I see two spellings of EcoAction and ecoACTION; what's the difference?

Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program has provided financial support to community groups for projects that have measurable, positive impacts on the environment since 1995. It encourages project submissions that will protect, rehabilitate or enhance the natural environment, and build the capacity of communities to sustain these activities into the future.

The Government of Canada’s ecoACTION initiative was launched in 2006 and is designed to help reduce the consequences of climate change, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives include ecoENERGY, ecoTRANSPORT and the Trust Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change.

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How do I turn a project idea into a final project proposal?

Community groups are encouraged to share a draft outline of their project at least one to two months before the November 1 funding deadline.  A Regional Program Officer will review the eligibility of the group and project idea as well as suggest areas that could be modified to strengthen the original proposal.

Final proposals must be sent to your Environment Canada Regional Office on or before the November 1 deadline.  Applications or proposals delivered by hand and signed for by an Environment Canada Employee or received by fax, by e-mail or by post and postmarked in accordance with the deadline will be accepted.

If the application deadline date falls on a weekend or holiday (when postal services may be unavailable) you will need to submit the application earlier and/or ensure it is postmarked before the deadline date.

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What type of projects does the EcoAction Community Funding Program fund?

In keeping with major Environment Canada and Government of Canada environmental priorities, the Program supports projects that address the following four themes:

Clean Air - reducing air emissions that contribute to air pollutants

Clean Water - diverting and reducing substances that negatively affect water quality or focusing on water conservation and efficiency

Climate Change - reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change or dealing with the impacts of climate change

Nature - protecting wildlife and plants, and protecting and improving the habitats where they live.

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How can community groups obtain additional funding?

Environment Canada's Green Source Funding Database helps Canadians identify funding resources for environmental projects.  The database includes information on public and private sector programs and organizations that provide financial assistance to community groups.  In addition, other funding resources are available on the funding resources section of the potential applicants page.

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How are performance indicators used to track the overall environmental success of all the funded projects?

Performance indicators are measurable results that demonstrate how project objectives are met. All projects are required to clearly demonstrate that their objectives and goals are measurable and to show how project results are captured. Environment Canada evaluates the success of EcoAction Community Funding Program by analysing detailed information from individual projects. Standard project performance indicators have been developed for the EcoAction Community Funding Program. These are used to guide applicants and recipients in the development of project-specific indicators to measure progress toward the achievement of project deliverables and results. All projects must include at least one (1) environmental indicator from the list of performance indicators. The use of standard indicators will enable the Program to aggregate project-level results in order to demonstrate how and to what extent environmental benefits have occurred as a result of EcoAction-supported activities. Environment Canada uses this information to roll-up and report on overall program results.

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What makes for a strong project application?

To be eligible for funding support, projects should plan to:

• have social, economic, health and environmental benefits
• respond to the overall goals of the EcoAction program
• respond to clearly defined and demonstrable community needs
• involve people from the community
• share results with others and facilitate transferability of knowledge or skills
• include a baseline for a measurable indicator that will be tracked
• demonstrate knowledge of the environmental problem, a sound project plan, and strong management for the project
• publicize the results of the activity to increase awareness of the issue and encourage community support and interest
• demonstrate potential for the project to be self-sustaining after the EcoAction Community Funding Program support

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How do I acknowledge the EcoAction Community Funding Program?

Please contact your Environment Canada Regional Office to discuss appropriate ways to acknowledge the EcoAction Community Funding Program in communications materials that you produced for your project. According to Government of Canada's Contribution Agreement, you should acknowledge Environment Canada's contribution to your project in various types of communications materials. To do this, please use a sentence such as: "This Project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment".

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