General Questions

Does the Foundation offer internships?
No, the Foundation does not offer internships with the administrative team or in the field. However, Hydro-Québec offers various internships, some of which are related to the environment. For more information, please click on “Stagiaires” on Hydro-Québec's career page at www.hydroquebec.com/emplois/stages.html (in French only).

Does the Foundation fund energy efficiency projects?
No, the Foundation does not provide any funding for energy efficiency projects, although Hydro-Québec does so by various means and programs. For more information, please click on the ENERGY WISE link on the Hydro-Québec Web site home page or directly on www.hydroquebec.com/energywise.

Eligibility (applicants and projects)

Our project is located outside Québec. Is it eligible?
No, the Foundation funds only projects or project components carried out within Québec.

I am an individual (student, researcher, game officer, etc.) and I have an exciting and worthwhile project. Can I obtain funding from the Foundation?
No, the Foundation provides subsidies only to charitable organizations or non-profit organizations registered in Canada. If you do not belong to such an organization, you may wish to set up a partnership with one that is interested in supporting your project. For more information, see Is your organization eligible?

I would like to speak with someone to find out whether my project has a chance of being considered. Whom should I call? Can I e-mail you a project summary to get an initial reaction?
Yes, you may contact the Foundation before investing time and energy preparing a project presentation. We can give you some tips and help you prepare your grant application. Do not hesitate to e-mail or call us. We suggest you read the Deciding Factors section, the Grant Conditions — particularly the list of ineligible types of projects and expenses — and the Grant Agreement that you will be required to sign if your project is accepted. Contact us.

We submitted an application for a project we feel is a perfect match for the Foundation's conditions for funding eligibility. Is our application certain to be accepted?
No. The Foundation's resources are limited and it has to set priorities, even for ongoing projects. As a result, many projects are rejected. Such decisions do not necessarily mean that the project was not worthwhile, only that the Foundation has to make certain choices. We recommend you read the Deciding Factors, Conditions of Participation and Project Evaluation Criteria sections for a clearer idea of the Foundation's philosophy and funding priorities before you spend your time and energy preparing a project presentation which may not be considered.

How to Apply

Can we submit an application at any time?
No, you must mail your application to the Foundation by February 1 or September 5 of each year, as confirmed by the postmark.

How long does it take to prepare an application?
If you are just starting to develop your project, you should plan on a few months to determine the nature and scale of your project, secure your partners and begin your search for funding. Once you have completed those steps, plan on about two weeks to put together your project presentation and prepare your Grant Application Form.

What happens to our application once it has been submitted? When can we expect a response?
As soon as we have received your file, we will send you an acknowledgement of receipt and start the first step in our review, which entails confirming whether your project is eligible.

It can take up to three months for your application to go through the preliminary review and evaluation process and for a decision to be made. For more information about how your application is assessed, please read the Project Evaluation Steps section.

How much is the average grant? Are there minimum and maximum limits?
No, the appropriateness of the amount requested is evaluated according to project objectives and the activities planned. There is no set minimum or maximum, subject to the following conditions:

In addition to the contribution requested from the Foundation, you must list all anticipated sources of funding and the amounts requested from each partner. An itemized budget (salaries and benefits, professional fees, management, communications, equipment, materials, specialized services, etc.) must be provided, specifying for which items the amount requested from the Foundation will be used. If any partners provide contributions in kind (loans of personnel, equipment, premises, etc.), they should be listed along with their monetary value.

An independent audit of the financial statements of any project for which the requested grant exceeds $25,000 must be prepared by a chartered accountant.

Project funding arrangements must meet the conditions indicated in the Grant Conditions section.

Can we submit an application in English?
Yes, the Foundation receives applications in either French or English. For English information, click here. However, all correspondence is conducted in French.

Can we send in our application by e-mail or fax?
No, you must send the Foundation:

• two hard copies of your project presentation and Grant Application Form
• one electronic copy of your file on a CD (including your project presentation, your Grant Application Form and any other document supporting your application)

All documents must be sent to the Foundation by February 1 or September 1 of each year, as confirmed by the postmark.

If funding is granted, does our commitment to the Foundation end with the project's completion?
No. In accordance with the terms of the Grant Agreement signed with the Foundation, the project promoter remains bound to the Foundation even after the project has been completed. The Grant Agreement seeks to ensure the project's long-term impact in terms of preserving natural habitats and maintaining any infrastructures in place.

Specific Topics

Animal or plant species

Does a request for direct assistance to boost the population of a commercially exploited animal or plant species (by seeding, for example) or to reintroduce a disappeared species meet the Foundation's criteria?
No. Generally speaking, the Foundation does not accept projects involving direct assistance for the sole purpose of increasing the population of commercially exploited animal or plant species or reintroducing species that are at risk or have died out in a given area.

However, if such projects have components focusing on improvements to the overall habitat or education or awareness activities, those components are eligible for a grant.

The Foundation can agree to pay the costs of a limited number of wildlife management initiatives if they help restore the biodiversity of a disturbed natural habitat and enhance its value in the eyes of the local population. However, systematic and artificial expansion of an animal or plant species for recreational or tourism purposes does not qualify for Foundation funding.

Does the Foundation fund projects to protect and restore threatened or vulnerable species?
Yes, provided the projects are consistent with the local community's desire to manage the natural habitats responsibly and over the long term and the project components for which a grant was requested focus on enhancing the habitat of the species in question.

There are five federal funding programs managed by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency which are designed to protect and restore species at risk. They are the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, the Interdepartmental Recovery Fund, the Endangered Species Recovery Fund, the Aboriginal Capacity Building Fund and the Aboriginal Critical Habitat Protection Fund.

Nevertheless, in any project presentation it is always worthwhile to mention the documented presence of threatened or vulnerable species on a project site.

Educational and awareness activities

What types of educational projects are eligible for a grant from the Foundation?
In addition to meeting all the Foundation's regular eligibility criteria, projects that raise awareness of local environmental issues should meet the following conditions:

• Concrete action must be taken on one or more clearly defined sites.
• The target clientele must be relevant and clearly identified.
• There must be an effective network for distributing awareness-raising tools.
• The number of tools to be produced must be specified and justified.
• The local issue or concern must be clearly explained.
• A team of specialists (biologists, copywriters, illustrators, graphic artists, proofreaders, etc.) must be mobilized for the project.
• The budget, including the cost of scientific and linguistic revision, must be itemized and justified.
• The project's added value must be clearly demonstrated.

Shoreline projects

Does the Foundation fund shoreline projects?
Yes, but the Foundation generally does not fund work carried out mostly on land inaccessible to the public. In addition, shoreline projects and projects addressing issues associated with river banks must meet the following conditions:

• The project must provide for effective and adequate education of citizens and users.
• The project must provide for permanent awareness-raising facilities.
• Public access to waterways must be preserved.
• The project's long-term impact on the entire natural habitat in question must be ensured.
• Project partners and owners must participate in the project financially.
• The community (e.g., the municipality, RCM, shore owners' association, etc.) must make a contribution to the project.