Cultural/Educational Centres Program

AANDC's Cultural Education Centres Program (CECP) is a proposal-based program that funds First Nation and Inuit communities to help preserve and strengthen their culture, traditions and languages. The CECP funds projects that promote awareness of First Nations history and culture among community members and the broader Canadian public.

The program is designed to fund cultural education centres in undertaking work that will lead to:

• Curricula for First Nation and Inuit schools which is culturally relevant to the student population; and
• an enhanced cultural environment and understanding within communities. The CECP is intended to contribute to improved educational outcomes for First Nation and Inuit students.

Who receives support?

The CECP provides financial assistance to community-based First Nation and Inuit Cultural Education Centres, First Nations and their representative organizations and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

When the program was established in 1971, there were nine Cultural Education Centres receiving support from the Department. Today, AANDC provides support to approximately 116 centres of activity in all provinces and territories.

Activities funded under the Cultural Education Centres Program

Many of the activities funded by the CECP focus on school-age children and include resources for classroom instruction and after-school programs. Other activities include evening classes for adults and seasonal events for community members, including cultural demonstrations and tours targeted at the general public.