Canada has opened one of the biggest aquatic conservation funding windows of the year — and the clock is short. The Government of Canada is accepting project proposals under the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR), a fund worth C$77.5 million over five years, or C$15.5 million a year, for projects that protect and rebuild aquatic species at risk across the country.
The call opened on 16 September 2026 and closes on 16 November 2026 at 23:59 Pacific time. Proposals received after that time will not be considered — Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) states this plainly on its official application page. If your organisation works on fish habitat, freshwater recovery or marine conservation in Canada, this is a live window worth acting on now, not in December.
This is the fourth round of CNFASAR (2027–2031). The fund was launched in 2018, topped up in Budgets 2021 and 2023, and has now been renewed under Canada’s 2026 Nature Strategy. Its objective is specific: advance recovery outcomes for aquatic species at risk by supporting multi-year, multi-partner, multi-species stewardship projects that use place-based or threat-based approaches to deliver real recovery measures.
Fund at a Glance
| Fund | Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR), fourth round 2027–2031 |
| Administered by | Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) |
| Total envelope | C$77.5 million over five years — C$15.5 million per fiscal year |
| Typical project size | Generally C$500,000 to C$5 million in total, over 4 years (larger strategic projects encouraged) |
| Project window | 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2031 |
| Call opened | 16 September 2026 |
| Deadline | 16 November 2026, 23:59 Pacific time — late proposals are not considered |
| How to apply | Complete the project proposal form and email it to the DFO regional coordinator for the region where the project will run |
| After applying | DFO acknowledges receipt within 5 business days; selected leads are contacted to develop a contribution agreement |
| Announced by | Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson, 16 September 2026 |
What the Fund Has Already Delivered
CNFASAR is not a new, untested pot of money. Since 2018, the fund has backed over 150 projects worth more than C$120 million across Canada. Those projects have helped implement 1,210 recovery measures for almost 200 species, according to the Government of Canada’s announcement. That track record matters for applicants: DFO is funding a programme with a known delivery model, and it is looking for projects that can show measurable recovery outcomes, not awareness campaigns alone.
The fund sits inside A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, the federal strategy that frames this round of conservation spending. Minister Thompson’s announcement put it directly: Indigenous communities and local conservation groups are leading the on-the-ground work, and coastal communities depend on a healthy ocean for their livelihoods.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility is broad — this is not limited to government bodies or large NGOs. DFO lists the following as eligible recipients:
- Not-for-profit organisations — charities, volunteer organisations, professional associations and NGOs
- Indigenous organisations, governments and communities — including Bands, Tribal Councils, Indigenous fisheries commissions, economic institutions and co-operatives
- Research, academic and educational institutions
- Canadian individuals
- For-profit organisations — small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, companies, corporations and industry associations
- Local organisations — community associations, youth and seniors’ groups, service clubs
- Provincial, territorial, municipal and local governments and their agencies, including conservation authorities
Two points in the fine print deserve attention. First, no 1:1 funding match is required — but applicants must still identify project partners and outline their cash and/or in-kind contributions. Second, Indigenous-led projects will be prioritised, as will projects that clearly demonstrate Indigenous partnership in their planning, design and implementation.
What a Winning Project Looks Like
DFO’s selection criteria are strict, and they filter out single-species, single-partner ideas. To be eligible, a project must:
- Meaningfully benefit multiple aquatic species at risk — at least one species (or designatable unit) listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern, plus at least one other species that is SARA-listed or assessed as at-risk by COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada)
- Directly address recovery measures set out in existing federal aquatic species-at-risk recovery documents, available on the SARA Public Registry
- Engage multiple partners — a partner is someone providing financial or in-kind support, such as activity planning or implementation (the applicant organisation and DFO do not count)
- Run between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2031
- Plan to share project information and results publicly and/or with other CNFASAR recipients
Preference goes to projects that are multi-year, sit inside a CNFASAR priority place or address a priority marine threat, and seek roughly C$500,000 to C$5 million over four years. DFO has identified 9 priority freshwater places and 2 priority marine threats to guide decisions — but in an important change for this round, strong projects outside those priorities are also eligible, provided they give a clear rationale for why their area is strategically important for ecosystem-based conservation or shared recovery needs.
What Gets Funded — and What Does Not
Eligible activities include habitat restoration and rehabilitation, bank stabilisation, shoreline protection, barrier and headland restoration, threat mitigation, stewardship and outreach, training, research and feasibility studies, monitoring and reporting, and documentation of Indigenous knowledge as part of Indigenous-led projects.
Eligible expenses cover salaries and benefits, professional and technical services, construction and infrastructure, equipment purchase or rental, materials, travel, monitoring, and — notably — administrative overhead up to 10% of eligible costs, plus honoraria for Elders and Indigenous knowledge holders. That 10% overhead cap is a number applicants should build into budgets from the start.
Equally important is what the fund will not pay for: land purchase or securement, human-resource costs for core or salaried personnel, regulatory offsetting projects, decontamination as a project’s principal focus, replacement boat launches or piers, shoreline restoration unconnected to species at risk, and training unrelated to the project. A proposal built around any of these will fail the screen.
How to Apply: Step by Step
- Check the priority list. Read DFO’s CNFASAR selection criteria and confirm your project targets SARA-listed species and recovery measures from existing federal recovery documents.
- Line up multiple partners. Secure partners who contribute cash or in-kind support, and document what each one brings. Single-organisation proposals do not meet the criteria.
- Build a 2027–2031 project plan. Projects must be implementable between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2031, with results shared publicly.
- Complete the project proposal form. Download it from DFO’s official CNFASAR “Apply for funding” page.
- Email it to the right regional coordinator. Send the form to the coordinator for the region where the project will be implemented — DFO publishes coordinators for Newfoundland and Labrador, Maritimes, Gulf, Québec, Arctic, Ontario and Prairie, and Pacific regions.
- Beat the deadline: 16 November 2026, 23:59 Pacific time. Late proposals are not considered, so treat the Pacific-time cutoff carefully if you are applying from another time zone.
- Watch for acknowledgement. DFO acknowledges receipt within 5 business days. If selected, your regional office will contact you to develop a contribution agreement — additional information may be requested at that stage.
Why This Window Matters Beyond Canada
For readers outside Canada, CNFASAR is still a useful benchmark. It shows how a mature fisheries nation structures conservation funding: multi-year, multi-partner, tied to published recovery documents, with a hard deadline and public reporting built in. It also sits alongside Canada’s other live fisheries funding — the renewed C$300 million Atlantic Fisheries Fund and the C$50 million-plus Quebec Fisheries Fund — which together make Canada one of the most active fisheries-funding landscapes anywhere right now. For comparison with European schemes, see Ireland’s 80% small-fisher grants and England’s FaSS grants, both open this autumn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 16 November 2026 deadline real, or is there a second round?
It is the deadline for this call, stated on DFO’s official page: proposals must reach the regional coordinator by 23:59 Pacific time on 16 November 2026, and late proposals will not be considered. Do not plan around an extension that has not been announced.
Does my project need a 1:1 funding match?
No — DFO states a 1:1 match is not required. But you must identify partners and outline their cash and/or in-kind contributions.
Can a project outside the 9 priority freshwater places still qualify?
Yes, in this fourth round. Strong projects outside the priorities are eligible if they provide a clear rationale for why the area is strategically important.
How big should a project be?
DFO generally expects C$500,000 to C$5 million in total over four years, within a C$15.5 million annual programme. Larger strategic projects delivering significant conservation outcomes are encouraged.
Who do I contact?
The DFO regional coordinator for the region where the project will be implemented. Contact details for all seven regions are published on DFO’s official CNFASAR application page, linked below.
Official Sources
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Apply for funding: Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (deadline, eligibility, expenses, regional coordinators; page modified 1 October 2026)
- Government of Canada — Government of Canada calls for projects to protect and recover aquatic species at risk (16 September 2026 announcement: C$77.5 million over five years, 150+ projects, 1,210 recovery measures)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — CNFASAR selection criteria
Figures and dates verified 30 October 2026 against the official DFO and Government of Canada pages above. The C$77.5 million figure is the total five-year envelope (C$15.5 million per year), shared across successful projects — not a per-project amount. All amounts are in Canadian dollars. The images in this post are illustrations.