How is Indigenous Guardian training funded?

Identifying sources of funding available and potential partnerships to develop and/or deliver your guardian training is critical. Whenever possible, anticipate and build training budgets into funding proposals well ahead of time. Some training may only make sense if you can put a larger cohort of students together. Look for opportunities to partner with other departments, organizations or neighbouring communities to meet class thresholds and bring costs down. See the chapter 'Fund an Indigenous Guardian Program' for ideas and leads on finding funding.

Some key questions to ask as you develop a funding plan for training are:

• What funding is available for training and capacity building?
• Are there opportunities to get funding through other community initiatives, industry partnerships, or training and employment subsidies?
• Can you leverage training opportunities by working together with other departments in your community or by working together with neighbouring communities?
• What in-community or local expertise is available to deliver components of your training plan or assess basic field competencies? Consider the elders or knowledge keepers that are available, researchers working in the region, local educators, or industry expertise.
• Are there local educational institutions interested in working with you to develop a local or regional guardian training program or training components?