The Education Partnerships Program is designed to promote collaboration among First Nations, provinces, [Note 1] the Government of Canada and other stakeholders in order to improve the success of First Nation elementary and secondary students in First Nation and provincial schools. It is an opt-in Program for First Nations and provinces that are interested. The Program supports the establishment and advancement of formal partnership arrangements that aim to develop practical working relationships between officials and educators in regional First Nation organizations and schools, and those in provincial systems. These partnership arrangements open the way to sharing information and better coordination between First Nation and provincial schools. The result will be concrete benefits for the students, teachers and administrators involved.

Education partnerships benefit all parties. Regional First Nation organizations and schools will benefit from exposure to new ideas, models and discussions that can improve their educational administration. Provincial ministries and school boards will benefit from examples, input and contributions of First Nation perspectives that enhance the learning opportunities of non-First Nation teachers and students. The learning experiences of all Canadian students will be enriched as partnerships mature, and students develop respect for, and share in, indigenous value systems, traditional knowledge and sustainable practices.

The overall objective of the Education Partnerships Program is to help advance First Nation student achievement in First Nation and provincial schools. It will do this through support for partnership arrangements, where First Nation and provincial officials share expertise and services, and partners coordinate learning initiatives in support of First Nation students.

Partnership Categories – The Education Partnerships Program supports two categories of partnership development:

1) the negotiation and drafting of tripartite education Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) and joint action plans, between a regional First Nation organization(s), the provincial Ministry of Education and AANDC, where they do not already exist (Partnership Establishment); and
2) the drafting and implementation of joint action plans within established partnerships where there is an MOU or similar formal tripartite partnership agreement already in place between a regional First Nation organization(s), the provincial Ministry of Education and AANDC, (Partnership Advancement).

Note: If required, the Program will provide a regional First Nation organization with a limited amount of funding for up to one year in advance of the negotiation and drafting of a tripartite MOU. This limited funding would assist in bringing First Nations and other prospective partners together (See Section 4.1).

Priority areas – All partnership development, at both the MOU development and implementation stage, must focus on one or more of four priority areas:

1. Developing First Nation-provincial arrangements or strategies to improve programs and services for First Nation students attending provincial schools (e.g. tuition agreements).
2. Mutual sharing of expertise and provision of services (e.g. professional development; culturally appropriate curriculum).
3. Improving coordination between First Nation and provincial schools to help ensure smooth transitions for students.
4. Creating better linkages between elementary and secondary education on reserve and early childhood programs, and/or labour market training programs, through partnerships involving other federal and provincial departments.

(See detailed description of all the above in Section 4.3)

Membership in the Partnership – At a minimum, partnerships will include a regional First Nation organization, the provincial Ministry of Education and AANDC. At this level, partnerships can maximize opportunities for coordination and cost-efficiency. Other stakeholders may also participate in the partnerships. These stakeholders could include, for example, other federal and provincial government departments and private sector organizations. For the purposes of the partnership, a regional First Nation organization can manage partnership funding and/or the coordination of partnership activities for independent, non-member First Nations, if these independent First Nations agree to this arrangement.

Roles and Responsibilities – All partners share a common interest and responsibility for identifying ways to support the success of First Nation students. All partners will be responsible for the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the partnership and its activities. In many partnerships, provincial school boards/districts/divisions could also play a role in the implementation of joint partnership plans.

Federal funding – Federal funding under the Education Partnerships Program will be available to regional First Nation organizations to support their participation in tripartite partnerships, and to support joint initiatives directed to First Nation schools. Provinces would financially support joint activities directed to provincial schools. If and where agreed to in a joint action plan, the regional First Nation organization may choose to purchase required services from a provincial government.

Scope of Program – The Education Partnerships Program is meant to kick-start tripartite education partnerships where they do not already exist, and to provide impetus for more joint activity where they do. The Program concludes March 31, 2013. 

Funded activities include negotiation of MOUs and joint action plans, negotiation of programs and service-type tuition agreements and development of joint protocols (e.g. student transitions). These are all one-time or time-limited activities. A partnership could also seek funding, on a pilot project basis, for joint activities in First Nation schools that involve the coordination of education-related programs across federal, provincial and First Nation responsibility areas (e.g. introducing essential skills programs into First Nation high schools with provincial assistance in curriculum and training). If these pilot projects prove to be successful, the partners could solicit funding from other Programs.

Eligible recipients include regional First Nation organizations. To be funded, a regional First Nation organization will meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Formal endorsement from member communities, through band council resolutions, a Chiefs’ summit resolution, or other similar process.
• Organizational structure includes an Executive Director or equivalent, finance officer, and Board of Directors or equivalent.
• Currently undertakes, as a key function, elementary and secondary education support for member communities.
• Be in a sound financial position.
• Agrees to produce publicly available annual reports on education partnership activities and expenditures.
• If new, is a replacement of an existing organization or an amalgamation of existing organizations. 

Other Terms and Conditions

• To encourage better coordination, efficiencies and economies of scale, priority will be given to regional First Nation organizations with a large representation of communities and students attending band-operated schools.
• Regional First Nation organizations can manage partnership funding and/or coordinate partnership initiatives for independent, non-member First Nations, if these independent First Nations agree to such an arrangement.Organizations will be required to provide a signed written statement from each non-member First Nation saying that they agree to have Education Partnership Program funding administered and managed by the organization on their behalf.

All proposals will be assessed using the following criteria:

• Capability: The experience, expertise and/or capacity of all partners to undertake the proposed partnership activities successfully and achieve the desired results (for established partnerships, the track record of past partnership activities will be taken into account).
• Commitment and Consultation: The extent to which the proposal has the support of communities and schools; and the extent of, and approach to, community consultation.
• Implementation Activities: The degree to which the proposal demonstrates a likely positive impact on First Nation student achievement in participating communities and schools; and the degree to which the proposal demonstrates the proposed activities are feasible and appropriate for meeting stated objectives.
• Project Management: How the project will be managed, including project governance, management of project scope, quality, timelines, budget, human resources, and risk, as well as project monitoring, control and reporting.
• Project Costs: The extent to which the proposed budget is reasonable in relation to the goals, design and potential impact of the partnership activities.

Note: Meeting these criteria does not guarantee funding from the Education Partnerships Program.

The Program will roll out through successive rounds. Each round will begin with AANDC’s call for proposals from interested applicants. The annual Call for Proposals letter, which includes important proposal information and the deadline for submitting proposals, can be found on the AANDC Education Web site under “Key Dates.”

Applicants should send their proposals to the Education Branch at AANDC Headquarters in Gatineau, Quebec. See Annex A for the Education Partnerships Program Proposal Instructions and Annex B for an Education Partnerships Program Proposal Template. Electronic copies are available on the AANDC Education Web site.

Proposals must be signed off by the regional First Nation organization, the Province and the AANDC Region. The only exception would be proposals seeking support for preliminary consultation with First Nations and other prospective partners in advance of the MOU negotiation and drafting stage. A National Selection Committee will review proposals by using the Proposal Assessment Criteria (Section 7). Applicants selected for funding must have the capacity to implement their proposal immediately. Program recipients will be encouraged to share best practices and lessons learned with other potential recipients as the program rolls out.

The National Selection Committee will evaluate proposals against the Proposal Assessment Criteria (Section 7). The Committee will then decide which proposals will receive funding. 

The number of submissions funded will depend on the quality of submissions and the funds available each year.

Eligible Expenditures

Partnership Establishment

Costs associated with a regional First Nation organization’s participation in the development of MOUs, or for conducting preliminary consultation with First Nations and other prospective partners:

• Salaries for employees working on tripartite partnership development.
• Travel within Canada related to tripartite partnership development.
• Meetings directly related to tripartite partnership development.
• Communications with First Nations related to tripartite partnership development.
• Professional/consulting/Elders’ fees related to tripartite partnership development.
• Legal consultation related to the tripartite partnership agreement.
• Administration costs not covered above (not exceeding 6%).

Partnership Advancement

• Expenditures eligible under “Partnership Establishment” (above).
• Costs associated with the implementation of joint agreements, protocols or strategies as they relate to First Nation schools (e.g. data-sharing protocols, mentorship programs, guidance and preparation for students entering provincial schools).
• First Nation purchase of services directly linked to joint partnership plans.
• Costs associated with the implementation of extending provincial initiatives/programs into First Nation schools

Ineligible Expenditures

• Provincial tuition.
• Activities related to the negotiation and implementation of self-government agreements that are covered through AANDC self-government funding.
• Construction, operation and maintenance of federal and First Nation school facilities.
• Duplication of federal funding for a given activity (i.e. receipt of funding from more than one federal source for the same activity).

The Education Partnerships Program is a national program for which interested applicants must submit proposals. The total amount of program funding is $18 million. Funding will be provided on an annual basis only in the form of a Contribution. Proposals may be multi-year (maximum of three years). However, applicants should take into account that the Program ends on March 31, 2013. Successful Program recipients must resubmit their proposals annually and revise them as required.

The Education Partnerships Program does not allow for funding an identical activity under two different education programs (e.g. New Paths and the Education Partnerships Program). The Program may fund activities previously supported under another AANDC program.

The maximum amount payable for Partnership Establishment will be $300K per recipient per year.

The maximum amount payable for preliminary consultation with First Nations and other prospective partners in advance of the MOU negotiation and drafting stage will be $60Kper recipient (up to one year only).

Each partnership will be required to undertake ongoing monitoring and evaluation of progress against agreed-upon objectives, timelines and outputs/outcomes as described in the proposal and set out in the Contribution Agreement.

An annual program activity report will be submitted to the AANDC Regional Office by June 30th, in accordance with the schedule outlined in the funding agreement.

Recipients will be required to report on the objectives, targets, summary of activities and outcomes on an annual basis. 

Financial reports are due by July 30th, in accordance with the schedule outlined in the funding agreement.

DCI Number / Fiscal Year:  1775522 (2011-2012)

Purpose:  Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) requires that organizations seeking funding under the Education Partnerships Program provide a proposal which responds to the requirements described in the Education Partnerships Program Proposal Template (Annex B) and as outlined in the Education Partnerships Program Guidelines.  The proposal can be used to seek funding for one of the following activities:

1. Preliminary Consultations – Where a regional First Nation organization is not currently a member of a formal education partnership and require an initial consultation period with First Nations and prospective partners in order to get to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) drafting and negotiation stage. This consultation period cannot exceed 12 months.
   
   
2. Partnership Establishment – Where a regional First Nation organization is not currently a member of a formal education partnership, to access funding for the negotiation and drafting of an MOU and joint action plan with partners. This period cannot exceed 18 months.
   
   
3. Partnership Advancement – Where a regional First Nation organization is currently a member of an existing education partnership that has been formalized through a formal partnership agreement (i.e. an MOU), to access funding to develop and implement a joint action plan.

Due Date:  Until midnight (12:00 a.m. Pacific time) of the proposal deadline as outlined in the call for proposals. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Helpful Hints:

How to obtain forms:

• You may take a copy of the form from the Recipient Reporting Guide CD provided to band administration; or
• You may download the form from the Recipient Reporting Guide. To log in to the on-line Guide, click on this link or copy the link into your computer’s internet browser. When the home page is displayed, select your province/territory and then type in the password which is the same as the province/territory selected.

How to complete the form:

• Complete sections 1 and 2 of the proposal template, save it and print it.
• Prepare and attach a document which contains the proposal details outlined in either section 3, 4 or 5 of the proposal template depending on the phase of partnership development that you are in. Proposals should not exceed 30 pages in length. To ensure eligibility, please ensure that pertinent sections are completed as per the instructions following. (Incomplete proposals will be returned to the applicant.)
• Prepare other supporting documentation required as described below.
• Print and secure the signatures required in Section 7 of the proposal template.
  • For Preliminary Consultations, the proposal requires only the signature of the regional First Nation organization seeking funding (not prospective partners).
  • For Partnership Establishment activities, the proposal must be signed, at a minimum, by the regional First Nation organization, the provincial Ministry of Education, and the AANDC Regional Office.
  • For Partnership Advancement activities, the proposal must be signed, at a minimum, by the regional First Nation organization, the provincial Ministry of Education, and the AANDC Regional Office.

Required Supporting Documents:

• A list of members of the Board of Directors or equivalent, including names of the Executive Director or equivalent and Financial Officer;
• A copy of your last audited financial statements;
• A list of all member First Nation Communities of your organization;
• If applicable, a signed, written statement from each non-member First Nation that attest that they agree to have Education Partnerships Program funding administered and managed by your organization on their behalf.

How to submit completed report to AANDC:

Proposals are to be submitted to AANDC Headquarters at the following address:

Attn: Director, Regional Partnerships
Education Branch
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
6th Floor, 255 Albert St,
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0H4

Fax: (613) 995-9393

• Include one copy of the complete proposal package in hard-copy format with original signatures, as well as an electronic version on CD, diskette or flash drive in Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format.
• Proposals may be mailed, couriered or faxed. A hard copy of the proposal must be mailed or couriered following faxing. Electronic versions can be emailed or submitted via the First Nations and Inuit Transfer Payment Project (FNITP).
• Upon receipt, all proposals will be logged and dated. Applicants will be notified of receipt.

How to check the status of the submission:

• CD users may check the status of the submission and acceptance in the CD system. For further information on how to access CD, please contact your regional office.

The National Selection Committee will rate each proposal against the criteria found in Section 7 of the Education Partnerships Program Guidelines. The Committee will also approve funding.

Contact your AANDC Funding Services Officer for further information.

Program Documentation:   Education Program Information and/or on Recipient Reporting Guide CD.

Program Authority / Applicable Legislation:  Authority for the delivery of programs for elementary and secondary education, post-secondary education and cultural education centres.

Field Definitions:

Suggested Presentation Formats for Tables:

Table 1: Risk Management

Table 2: Detailed Budget

Privacy Statement:
The information you provide in this document is collected under the authority of Treasury Board’s policy on Transfer Payments for the purpose of delivering programs and services for elementary and secondary education. Information on individuals is used by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Education employees who use the information in order to respond to your request and/or the program requirements.  We may share the information you give us with other government departments. The personal information will be kept for a period of 30 years and will then be transferred to Library and Archives Canada. Individuals have the right to the protection of and access to their personal information under the Privacy Act  . The information collected is described under the Treasury Board Personal Information Bank INA PPU 045 which is detailed at Info Source  .