Canada announced a $1.4B commitment over 10 years to the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund with $76.9M of that set aside to support Indigenous-led Guardians efforts, and $53.8M committed to First Nations Guardians. The NGN is preparing to take over the distribution of these funds to First Nations from ECCC in Spring of 2026 with an anticipated funding application in-take in the fall of 2025. To prepare, our team is in the early stages of engaging with First Nations about the types of natural climate solutions projects that the funding will prioritize and support.

Please check back for more information about how to get involved in the program.