Manitoba NEIHR Seed Grants
Seed grants are funding opportunities aimed at trying something innovative or untested, where the outcomes are unknown.
The Manitoba Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR), also known as Kishaadigeh, is piloting a seed grant program to support Indigenous communities, groups, and organizations to enhance existing research capability or support the development of research priorities, protocols, and platforms.
All projects should be completed within a maximum of one year. Indigenous groups without a formal bank account may select their own “surrogate” organization or may request to be matched with a NEIHR partner.
One seed grant of up to $25,000 and five smaller seed development grants of $5,000 for those who were not successful in securing the $25,000 grant will be available per year. Successful applicants of the $25,000 seed grant will not be eligible for the $5,000 seed development grants.
The $25,000 seed grants are best suited for larger research projects, and the $5,000 seed development grants are best suited for research capacity building activities.
Only one application is required. Applications will be initially reviewed by the NEIHR Coordinator to confirm all required documents are completed prior to review by the NEIHR Finance Committee.
A completed evaluation rubric will be provided to applicants to show how the Finance Committee understood and assessed the application. Successful recipients of the seed grant ($25,000) will not be eligible to reapply for subsequent NEIHR seed grant funding calls; however, successful recipients of the seed development grant ($5,000) will be eligible to apply for subsequent NEIHR seed grant ($25,000) calls.
Webinars
Two webinars will be available to assist applicants with grant writing processes and open access research. The first webinar is titled “Grant Writing Basics: Effective Grant Proposal Writing Practices and NEIHR Seed Grant Application Support for Indigenous Community-Based Organizations,” and it is specifically geared to assist applicants in this application and is therefore highly recommended. The second webinar is titled “Open Access Resources for Indigenous Community-Based Organizations,” and it will demonstrate ways for community researchers to access academic research to support their grant writing without paying for an institutional subscription.
Watch Grant Writing Basics: Effective Grant Proposal Writing Practices and NEIHR Seed Grant Application Support for Indigenous Community-Based Organizations (April 15): https://youtu.be/5mpi3eazzqY
Watch Open Access Resources for Indigenous Community-Based Organizations (April 22): https://youtu.be/XO8nszr3DS4
The following information is provided by the University of Winnipeg’s Library for online searches on any topics applicants may find relevant to their research.
Census data
University of Winnipeg LibGuide on finding free and open Canadian census data: https://libguides.uwinnipeg.ca/c.php?g=124941&p=5103446
Reference material to help people understand the 2016 Census data : https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/index-eng.cfm
Application to access Statistics Canada “microdata” sets, if the public data is not detailed enough: https://crdcn.org/research
Using data
Learning materials on collecting and using data, including videos, from Statistics Canada: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/wtc/data-literacy/catalogue
Finding free/Open Access articles
Unpaywall button (a browser extension that helps you find free and legal versions of academic articles): https://unpaywall.org/products/extension
Dimensions.ai (a database of hundreds of thousands of free Open Access articles): https://app.dimensions.ai/discover/publication
PubMed (a medical article database containing many free versions of articles): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/about/
Application Package
Download the Manitoba NEIHR Seed Grant Application Package and email the completed forms and attachments to neihr@uwinnipeg.ca.
Deadline
Please complete the Manitoba NEIHR Seed Grant Application Package and attach supporting documentation if necessary. Submit your completed application to neihr@uwinnipeg.ca by 4:30pm CDT on May 31, 2021. Late applications will not be considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the application/proposal deadline?
May 31, 2021 by 4:30pm CDT
How long will the application/proposal review process be?
Between six and eight weeks.
When will the results be the announced?
We anticipate an announcement to be made by July 1, 2021.
What is the project start date?
Successful applicants will have the freedom to select their start date, however, the project must be completed within one year.
What is the project end date?
Recipients will have one year to complete their projects.
Can we apply for the NEIHR Seed Grant and the NEIHR Seed Development Grant?
Your application will be considered for both the Seed Grant and the Seed Development Grant upon submission. You may only be approved for one grant as determined by the NEIHR Finance Committee.
Will there be another NEIHR Seed Grant in the future that we can apply for?
We anticipate the next opportunity to be announced in Spring 2022.
Are the grants strictly for building research capacity or research itself?
Grants can fund both the building of research capacity and research itself.
Are there specified health areas to which the applicants are limited if conducting research?
No, they are not limited, and we conceive of health in a broad sense.
Topics such as environmental impacts, connection to culture and ceremony, developing organization protocols for research engagement, or identifying research priorities are all eligible for funding?
Yes, these are a few examples of the many research areas that can be included in applications.
When will the funds be released?
Within eight weeks of notice of decision, however, please know the ongoing health pandemic may impact this timeline.
What if we do not have a formal bank account?
Successful applicants without a formal bank account can be matched with one of the NEIHR organizations to hold the funds.
How will their funds be released — increments or lump sum?
Funds will be released in one payment.
What will the financial reporting process look like and how frequently will it occur?
Financial reporting will be made annually, using Form 300: Reporting of Activities and Expenditures. The University of Winnipeg can provide support in reporting.
What are the goals of the NEIHR Seed Grant?
Research and research capacity building within Indigenous grassroots and non-profit organizations and charities.