Deadline Date: September 23, 2025

 Donor Name: International Development Research Centre

 Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/funding/connecting-indigenous-research-leadership-canada-and-global-south

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is pleased to announce a call for proposals to connect Indigenous research and leadership in Canada and in the Global South to complement the Tri-agency strategic funding opportunity Indigenous Capacity and Leadership in Research Connection Grants being led by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Key Objectives

• This call for proposals is a dedicated funding opportunity for Indigenous organizations in the Global South that are interested in connecting with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada through knowledge-sharing activities. The purpose is to co-develop an interdisciplinary, Indigenous research agenda and build alliances between Indigenous researchers in the Global South and First Nations, Métis and Inuit researchers in Canada that may lead to broader joint research endeavours in the future.
• More specifically, this funding opportunity aims to:
  • support the research priorities of Indigenous Peoples as identified by them;
  • champion Indigenous leadership, self-determination and capacity in research for the benefit of Indigenous communities;
  • increase awareness and visibility of Indigenous researchers, students and communities in policy and research fora;
  • recognize Indigenous ways of knowing as an integral part of valid and authoritative research;
  • support Indigenous-led strategies and structures that address respectful and mutually beneficial data management, data sovereignty and intellectual property rights in Indigenous research.

Thematic Areas

• Climate-Resilient Food Systems
  • They fund research that helps build equitable, inclusive and sustainable food systems in developing countries. The work helps develop resilience among communities severely affected by climate change and address emerging health threats that arise from food systems.
• Democratic and Inclusive Governance
  • They invest in research and innovation so that people around the world can enjoy the benefits that democracy and inclusive governance bring to everyday life. 
• Education and Science
  • They support research to ensure children and youth from vulnerable populations are in school and benefit from high-quality education. They also support women’s leadership in strong science systems that produce knowledge and innovation, and improve lives.
• Global Health
  • They strengthen health systems and policies so they can deliver better maternal and child health, improved sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls, and more effective and equitable preparedness and responses to epidemics.
• Sustainable Inclusive Economies
  • They are building the evidence base to support sustainable development that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The program enhances climate resiliency, fosters shared prosperity, and expands economic opportunities for women and youth in developing countries.

Funding Information

• IDRC will allocate up to CAD700,000 through this call, with projects receiving up to CAD100,000 each. 

Duration

• Each individual project will be 12 months in duration. 

Expected Outcomes 

• This call for proposals will support events and activities such as community gatherings and workshops that will mobilize existing knowledge, facilitate dialogue and knowledge sharing and promote interdisciplinary research methodologies. These events and activities will result in the preparation of a research agenda, strategy and/or action plan that contribute to and support capacity-strengthening and leadership for Indigenous communities to conduct research. Applicants can choose to focus on all or a selection of the following outcome areas:
  • Increased support to Indigenous talent and research careers
    • Indigenous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers are supported.
    • Indigenous Elders and Indigenous knowledge holders are involved in research.
    • Barriers to participation and success, including nation- and gender-specific barriers, are removed.
    • An inclusive research and research training environment is fostered.
    • A science and engineering culture is fostered.
  • Increased engagement with Indigenous knowledge
    • Research into Indigenous knowledge systems is supported.
    • Indigenous science and holistic approaches are supported.
    • The understanding of reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada is enhanced.
    • The knowledge of Indigenous languages and practices is built.
    • Intersectionality (gender, age, sexuality and other markers of difference) is taken into consideration.
  • Strengthened Indigenous capacity and leadership in research
    • Indigenous and community-led research is supported.
    • Rights-based approaches are supported.
    • Indigenous ownership and control of data is ensured.
  • Fostered mutually respectful relationships
    • Past use of extractive and unethical research practices between non-Indigenous researchers and Indigenous communities are acknowledged and rejected moving forward.
    • Ethical and responsible conduct of Indigenous research is supported. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals need to meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered:
  • The Lead Applicant Organization to this call must be headquartered in an eligible country in the respective region where it operates (West and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa). 
  • The Lead Applicant Organization to this call must have independent legal status (or “legal personality”) and be capable of contracting in their own right and name, receiving and administering funds, and have authority to direct proposed project activities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate legal status through written documentation. Legal status will only be reviewed if and when applicants are selected following technical selection.
  • The call for proposals is not open to individuals or government ministries, and agencies or branches, offices and chapters of international organizations, but it is open to public research institutes, think tanks, universities and not-for-profit organizations with a research mandate. Regional or country offices of international organizations are ineligible to apply as Lead Applicant Organizations even if these offices are registered as independent legal entities in their countries of location.
  • The Lead Applicant Organization must be Indigenous or supporting Indigenous-led research programs. Preference will be given to Indigenous organizations or organizations supporting Indigenous-led research programs that have established linkages with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada. Indigenous organizations or organizations supporting Indigenous-led research programs seeking to establish such linkages will be considered as well.
  • The research team must include Indigenous researchers and, in particular, women or gender-diverse Indigenous researchers.

For more information, visit IDRC.