We support projects that meet clear and demonstrated needs, with innovative approaches in the areas of environmental work, education and/or journalism. Our grants are up to $35,000. We do not generally award multi-year commitments.
For information about how to apply for project-based funding in our areas of interest, please see our Applying for Project Grants page. Chawkers makes grants only to registered Canadian charities for work in Canada.
2025 Project Grants
BC Nature: Indigenous Caretakers for Key Biodiversity Areas in BC
By building on the past 5 years of working with over 200 individuals from 142 First Nations, BC Nature will create a Caretaker network of volunteers and a new model for Indigenous Caretakers to help communities increase conservation outcomes at KBA sites.
Canada’s National History Society: Kayak in the Classroom
In order to make the greatest impact with its resources, CNHS shifting Kayak entirely to a classroom distribution model and aim to make 350,000–400,000 copies of Kayak available annually for students.
CAPACOA: Rethinking Customer Relationships / Exploring New Approaches to Loyalty & Affiliation in the Performing Arts
This collaborative project will identify new loyalty models through piloted field studies, to restore sustainability for the national touring network that collectively and affordably brings artists across Canada. A MITACS researcher will help compile and analyze results for this nation-wide pilot project.
Christie Refugee Welcome Centre: Cultural Excursions for Refugee Families
This project will enrich the lives of refugee families who have recently arrived in Canada by providing cultural excursions in and around the GTA.
Fashion Takes Action: 7Rs of Circular Fashion:
The program teaches youth about the importance of diverting textile waste from landfill through the 7Rs Challenge and 7Rs of Circular Fashion digital workshop. It educates students on how to extend the life of their clothing through reuse, repurposing and repair activities.
Kenhte:ke Seed Sanctuary and Learning Centre (KSSLC)
Renewed resources from the Chawkers Foundation allowed KSS&LC to fence more garden and purchase equipment that improved tillage methods. These investments have helped to scale up production of traditional rare Indigenous corn seed, while reducing emissions and regenerating soil.
Living Lakes Canada
Using a pioneering approach that leverages existing wells and innovative geo-scanning technology and guided by expert advisors, LLC in partnership with the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) will develop and implement a framework for an enhanced ground water monitoring network. This project will be piloted in the Oldman River Watershed with support from the Piikani Nation Lands Department with the aim of expanding throughout Alberta.
Nature Canada: Nature Voice – Amplifying Advocacy Capacities
This program is designed to empower local groups in communities across Canada to address critical biodiversity challenges by increasing their advocacy and campaigning skills.
Oshichikesiwuk Nanipek / Mushkegowuk Tribal Council: Stewards Of The Breathing Lands – Artist Residency Pilot Project
As a component of the Stewards of the Breathing Lands initiative, Oshichikesiwuk Nanipek supports an interdisciplinary, co-creative artist residency that connects Omushkego artists to conservation organizations. Giving the creative and cultural voices space to learn and collaborate with different disciplines, the aim is to assist artists in further developing their voices to participate at the forefront of the dialogue and visioning of the future of their lands.
Port Renfrew Writers Retreat
The Wilderness Writing Residency is a twelve-day, in-person residency based in Port Renfrew, BC, for six emerging writers to write and shape a non-fiction magazine or book project that examines the natural world and our complicated relationship to the wilderness.
Alberta Ballet
This initiative will bring free, accessible Beginner Ballet and BalletxPowwow classes to approximately 980 under-served youth across Alberta. The program aims to strengthen community engagement and ensure all youth can access the transformative benefits of the arts.
Canadian Children’s Book Centre: Accessible Books for Young Readers
More to Discover is a multi-platform project designed to raise awareness of the need for accessible books, enhance discoverability of accessible Canadian titles, and help children and teens with print disabilities gain access to them.
Egale Canada: Supporting 2SLGBTQI Children and Youth in Child Welfare Settings
This project is an educational initiative by Egale Canada and the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies to improve support for 2SLGBTQI Children and Youth in Child Welfare Settings. This project will equip child welfare professionals to a) challenge biases within child welfare services; b) intervene in discrimination incidents in real time; and c) implement intersectional approaches to supporting 2SLGBTQI youth.
Fiducie Foncière du mont Pinacle: The SIBO Project
The SIBO Project is a conservation initiative focused on protecting and restoring the ecosystems along the Pike River, aiming to preserve biodiversity and enhance water quality through collaboration with landowners and key partners. By focusing on riparian zone protection, species conservation, and community engagement, the program works to promote sustainable land management practices.
Foundation for Learning & Skills Saskatchewan: Partners in Literacy Growth
This initiative delivers early learning and literacy training and family financial programming to under-served communities north of Saskatoon through collaborative partnerships. By empowering local organizations and volunteers with tailored resources and support, the initiative enhances literacy skills, fosters community resilience, and promotes long-term learning success.
Ottawa Riverkeeper: River School and River Teachers Network
River School is a unique program offering river-focused, environmental education workshops to youth in Grades 2 -12 in Ontario and Quebec, which ties directly to the curriculum and incorporates two-eyed seeing approaches. The River Teachers Network will build and strengthen the watershed’s community of educators by providing new resources, workshops and a newsletter series to enable teachers to strengthen their capacity to integrate river-focused environmental education into their teaching practices.
PINE Project: Pine Project and Thorncliffe Park Public School Partnership
The Pine Project and Thorncliffe Park Public School Partnership will provide a dynamic outdoor education program in local green spaces, addressing systemic barriers to accessing nature. Through Pine’s inquiry-based programming, it provides 375 equity-deserving grade 1 children with tools for critical thinking, risk assessment, confidence-building, conflict resolution, and environmental stewardship.
Raincoast Conservation: Propagation of Arbutus menziesii in the Salish Sea – A community handbook
This project seeks to develop an accessible, science- informed handbook for the propagation, transplanting, and seed collection of a threatened and declining native tree species, Arbutus menziesii (arbutus), in the Salish Sea region. The successful methods of local community members are documented, and are complemented by Indigenous and horticultural expertise.
Shorefast Foundation: Seaweed Plot Retrofit for Enhanced Cultivation
Shorefast is retrofitting its existing seaweed harvesting plot by implementing a 5-line array system, which significantly increases growing capacity without expanding the site footprint. This project leverages Fogo Island’s extensive shoreline and traditional fishing knowledge to maximize and promote sustainable economic development through seaweed cultivation.
Young Peoples Theatre: Deepening Accessibility within YPT Drama School
This initiative aims to enhance support for students with learning and behavioral exceptionalities by providing additional professional staffing and training for Teaching Artists. By improving accessibility, we will ensure all students can fully engage in YPT’s creative learning experiences.