Launch of the Indigenous Science and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution funding opportunity

Value

Up to $237,500 annually for up to 2 years

Duration

2 years (with option to extend by one year with no additional funding)

Application deadline

October 16, 2025 (8 p.m. eastern)

* If a deadline falls on a weekend or a public holiday observed in Ontario , where SSHRC’s offices are, the online application system will stay open until 8 p.m. (eastern) the next business day.

Results announced

February 2026

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Application form and Instructions **Please note that these links will not be available until June 9, 2025.

On this page

• Description
• Value and duration
• Eligibility
• Application process
• Merit review
• Regulations, policies and related information
• Contact information

Description

Context

The Government of Canada has committed to reducing plastic waste and pollution. In 2018, Canada spearheaded and endorsed the Ocean Plastics Charter, closely followed by the Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste. These initiatives were adopted by federal, provincial and territorial governments under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, which takes a circular economy and lifecycle approach to addressing plastic waste and pollution, providing a collaborative framework for action in Canada.

The federal, provincial and territorial governments also adopted the Canada-wide Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste to implement the Strategy. The plan, consisting of two phases, provides tangible actions to better mitigate plastic waste and pollution in Canada. Phase 1 of the plan (2019) identifies actions to enhance the circularity of plastics within the economy and launch systemic changes needed to reduce plastic waste. Phase 2 (2020) outlines actions to prevent and reduce plastic pollution, foster awareness, bolster science and support global action.

Internationally, the Government of Canada has played a significant and proactive role in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. The committee aims to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Negotiations on this global instrument began in 2022, and a key aspect has been Indigenous communities’ involvement, including through the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics.

Indigenous Peoples have been integral in advocating that the instrument reflects their unique perspectives and knowledge, emphasizing the importance of:

• protecting traditional lands, waters and ecosystems from plastic pollution
• the inclusion of Indigenous rights, environmental stewardship and sustainable practices in the instrument

Description

To help reduce plastic waste and pollution and progress towards a circular economy for plastics, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is partnering with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on this joint initiative. The funding opportunity provides research funding support through Research Partnerships grants to address knowledge gaps about the potential impacts of plastic pollution on Indigenous communities through the various stages of the plastic lifecycle, focusing on social, cultural and economic impacts.

Applications should demonstrate that the research project prioritizes Indigenous communities by indicating that it:

• has been designed through consultation
• has been co-developed or initiated by Indigenous communities and responding to their needs
• is designed to bridge, braid, and weave Indigenous science and knowledge in the project; and/or will be led or co-led by Indigenous researchers and organizations

Research findings will help inform evidence-based decision-making when developing future actions on plastics.

Research objectives

Proposed research projects must address at least one of the following research objectives, as applicable, locally or across Canada:

Theme 1: Understanding the Potential Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Indigenous Peoples

1. Investigating the potential impacts (e.g., social, cultural, and economic) of plastic waste and/or pollution on Indigenous Peoples. For example, investigating impacts of plastics in wildlife and/or environments of significance to Indigenous Peoples/communities; or potential impacts in terms of Indigenous rights.
2. Examining Indigenous approaches to assess the potential impacts (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.) from risks of and/or exposure to plastic pollution. For example, examining indicators of biocultural value—the linkage between biophysical and cultural values, livelihoods and well-being—to Indigenous Peoples so potential impacts can be evaluated; approaches to reduce potential risks to cultural use, resistance, survival and/or continuity.

Theme 2: Indigenous Approaches to Address Plastic Pollution

1. Generating knowledge based on Indigenous science and cultural approaches to address the impacts of plastic pollution on wildlife, the environment, and potentially human health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.). For example, producing Indigenous science, knowledge, perspectives and approaches to plastics recycling, value recovery and/or waste management; or performing interdisciplinary research on food security, human health and plastics science.
2. Exploring environmental justice and Indigenous rights in relation to plastic pollution. For example, exploring Indigenous environmental justice-oriented approaches and inclusion in decision-making related to plastic pollution.

This joint initiative uses the definition of Indigenous science provided by ECCC’s Indigenous Science Division: “a culturally specific method of accumulating knowledge, refining hypotheses, and changing practices associated with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples’ deep understanding of and relationship to the natural world”. Indigenous science is “wholistic” (a term used to describe the ecosystem as a whole), and deeply braids, or weaves, new information over a longer-term perspective, while respecting expected codes of conduct and due diligence toward the collective benefit of all components, including humans, in ecosystems. Indigenous research paradigms have a number of common components; for instance, relational accountability, wholistic use and transmission of data and information, and respect for people as part of processes that can influence scientific outcomes. Indigenous science encompasses both past and real-time environmental events that Indigenous people have knowledge of, such as changes in species behaviour and distribution, water, climate change impacts and adaptations, prevention of wildfires as well as cultural burning, land stewardship, wildlife protection, and species at risk.

ECCC and SSHRC welcome applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation. Partnership funding is intended for formal partnerships between postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types. For more information, see the definitions for formal partnership and partner organization. For this funding opportunity, at least one partner organization must be an Indigenous partner.

The quality of training, mentoring and employability plans for students and emerging scholars will be evaluated as an important part of the proposed initiative. SSHRC’s Guidelines for Effective Research Training explain how students and emerging scholars can meaningfully participate in proposed initiatives.

The leadership and governance for creating a formal partnership can come from the research community and/or from partner organizations from the public, private (Canadian) and not-for-profit sectors. However, only an institution that meets the institutional eligibility requirements can administer the grant funding, once awarded. See details under Institutions.

SSHRC invites applicants and their partner organizations who wish to propose formal disciplinary, interdisciplinary, interinstitutional, international and/or cross-sector partnership arrangements to apply for support through this funding opportunity. Funds are available to support a variety of formal partnership development initiatives in all the disciplines and themes that meet SSHRC’s subject matter eligibility guidelines. SSHRC’s Partnerships Tool-Kit offers tools and resources to help plan and implement your partnership.

Applicants are invited to attend ECCC’s Virtual Plastics Symposium planned for fall/winter 2025-2026. More details on the symposium will be posted on ECCC’s site.

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