Northern Conservation Program

Program Overview

Letter of Intent Submission Deadline: November 26, 2024, 3:00pm ET

The Weston Family Foundation is open to new and innovative ways to significantly advance conservation and stewardship in northern Canada.

The Northern Conservation Program aims to support projects that will deliver tangible, realistic results for biodiversity conservation, and demonstrate how ongoing stewardship of conserved lands will be accomplished. The Foundation recognizes that Indigenous communities are critical planners and stewards of northern ecosystems, and as such we welcome and encourage projects that are Indigenous-led or Indigenous-partnered. 

The outcomes of the Northern Conservation Program are:

  • Protect/Conserve: An increase in conserved northern land and ocean areas that are of high value for biodiversity or for resisting or adapting to climate change
  • Manage/Steward: An increase in northern land and ocean areas that are governed and stewarded with ecologically and culturally sustainable policies and practices that support nature conservation and the protection of biodiversity.

Successful projects will focus on:

  • the establishment of land and ocean protected and conserved areas
  • stewardship measures that maintain conservation of northern biodiversity in protected or conserved areas.

Projects must demonstrate that they take place in one or both of the “Areas of High Value for Biodiversity,” being:

  • areas of significantly high value for northern biodiversity; or
  • areas that are of high value for resisting or mitigating the impacts of climate change and/or providing options for wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change.

Please refer to the Program Details for more information.

Funding available per project: a minimum of $450,000 to a maximum of $1,500,000 CAD per project. We are aiming for average grant sizes of $750,000.

Important dates:

Information Webinars:

Letter of Intent deadline:  November 26, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

Proposal deadline: February 18, 2025 3:00 p.m. ET (estimated)

Award announcement: Spring 2025

For more information about this new program, including project details, applicant eligibility, and scientific or geographic scope, please review the documents below.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any inquiries related to the program. You are welcome to send questions to the Northern inbox, northern@westonfoundation.ca.

Relevant documents:

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Extended Stay Program

About

The Extended Stay Program (“ESP”) provides funding to Master’s and PhD students to support relationship building in the northern communities where the students’ research projects are taking place. The purpose of the ESP program is to foster connections between researchers and northern communities and encourage data and results sharing with the communities. Interested students must submit their ESP application at the same time as their application for the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.

Program FAQ

What is the Extended Stay Program?

The Extended Stay Program (ESP) provides funding to support outreach and relationship-building activities in Northern communities. 

Who can apply?

The funding is only available to recipients of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research at the master’s and doctoral levels.

When is the application deadline?

An application for Extended Stay funding must be submitted at the same time as the application to the award competition.

What is the amount of funding available?

The maximum amount of funding per project is $8,000.  Funding will not be provided for projects with activities that have already been carried out (i.e. the funding cannot be used retroactively).

By when must a project be completed?

Extended Stay projects must be completed before the end of the award recipient’s award tenure.

Following completion of the project, recipients must submit a report along with their expense claim.

What costs are eligible for reimbursement?

  • Event costs (e.g. room and/or AV rental, food and beverages for the event, translation services)
  • Travel costs to the northern community (e.g., airfare, accommodations, per diems)

Project highlights

See what other students have done for their Extended Stay Program projects!

Geneviève Degré-Timmons, MSc, 2021

“I led a community outreach activity at the Water Stewardship Gathering at First River (Kakisa, NT). This on-the-land camp was organized by Ecology North in partnership with the Wilfrid Laurier University and Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (August 13 -17, 2021).

My activity offered a unique opportunity to engage with youth by bringing them out on the land to learn first-hand about field sampling methods and understand how wildfire impacts caribou habitat. We conducted a vegetation survey in a 2014 burn site.”

Lauren Thompson, PhD, 2020

“I view outreach and engagement with Northern communities in proximity to field science as essential. Opportunities for engagement benefit both researchers and community members as it opens a dialogue on local interests and priorities, and researchers can thus shift their approach to accommodate this. It also allows the communication of scientific results directly to community members to ensure that people on the frontlines of climate change can be informed on how permafrost thaw may impact water quality rather than filing the results in relatively inaccessible scientific reports and journals.

My Extended Stay activities involved community meetings to present ongoing research results and discuss further work with elders; land-based discussions of research activities on the culturally important Hay Zama Lakes; water sampling alongside Dene Tha’ technicians in the Hay River watershed; and experiential learning with Dene Tha’ elders, community technicians, and knowledge holders during an overnight boating trip on the culturally important Hay River to discuss ongoing research, demonstrate water sampling techniques, and to visit important locations for collecting medicines, fishing, and hunting.”

Mathild Poirier, PhD, 2020

“From May 4 to 9, I had the chance to stay in the community of Pond Inlet in Nunavut to carry out two awareness activities. The first part of my stay aimed to hold two workshops in Nasivvik secondary school with young people aged between 13 and 15. The first workshop took place on 5 May in the morning with 9 of the students and consisted of a short field trip to sample the physical properties of snow. The students present dug a well in the snow and tested various devices used to obtain snow measurements, such as density, hardness and temperature.

During of the second workshop on May 6 in the afternoon, I was accompanied by my colleague Flore Sergeant and we led a workshop in the form of discussions with a group of around 20 students as well as 2 elders from the community, Jayko Alooloo and Moses Koonark. During this workshop, we discussed the water cycle, permafrost, snow cover and the links between snow and living beings (animals and humans). I was able to share my scientific knowledge on these subjects, while the elders shared their knowledge with us based on their traditional knowledge. It was a very enriching for all the groups who were present during this workshop.”

Announcing the 2024 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars

Continuing 17 years of funding to scholars committed to science research in the North

TORONTO, ON – July 29, 2024, Today, we have the honour of sharing the winners of the 2024 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research. After receiving over 80 applications from across the country, a total of 28 were selected following a rigorous arms-length review process – 15 Master’s Students, 11 PhD students and 2 Postdoctoral Fellows. All will receive funding to study biodiversity, among other priorities, across northern Canada. This year, each academic level received the highest amount we’ve ever offered, meaning:

  • Master’s students received awards valued at $20,000 over one year
  • Doctoral students received awards valued at $120,000 over three years
  • Postdoctoral fellows received awards valued at $110,000 over two years, with up to $10,000 per year for travel and conference expenses

Since launching in 2007, the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research have supported 350+ early career northern scientists focusing on research in natural sciences. Of the 28 projects funded this year, studies include:

  • Exploration of how continual permafrost thaw and rapid but extensive fires affect the storage and flux of water within boreal peatland
  • Identifying and comparing marine movement patterns and spawning locations of Arctic char
  • Studying the drivers and management of cyanobacteria blooms, including addressing knowledge gaps that exist between climate change and bloom formation across lake trophic scale and latitudes
  • Understanding the tundra’s vulnerability to climate-exacerbated changes in fire regimes and refining estimates of tundra carbon recycling

As part of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research, Northern Scholars were encouraged to co-design their research with northern communities. This can be seen in the number of students who are working directly with Indigenous communities and working to braid Indigenous knowledge with academic scientific methodology.

To learn more about the 2024 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars and their projects, click here.

Northern Biodiversity Research Program

Program Overview

Letter of Intent Submission Deadline: June 21, 2024

The Weston Family Foundation is pleased to launch a new program focused on protecting and restoring biodiversity in Northern Canada.

The Northern Biodiversity Research Program is seeking to fund applied research projects that have a demonstrated opportunity to influence conservation policy or practice in order to improve outcomes for northern ecosystems and biodiversity.

The goal of the Northern Biodiversity Research Program is to:

  • Produce high-quality research findings on northern biodiversity in Canada; and
  • Utilize the generated findings and knowledge at conservation decision-making processes in support of improved northern biodiversity outcomes.

Successful Projects will focus on:

  • Population dynamics, ecology, health, disease, contaminants, or management studies of species of importance for northern ecosystems
  • The response of ecosystems to the impacts of climate change
  • The impact of anthropogenic activities on species or ecosystems

Please refer to the Program Details for more information.

Funding available per project: A minimum of $600,000 and a maximum of $3,000,000 CAD per research project will be given out for projects. Projects can extend up to three years.

Important dates:

Letter of Intent deadline:  June 21, 2024 at 5:00pm ET

Proposal deadline: September 11, 2024 at 5:00pm ET

Award announcement: November 2024

For further information about this exciting new program, including project details, applicant eligibility, and scientific or geographic scope, please review the documents below.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any inquiries related to the program. You are welcome to send questions to David Bysouth, Program Manager for the Northern Science and Research Committee at david.bysouth@westonfoundation.ca

Relevant documents:

Watch the webinar about this grant call:

Community Partnerships in Research Grants

Overview

The Community Partnerships in Research Grants is a pilot that supports northern biodiversity and natural science knowledge creation through building Indigenous community-researcher relationships and facilitating research project co-design.

The opportunity showcases participating Indigenous community research priorities and then provides grants to Principal Investigators (P.I.s), and their graduate students or postdoctoral fellows based at CRA qualified donee institutions, to visit these communities and co-design a research project. The opportunity also provides resources for the participating community to develop their research priorities and host the P.I. and their students.

This pilot will support up to six P.I.s in two participating Indigenous communities at up to $28,000 per P.I.

Basic Structure

  1. Participating Indigenous communities will share their research challenges with the Canadian academic research community through webinars and written summaries. Participating Indigenous communities are the Forest Authority, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, studying the impact of wildfire on fish, American martens, and moose, and the Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI) of the Cree Nation of Chisasibi, studying coastal vegetation in Canada geese stop-over sites and James Bay eelgrass.
  2. P.I.s will apply to the Weston Family Foundation for funding to travel to the participating Indigenous community for the purpose of meeting with and beginning to co-design a research project. P.I.s must have graduate student(s) or postdoctoral fellow(s) accompanying them. Fill out the application form.
  3. A selection committee made up of Foundation and participating Indigenous community representatives will review and select successful P.I.s based on research experience and commitment to co-production of research.
  4. P.I.s will receive up to $28,000 for them and their students/fellows to travel to the participating Indigenous community to co-design the research project over the summer/fall of 2024.
Read the Program Guidelines


To apply for a Community Partnerships in Research Grant, please email your completed application form to Northern@westonfoundation.ca

The deadline to apply for a Community Partnerships in Research Grant is May 15th, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET.

Current Participating Indigenous Community Research Priorities

Forest Authority of Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, Québec

The Forest Authority Department (FAD) is part of the Natural Resources Department of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi. We have the mandate to promote the Cree way of life and Cree traditional knowledge in land and land use management. We have the mandate to implement capacity building principles in all of our projects including human resources development objectives and best science & technology practices for the benefit of all.

Marten monitoring.

The aim of the project would be to monitor the presence of marten in sites that have good quality habitat for this species. In areas where there were forest fires, and by integrating climate change analyses and data, the research should determine if the marten continues to utilize the habitat or if it will recolonize. Learn more.

Fish monitoring at Théodat Lake.

The aim of this project would be to sample the walleye population at Théodat Lake in order to set the baseline or a reference level for future understanding of how forest fires, and specifically contaminants, impact the fish. Two aspects would be studied – the health status of the walleye, including contaminants, and the walleye’s population in the lake. Learn more.

Willow tree planting for wildlife habitat restoration.

The aim of the project is to restore critical wildlife habitat for moose using willow plantation. This research priority is to validate that willow can provide forage for moose population and restore their habitats quickly following large and severe wildfires. The research project would be mostly focused on the 2023 wildfires areas located close or within protected areas in the Waswanipi territory (Mishigamish—Théodat lake and Waswanipi lake). Learn more.

Webinars for Forest Authority, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi

Join the Weston Family Foundation and the Forest Authority of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi to learn about their research priorities! This webinar is part of the Weston Family Foundation’s Community Partnerships in Research Grants.

Featuring:

  • Michel Arès, Senior Technologist, Forest Authority, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
  • Hyldane Boucard, Biologist, Forest Authority, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
  • Élise Rioux-Paquette, Biologist, Forest Authority, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
  • Ian Saganash, Land Keeper, Cree First Nation of Waswanipi

Watch the webinar below, in case you missed it!

Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI) of the Cree Nation of Chisasibi

CERRI (Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute) is a community-based research organization under the Cree Nation of Chisasibi. Its goal is to build community capacity through science programs, applied research, and traditional ecological knowledge. The community determines CERRI’s research priorities, which are always linked to the Eeyou way of life. More info: www.cerri.ca

Assessing the distribution and types of coastal vegetation in Canada geese stop-over sites.

A study is needed to determine the relationships between terrestrial plant productivity and goose migration patterns, offering insights that could guide efforts to restore these high-value habitats and critical components of northern biodiversity. The study involves mapping berry fields, heaths, and wetlands and measuring their levels of productivity and quality.

Microbiome of James Bay eelgrass.

Eelgrass, crucial for the marine ecosystem and migratory waterfowl, is facing a decline due to various stressors, possibly including microbial infections. A study is needed on how microbial communities might be contributing to the ongoing decline and lack of recovery of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in James Bay.

Learn more about the CERRI research priorities.

Webinars for Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI)

Join the Weston Family Foundation and the Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI) to learn about their research priorities! This webinar is part of the Weston Family Foundation’s Community Partnerships in Research Fund.

Featuring:

  • Dr. Dante Torio, Marine Biologist/Spatial Ecologist, Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute, Cree Nation of Chisasibi
  • Clara Rogers, Assistant researcher, Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute, Cree Nation of Chisasibi

Dates:

April 16th at 2:00-3:00pm (EST) – register here now!         
April 25th at 2:00-3:00pm EST – register here now!

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research 2024 Competition Now closed

Program Overview

Since 2007, the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research have provided unparalleled support to early career scientists in Canada pursuing research in Canada’s North. These annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship. Over 350 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have been selected to receive an award since the program’s inception, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scientists who are at the forefront of northern scholarship and who are helping shape a better future for Canada and the world.

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research winners undertake projects across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines in the natural sciences, including studies of northern ecosystems, biodiversity, flora and fauna, meteorology, oceanography, glaciology, geography and environmental studies.

In the 2024 program year, the Weston Family Foundation will aim to support the following awards:

  • Up to 15 awards for master’s level students. Each award is valued at $20,000 over one year.
  • Up to 10 awards for doctoral students. Each award is valued at $40,000 each year for three years.
  • Up to 5 awards for postdoctoral fellows. Each award is valued at $55,000 each year for two years plus up to $10,000 per year for travel and conference expenses.

Important Dates

  • October 26th – 2024 contest opens
  • November 22nd – informational webinar (register here!)
  • January 16th, 2024 – contest closes
  • May, 2024 – Awardees will be contacted
Learn more

Northern Science and Research

What We Do

Northern Canada is a vast, unique, and sensitive land and seascape – and is facing unprecedented challenges. Climate change is causing severe impacts to northern ecosystems as well as communities, and is occurring at a rate two to four times faster in the North than the rest of the country. Changes in northern Canada due to climate change include loss of species and shifts in ecosystem and species distribution, increased extreme weather events and changing disturbance regimes, and changing snow and ice conditions.

The aim of the Weston Family Foundation’s Northern Science and Research funding is, ultimately, to protect and restore biodiversity through increasing ecological stewardship and sustainability and increasing knowledge and awareness of northern ecosystems.

Since 2007, our Foundation has committed nearly $40 million to northern natural science research through scientists, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to support a better understanding of northern Canada and foster more informed decision-making. Through the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research, more than 350 early career northern researchers have been supported as graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scholars at the forefront of research in northern Canada.

What We Fund

Although our work is continuously evolving, we have the following priorities for our funding:

  1. Land Use Planning & Management – through funding applied conservation and stewardship programs, the Foundation supports the ongoing protection and management of northern habitat and ecosystems.
  2. Research & Training – support for investigative science, through university- and Indigenous-led research projects, increases understanding of ecosystems and natural processes and provides evidence on which Indigenous and governmental decision-makers can make informed natural resource management decisions.

We do not accept unsolicited requests for funding. For future grant opportunities, please check our Grant Calls page or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIN.

Featured Projects and Research

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research and Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

Learn More

Northern Biodiversity Research Program

Learn More

Pilot: Community Partnerships in Research Grants

Learn More

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research and Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research

  • These annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship.
    • Up to 15 awards for master’s students valued at $20,000 over one year
    • Up to 10 awards for doctoral students valued at $120,000 over three years
    • Up to 5 awards for postdoctoral fellows valued at $110,000 over two years, with up to $10,000 per year for travel and conference expenses

Since 2007, the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research have provided unparalleled support to early career scientists in Canada pursuing research in Canada’s North. Over 350 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have been selected to receive an award since the program’s inception, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scientists who are at the forefront of northern scholarship and who are helping shape a better future for Canada and the world.

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research winners undertake projects across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines in the natural sciences, including studies of northern ecosystems, biodiversity, flora and fauna, meteorology, oceanography, glaciology, geography and environmental studies.

Are you a currently Weston Family Northern Scholar? Access the Scholar portal here.

Learn more about Northern Scholar Aidan Sheppard (PhD 2023) and his research project!

Where We Fund

Projects must take place in northern Canada. The terrestrial geographic scope of northern Canada for this program is anything north of the southernmost Boreal line as defined by Brandt (2009) The marine geographic scope of northern Canada for this program includes the following marine bioregions:

  • Arctic Basin
  • Western Arctic
  • Arctic Archipelago
  • Eastern Arctic
  • Hudson Bay Complex
  • Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves

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Frequently Asked Questions

Learn More

Extended Stay Program

The Extended Stay Program is an important piece of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research. Each year, the Foundation supports students with projects that take them into local and Indigenous communities to engage and share the results and impact of their research. We encourage all applicants to apply for an Extended Stay Program grant.*

* The Extended Stay Program does not currently support travel or related expenses occurred prior to the award being granted. However, the Foundation is working on increasing the impact of the research it funds and encourages students to engage with northern communities before designing their research questions and methodology.

Learn More

Listen to Northern Scholar Aidan Sheppard (PhD 2023) speak about the importance of engaging northern communities:

Partners

ArcticNet

The Weston Family Foundation is proud to be a supporter of ArcticNet’s Annual Scientific Meeting. These meetings often include events or learning opportunities for the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars, Reviewers, and other partners. To learn more about ArcticNet, visit their website 

Learn More

Earth Rangers

Earth Rangers supports the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars through their Northern Wildlife Adoption Program. Each year, iconic northern wildlife species are available in plushie form for symbolic adoption by kids and families that are keen to support northern conservation. The proceeds of these adoptions flows directly to select Northern Scholars’ research efforts. These Scholars are also invited to engage children and youth on their research through Earth Rangers’ science communications efforts. It is a great opportunity to learn about science communications and engaging non-scientific audiences!

Learn More

WCS Canada Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

Since 2009 the Foundation has supported the Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships offered by Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada). These fellowships support field-based research that contributes to WCS Canada’s conservation objectives or priority research projects in the Ontario Northern Boreal and the Northern Boreal Mountains of British Columbia and the Yukon. Successful applicants receive financial support for their projects along with mentorship from WCS Canada’s scientists and an opportunity to network with other Fellows and Fellowship alumni.

Learn More

Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research

This prestigious $100,000 Weston Family Prize recognized significant contributions that have helped to shape our thinking and understanding of the North. Prize winners Dr. Wayne Pollard (2019), Dr. Derek Muir (2018), Dr. Michel Allard (2017), Dr. John England (2016), Dr. Ian Stirling (2015), Dr. Charles Krebs (2014), Dr. John Smol (2013), Dr. Louis Fortier (2012), and Dr. Serge Payette (2011) have all made lasting contributions while cultivating the next generation of northern scientists. This annual award culminated in 2019.

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research

The Weston Family Awards in Northern Research were launched in 2007 to support early career researchers focusing on science in Canada’s North. Since that time, over 300 scientists have been funded at the Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral level. Through a competitive process, awards are presented to outstanding students and scientists in northern research from universities across Canada.  

This year, 26 researchers were chosen for a variety of research projects focusing on northern natural sciences. These projects include studies on: 

  • The impacts of climate change and industrial activity on wildlife species important for northern communities, such as wolves, caribou, bowhead whales, and Arctic plants; 
  • Understanding population dynamics and critical habitat for iconic northern wildlife species such as caribou, Arctic char, and Arctic seabirds; 
  • Improving knowledge about species that impact the North such as killer whales, beavers, non-native earthworms, and parasites; 
  • The impacts of climate change on boreal forest, permafrost, peatland, lakes, and the Arctic Ocean; and 
  • Understanding how aspects of ecology, oceanography, limnology, toxicology, glaciology, hydrology, hydrogeology, and atmospheric dynamics impact northern communities. 

The Weston Family Foundation hopes that this research contributes to protecting and restoring biodiversity in Canada’s North. Many of this year’s Northern Scholars are working directly with northern and Indigenous communities on their research projects and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge with the ultimate aim of helping communities make informed conservation management decisions.  

Many of the Northern Scholars also undertake projects through the Foundation’s Extended Stay Program. The Extended Stay Program provides funds to students wishing to spend time in the northern community in which their research takes place to co-develop their research or share the results of their research with the community. Examples of Extended Stay Program projects include community workshops, feasts, or provision of supportive infrastructure to a community related to a research project. 

To learn more about the 2023 Northern Scholars’ projects, click here.

The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative awards $10 million in funding to support the adoption of soil health improving practices on Canada’s farmlands

Toronto, February 13, 2023 – Although soils host a quarter of all global biodiversity, management intensification and habitat loss are generating a loss of biodiversity on agricultural lands at an alarming rate. However, there is good news and it’s right under our feet. Research shows that improving soil health on agricultural lands offers one of the largest and most immediate opportunities to improve biodiversity and mitigate climate change in Canada. Today, to support this effort, the Weston Family Foundation, through the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, is announcing $10 million in funding to help promote more adaptive and resilient agricultural lands.

Launched in the spring of 2022, The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, seeks to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) including cover cropping, nutrient management (4R principles) and crop diversification/rotation that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada. Healthy soil organic matter helps to improve water retention, supports carbon sequestration, and makes agro-ecosystems more resilient and better able to recover and adapt to environmental stresses such as drought and floods.

“It is clear, through the high-quality applications we received, that soil health is of growing importance in the agriculture sector and that there are scientifically proven yet underutilized approaches to increasing soil organic matter on Canada’s farmlands,” says Emma Adamo, Chair, Weston Family Foundation. “Our Foundation is committed to supporting landscape-level efforts to find solutions to our environmental challenges and, ultimately, improve the well-being of Canadians.”

The $10 million in funding over five years has been awarded to eight agricultural and conservation organizations working to promote soil health BMPs through incentivizing stewardship, supporting outreach and education, and supporting market-based approaches towards adoption. Awarded projects include an innovative reverse auction model for BMP adoption, field-tested hubs to evaluate cover crop management strategies, and a first-of-its-kind network of First Nations soil health Learning Circles that will co-develop land-based training workshops with First Nations land managers and the farmers that farm their land on BMPs that can improve soil health, including crop diversification, reduced inputs and landscape diversification. Details on the funded projects can be found at https://westonfoundation.ca/project/weston-family-soil-health-initiative/

Improving agricultural management practices, particularly those that are nature-based, are now globally recognized as one of the most effective solutions to improve resiliency and to reduce biodiversity loss. “Agricultural lands represent 154 million acres of the Canadian landscape and Canadians should be increasingly concerned by the rate at which our agricultural soils are deteriorating,” says Michael Bradstreet, Chair of the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative external advisory panel and former Senior Vice-president, Conservation at Nature Conservancy of Canada. “We have an opportunity to address the gap in Canada by helping to mobilize the sector to increase the adoption of soil health improving practices.”

ABOUT THE WESTON FAMILY SOIL HEALTH INITIATIVE:

The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative is a five-year, $10 million funding opportunity that aims to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada.

For more information about the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, please visit https://westonfoundation.ca/project/weston-family-soil-health-initiative/ and follow us on Twitter @westonfamilyfdn.

ABOUT THE WESTON FAMILY FOUNDATION:

At the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), more than 60 years of philanthropy has taught us that there’s a relationship between healthy landscapes and healthy people. That’s why we champion world-class health research and innovation with the same passion that we support initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity on our unique landscapes. We take a collaborative approach to philanthropy, working alongside forward-thinking partners to advance Canada and create lasting impacts. We aspire to do more than provide funding; we want to enable others to find transformational ways to improve the well-being of Canadians.

Media contact:
Laura Arlabosse-Stewart
Weston Family Foundation
laura.arlabossestewart@westonfoundation.ca
(647) 265-1960