$20 M available for commemoration

Money available for residential school commemoration projects cannot be used to replace lost funding from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation,” said Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
While there may have been some similar commemorative events that the Aboriginal Healing Foundation funded as part of what they were doing, Sinclair said commemoration money is “not intended to be a source of core funding for organizations. It’s intended to be a way in which survivor communities can put together a commemoration project.”

A call has gone out for proposals that meet the criteria established for the commemoration initiative fund, which is administered through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). However, the TRC, along with the Indian Residential School Survivors Advisory Committee, will make recommendations on projects to INAC.

The fund has been set at $20 million, with $10 million available in this round. Project proposals are due by March 18. Approved projects will begin to receive funding in April.

As many as 10 communities may come together to access up to $500,000 for a single project. Individually communities are limited to $50,000 in funding. Up to $2 million is available for national commemoration initiatives.

“The commemoration initiative is part of the TRC’s mandate,” said Sinclair. “The commemoration is intended to be about honoring, educating, remembering, memorializing and paying tribute to residential school former students, families and their communities, and acknowledging the experience and broad systemic impacts of residential schools.”

Commemoration initiatives can take on a variety of forms, including creation of or improvements to existing memorials, commemorative structures, or ceremonies.
Proposals can be submitted by communities, Aboriginal organizations representing a group, groups of residential school survivors, churches or charitable organizations dealing with residential school issues.