Apply to a Grant

SIP Grants

The goal of the SIP grants program is to overcome challenges that currently limit the application of innovative silviculture across BC through knowledge creation and knowledge sharing. The grants program will support research and extension projects that align with SIP mission and values and priorities identified at the Knowledge Summit (March 2023).

INNOVATION IN ACTION GRANTS OPEN OCTOBER 1

The next grant intake for Innovation in Action grants will open October 1, 2025, and close November 30, 2025. SIP newsletter subscribers will be the first to be notified when the next granting period opens.

 

Innovation in Action

Status: CLOSED (OPENS OCTOBER 1, 2025)

Innovation in Action Grants support operational research and/or implementation of small innovative silviculture projects. It is designed to support shovel-ready projects that need extra support to enhance learnings surrounding innovative silviculture. 

Details of the grant: 

  • Applicants may request between $10,000 – $50,000 CAD. 
  • Two year grant (activities occurring between 2026 and 2028)
  • Projects must deliver tangible outcomes that increase knowledge and extension of innovative silviculture in BC. 
  • Projects are expected to align with at one of the four eligible themes
  • Read Grant Guidance for further details
  • Submission through our online grant application portal is mandatory.

About the Grant

Innovation in Action Grants support operational research and/or implementation of innovative silviculture projects. These grants will allow the SIP to distribute funding widely across BC to complete smaller projects and partially support operational trials or reduce financial barriers to completing elements of larger projects already underway. These grants will seek to learn from action – implementing initiatives and trials with clear innovative objectives and data- and knowledge-driven learning opportunities. We will raise awareness of and support extension to facilitate knowledge being translated into action.

These grants are targeted towards operational implementation but open to individual practitioners, organizations, and researchers. Preference will be given to projects that are “shovel ready”, meaning projects where all permissions and permits are in place, and/or support ideas and collaborations that are ongoing or already established. Project support can include planning, data collection, reporting and extension. While preference is for “shovel ready” projects, those that are at a conceptual level are able to apply if the concept aligns with SIP mission and values, priority themes, and demonstrates existing collaborations or partnerships. For example, project support to develop the details of the prescription or implementation plan.

We note that this fund cannot be used to cover basic activities included in the stumpage system (such as layout, roads, logging and reforestation). It is intended to target additional activities applicants may not otherwise have time or resources to complete, but that are critical to knowledge creation and knowledge sharing on innovative silviculture. This could include prescription planning, research and monitoring design, equipment needs, data collection beyond what is required for cutting permit issuance, developing knowledge sharing products, and extension of results. Leveraging existing funds and in-kind support is encouraged.

Knowledge production and transfer is a critical component of each grant and will be measured by outputs including: project reports, published articles, research reports, theses, handbooks, decision support tools, software, methodologies, databases and how project learnings are translated in support of varying forms of knowledge exchange.

Eligibility:

  • The SIP Innovation in Action Grant welcomes all individual practitioners and organizations engaging in innovative silviculture to apply. Collaborative grants are encouraged but not required.
  • Eligible Applicants include: Individuals; First Nations (bands, Treaty First Nations, and Indigenous Governments with authority for lands and resources in BC); Non-profits whose mandate includes work on forests, forest management or sustainable forestry activities (registered charities, incorporated societies, community foundations); Consultancies whose scope includes work on forests, forest management or sustainable forestry activities; Community forest agreement holders, Woodlot licensees; Research forests; Major licensees; Researchers from academic institutions or nonprofits.
  • The lead applicant must be located in B.C.

Priority Themes

Innovation in Action projects are expected to align with one of the following eligible themes:

Priority Themes: 

  1. Old-like in a new light: Using partial harvesting and/or other innovative silviculture techniques for the recruitment of old growth characteristics.
  2. A burn a day can help keep wildfire away: Supporting cultural and prescribed fire planning as a tool for managing multiple values including (but not limited to), eco-cultural restoration, fuels management, Indigenous food sovereignty and pyrosilviculture related economic opportunities.
  3. Thin it to win it: Exploring prescription development for partial harvesting and/or thinning to improve forest resilience, reduce wildfire risk and manage multiple forest values
  4. Accounting for Innovation: Providing data-driven support for land managers, planners, decision-makers and community leaders interested in applying innovative silviculture by exploring economic trade-offs and demonstrating potential outcomes of implementing innovative silviculture.

Application Guidance

How to Apply:

  1. Consult the Grant Guidance document and verify your project meets eligibility criteria.
  2. Overview the grant application questions and prepare answers.
  3. Gather any necessary information, such as information needed to complete a budget overview or letters of support.  
  4. Submit your application online using our portal here. Please note that you will need to create an account to submit your application. We will only accept project proposals through the grant portal. 

 

Download the Guidance Documents:

Grant Guidance  (includes details on eligible applicants, eligible activities and expenditures, as well as other important grant expectations)

 

Summary of Application Questions (For Reference only, please submit answers through application portal)

 

Additional Resources:

SIP Webinar Information Session (recorded September 24, 2024)

This webinar recording includes background on the SIP, a summary and context for the two grants, and walkthrough of the application portal. Webinar panelists include Alana Clason (SIP Operations Team), Kira Hoffman (SIP Operations team), and Laura Stanton (Program Manager). The webinar was hosted by Matthew Pyper (Fuse Consulting).

Frequently Asked Questions

This grant is dedicated to improving knowledge of innovative silviculture in BC. In principle, “innovative silviculture” includes systems for harvesting, growing and tending  forests where the primary objective is to achieve holistic stewardship of the land. Innovative silviculture systems are driven by an appreciation of ecological, social, cultural, and economic values of forests, where stewardship is focused on maintaining dynamic ecosystem processes and functions.

In practice, innovative silviculture (or sometimes called “alternative silviculture” or “ecological forestry”) could include, but is not limited to: partial harvest systems, thinning, prescribed and cultural fire, intensive silviculture for achieving multiple values, climate adaptation planning and application, and managing for multiple values.

If you are unsure if your project qualifies for Silviculture Innovation Program funding, then contact the Program Manager at sip.manager@bvcentre.ca.

Strong applications will present a collaborative project proposal that aligns with SIP mission and values, and one or more of the priority themes or open themes, with a preference for projects that are First Nations led or co-led. Applicants should make it clear how their project will contribute to the growth of innovative silviculture by improving knowledge of these systems in BC. 

Previous successful grantees are able to apply for grants in subsequent years on a new project. The application of individuals or groups to multiple grants will not impact application review.

The SIP grants portal is hosted by Good Grants (goodgrants.com), an online grants management software. If you are being asked for 2FA authentication information, you have already used your email address to create a Good Grants account to apply for another grant in the past! This grant would have required you set up 2FA authentication by downloading an authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator or iPhone Authenticator, to retrieve the code from Good Grants. The SIP grants portal does not require 2FA authentication, so if you are using an email address that has never been used within the Good Grants system, you would not be asked for this information.

The easiest solution is to check to see if you have an authenticator app installed on your phone that would be receiving these codes from Good Grants.

Still no luck? If you changed phones or have since deleted the authenticator app from your phone, you will have to contact Good Grants to regain access to your account by resetting your 2FA. To do so, you can submit a help ticket with Good Grants here: https://help.goodgrants.com/hc/en-gb/requests/new They usually respond quickly, and are very friendly and helpful! Unfortunately the SIP is unable to help you with this technical support issue.

Don’t remember setting up an account, or forgot your password? If you forgot your account password, click on the “Forgot password link” once you enter your email. and click Submit. Check this email address (including your junkmail) for the forgot password email. Good Grants also has a guide for applicants that shows how to do this with screenshots: Ultimate guide for applicants

If the above solutions won’t work for you (or you are submitting a last minute application and are short on time!), alternatively you can set up a new account using a different email address.

No, the Innovation In Action grant cannot be used to cover basic activities included in the stumpage system (such as layout, roads, logging and reforestation). It is intended to target additional activities applicants may not otherwise have time or resources to complete, but that are critical to knowledge creation and knowledge sharing on innovative silviculture. This could include prescription planning, research and monitoring design, equipment needs, data collection of data on multiple values beyond what is required for cutting permit issuance, developing knowledge sharing products, and extension of results.

We understand that extension is likely a new term for many folks, but it is also an opportunity for applicants to share the successes (and failures!) of your project. To us, extension means we want to hear your stories of collaboration and learn more about your findings in accessible and digestible ways. Extension materials can be fun and engaging (e.g., videos, blogs, art) and/or more technically focused (e.g., extension notes, infographics, prescriptions) or even interactive (e.g., field tours and sharing with communities of practice). We welcome a range of extension activities and encourage you to get creative when considering how lessons learned from your project can be communicated to others. 

Only one profile is able to access and edit applications within the grant portal. It is important to note that the grant application questions can be downloaded as a PDF through the grant portal for circulation and collaboration.

For the Innovation in Action Grant, letters of support are required when partnering and co-creating projects with First Nations.

Lead applicants need to be located and working within BC, including conducting research within BC. A project partner can be located at an institution or organization outside of BC but funds will not be distributed outside of the province.

We understand the challenge of uncertainty of timing around cultural or prescribed burns. We encourage applicants to consider the many other values that can inform project objectives and project success, outside of a successful burn occurring. Consider how your project can demonstrate meaningful progress surrounding the burn process, and potentially other multiple values, that can be separate from the success of the burn itself. 

The cap of the Innovation in Action Grants is $50,000 total (not $50,000/year).

Projects that are not led or co-led by First Nations will be asked to describe how the project otherwise involves or supports Indigenous peoples, communities and organizations and/or considers and/or upholds Indigenous knowledge and values. This gives applicants an opportunity to describe their alignment with the values of the Silviculture Innovation Program. Please read the grant guidelines for more information on SIP values and grant alignment. 

We encourage partnerships and collaboration. It should be noted however that funds cannot be awarded directly to the Government of BC. For example, a First Nation can be the grantee and the recipient of the funds and government partner could provide in kind support, and be captured as a project partner. For consultants, we encourage co-leading or co-creation of the project. It can be clarified in the application portal that the application has multiple project leads.