Funding Programs for Communities

The Province, along with other funding partners, provides funding support for capacity building, planning, energy efficiency, and renewable energy generation. Projects are led by communities and are tailored to individual community needs. 

Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR) 

The Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR) program provides non-repayable funding contributions for renewable energy initiatives to eligible remote communities. These communities are off-grid residential regions that rely on diesel fuel for electricity generation. The program provides a suite of funding for capacity building and planning, energy efficiency projects, and renewable energy generation.   

British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI) 

British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI) provides funding for First Nations, tribal councils, and organizations majority owned by First Nation communities for energy efficiency projects, feasibility studies, project design and engineering, environmental reviews, and permitting for renewable energy projects. The program supports on-grid and remote and off-grid communities.

In June 2023, the Province announced a contribution of $140 million to the New Relationship Trust to expand the B.C. Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI) and further support small-scale, Indigenous-led clean energy projects. Interest earned from the endowment is now being used to support existing BCICEI funding streams; please refer to the New Relationship Trust website for more information. 

The Province, New Relationship Trust, PacifiCan and BC Hydro are developing a new funding stream to help offset the higher anticipated cost of small-scale power projects relative to large-scale projects (e.g. 40 MW in size). Once implemented in 2028, the new funding stream is expected to draw down the $140 million over several years.

The BCICEI program development team has released a discussion paper about the new funding stream.  The paper is intended to provide information and gather feedback on the conceptual design of the new funding stream and includes the proposed program principles, eligibility criteria and funding models.  Please download it here. 

The development team is holding one in-person and four virtual engagement sessions for First Nations input on the proposed funding stream. The in-person workshop is being held on May 24, 2024, at the Generate conference in Vancouver.   Virtual engagement dates are as follows:

• Friday May 31, 2024 - 10AM to Noon
• Tuesday June 11, 2024 - 10AM to Noon and 1PM - 3PM
• Thursday June 13, 2024 - 10AM to Noon

Please register for a virtual engagement session directly with Corfield and Associates: corfieldassociates01@gmail.com.  First Nations are encouraged to send feedback about the proposed design of the new funding stream to Corfied and Associates before June 20, 2024 via a brief survey or by email.  Feedback received will be considered in the design of the program.  Feedback and questions can also be submitted to the Community Clean Energy Branch:  communitycleanenergy@gov.bc.ca

The Indigenous Climate Action Network (I-CAN)  

The Indigenous Climate Action Network (I-CAN) program offers funding for remote Indigenous communities to hire, train, and mentor full-time Climate Action Coordinators. Coordinators support the planning and implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, and climate change adaptation projects for their communities.  

Energy Peers in Indigenous Communities (EPIC)  

The Energy Peers in Indigenous Communities (EPIC) network is a program to build capacity, knowledge, and skills related to renewable energy in Indigenous communities in B.C. The program supports a cohort of participants (called Community Energy Champions) with a peer-to-peer cohort and peer mentorship approach to building and sharing knowledge, networking and engagement, skills development, and training on renewable energy.