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Regulation 120.01.1: Student Group Indigenous Elder Grant

01. Purpose

  1. This Regulation establishes the Student Group Indigenous Elder Grant, herein referred to as the Grant.

  2. The purpose of the Grant is to provide financial support to enable Indigenous Elders or Indigenous cultural knowledge holders to meaningfully participate in Indigenous led or Indigenous focused student initiatives including events and meetings.

  3. The Grant shall not be used to fund general event or meeting expenses and shall be limited to costs directly associated with Elder participation.

02. Authority and Administration

  1. The Grant shall be funded through the Students' Involvement Endowment Foundation (SIEF) to an amount established by the SIEF Board each year.

  2. The Truth and Reconciliation Action Committee shall be the primary adjudicating body for applications to the Grant.

  3. Where the Truth and Reconciliation Action Committee is unable to meet within two weeks of receiving an application, or if the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Action Committee indicates they will be unable to meet within a reasonable time period, adjudication authority shall rest with the Executive Committee.

  4. Funding under this Regulation shall be allocated on a first come first served basis until the funds allocated to the Grant are exhausted.

  5. In adjudicating applications, the adjudicating body shall take into account the frequency with which an applicant has previously received funding under this Grant in order to support equitable distribution of funds.

  6. A summary of funding allocations shall be reported to the Students’ Council in April of each year.

03. Eligibility

  1. Applications for the Grant may be submitted by:

    1. Indigenous student groups; or

    2. Other student groups hosting Indigenous focused events or initiatives.

  2. All applicants must be recognized undergraduate student groups in good standing with the Students’ Union and/or Student Representative Associations that are not in probationary status.

  3. As student groups often participate in joint events with other organizations, the Truth and Reconciliation Action Committee has the discretion to determine if and when expenses related to joint events are eligible. 

    1. As a general principle, if a student group is responsible for eligible expenses, it would be eligible for the Grant, even if the event is a joint event.

04. Eligible Expenses

  1. Funds from the Grant may be used only for expenses directly related to the involvement of Indigenous Elders or Indigenous cultural knowledge holders including:

    1. Elder honoraria;

    2. Travel and accommodation costs;

    3. Supplies and materials required for Indigenous ceremonies, teachings or events; and

    4. Other reasonable costs directly associated with hosting an Elder or Indigenous cultural knowledge holder as approved by the adjudicating body.

  2. Honoraria and related expenses shall be guided by the Students’ Union Indigenous Elders Protocol.

  3. The use of the Grant is conditional upon the meeting/event being approved under the appropriate procedures of the Students’ Union.

05. Application Process

  1. Pre-approval is preferred before any expenses are incurred, as the adjudicating body may choose to reject an application.

  2. Applications shall be submitted in a form approved by the adjudicating body prior to the event, meeting or initiative.

    1. Student groups can submit applications after incurring expenses through the same form, but the same requirements apply for the event/meeting for which the application applies.

  3. Applications shall include at minimum:

    1. A description of the event, meeting or initiative;

    2. The purpose of Elder involvement;

    3. An itemized budget of requested expenses; and

    4. The expected outcomes of the initiative.

  4. Applications shall be reviewed and a decision communicated within two weeks where reasonably possible.

06. Funding Distribution

  1. Approved funding shall normally be distributed as follows:

    1. Fifty percent of the approved amount shall be advanced prior to the event or meeting based on the approved budget; and

    2. The remaining amount shall be reimbursed following the submission of required post event reporting.

  2. An applicant may request full advance funding where required and such requests shall be reviewed by the adjudicating body.

  3. Any unused funds shall be returned to the Students’ Union.

07. Reporting Requirements

  1. Grant recipients shall submit a post event report consisting of:

    1. A brief written summary of the initiative; and

    2. Photographic or other reasonable proof of completion.

  2. Failure to submit required reporting may result in ineligibility for future funding.

08. Interpretation

  1. Any question respecting the interpretation or application of this Regulation shall be resolved in accordance with Students’ Union legislation.

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