Foundation's Home Page

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Before sending us a question of your own, please check whether your question is related to any of the topics below.

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 go directly to www.hydroquebec.com/energywise.

What is meant by “natural environment”?

A natural environment is any ecosystem in which diversity and productivity have not been reduced to the point where regeneration through rehabilitation or restoration is impossible and which is large enough in area to support natural cycles. The environments of interest are land environments, forests, wetlands, rivers and lakes.

Top

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 in preparing an application. We can offer you some practical tips and guidelines for improving the quality of your project presentation. Do not hesitate to e-mail or call us.

We recommend you do a quick auto-evaluation of your project by filling out subsections 2, 3 and table 6.2 in section 6 of the Grant Application Form. This will give you a good idea of your project’s compatibility with the Foundation’s objectives and criteria. To make sure you have clearly understood the objectives and criteria, carefully read the Deciding factors section of the Web site; make sure you know all the conditions associated to our grants, especially the description of the types of projects and activities that are not eligible for funding, and the types of grant agreements that you must sign if your project is accepted.

We submitted an application for a project we feel is a perfect match for the Foundation’s conditions for funding eligibility. Can we be certain that our application will be accepted?

No. The Foundation’s resources are limited and it has to set priorities, even for ongoing projects. As a result, many applications 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 that 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 in preparing an application.

Can we submit a new application for funding while the Foundation is supporting another project that is still in progress?

Yes, the Foundation may grant funding to a partner who already has an active project, as long as the new application is for a project that is not directly related to the current project.

Can we obtain funding for a project that has already been supported by the Foundation?

Yes, the Foundation may award a grant to a project promoter for a project that has already received funding if the application is for a new phase or a separate part of the project.

Top

How to Apply

Can we submit an application at any time?

No, your application to the Foundation must be postmarked by February 1 or September 15 of a given year.

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 fill out the Grant Application Form and put your project presentation portfolio together.

What happens to our application once it has been submitted? When can we expect a response?

As soon as we receive your grant application, we will send you an acknowledgment of receipt and begin the first step in our analysis process, which is to examine the eligibility of your application.

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, please refer to the following section: Project evaluation steps.

Are there minimum and maximum limits to the grant amounts awarded?

No, the appropriateness of the amount requested is evaluated according to project objectives and the activities planned. However, if the application submitted to the Foundation is for $50,000 or more, certain conditions for financial matching apply.

For more information, please refer to the Grant conditions section of our Web site.

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.

How do we submit our application to the Foundation?

The Foundation must receive, by February 1 or September 15 of each year:

an electronic copy of the Grant Application Form sent by e-mail to
fondation-environnement@hydro.qc.ca AND
the following documents sent by regular mail (the postmark will serve as proof):
- two signed paper copies of the Grant Application Form
- two paper copies of the project presentation portfolio, which consists of all additional documents required (see section 8 of the Grant Application Form)
- an electronic copy of the form and the additional documents on a CD or DVD.

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.

Top

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 may 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 upon which they are likely to have an impact responsibly and sustainably 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.

Top

Educational and awareness activities

What types of educational projects are eligible for a grant from the Foundation?

The creation of new education and awareness material (design, publication and initial training of facilitators, educators or teachers) is eligible for a Foundation grant as long as the project meets the criteria and includes the following components:

The subject matter or local issue related to a specific natural environment must be described clearly.
Concrete action must be taken on one or more clearly defined sites.
The target clientele must be clearly identified and relevant.
The project must have a competent design team (biologist, writer, illustrator, graphic artist, editor, etc.).
The number of tools to be produced must be specified and justified.
There must be an effective network for distributing awareness-raising tools.
The budget, including the cost of scientific review and editing, must be itemized and justified.
The project’s added value must be clearly demonstrated.

Note: the Foundation does not accept projects that enhance general environmental awareness (climate change, pollution, resource overharvesting, greenhouse gases, water quality, energy efficiency, etc.).

Top

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.

Top

Land acquisition

Does the Foundation support acquisition projects?

Yes, but preference is given to projects that focus on education and increasing public awareness of the conservation issues involved in the acquisition. Ideally, the Foundation’s funding will be used for education or enhancement and 50% for land acquisition. Moreover, the acquisition must be for a natural environment and the project must:

Demonstrate the need to acquire the natural environment in order to protect it
Provide for public contact with the environment, according to conditions that ensure its ecological integrity is respected

However, land acquisition projects on public domain (on government, regional county municipality or municipal property) are not eligible.