Call for proposals: Consulting services for scaling the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund and creation of the Indigenous advisory body at the Foundation of Greater Montréal

About the Foundation of Greater Montréal

The Foundation of Greater Montreal is a community foundation that serves the territory we now know as Greater Montreal (82 municipalities including the cities of Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, and the Kanien’kehá:ka communities of Kahnawà:ke and Kanehsatà:ke). FGM has a solid experience in creating and operating pooled philanthropic funds and distinguishes itself by its approach to community partnerships based on the principles of trust-based philanthropy and participatory grantmaking. Its priority giving areas, according to its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan are social equity, diversity and inclusion, ecological transition, education, health and culture. For the past several years, FGM has been developing a distinct and sustained Reconciliation Strategy through granting and building reciprocal relationships with the First Nations and Inuit communities and organizations across Greater Montreal.  

About the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund

The Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund was created in 2021 as a part of the Foundation’s overall move towards justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Between 2021 and 2024, the Fund distributed an annual amount of $100,000 to Indigenous-led organizations in Greater Montreal. Grants reaching a maximum of $20,000 per year are offered to organizations on a non-competitive basis. The Foundation does not require a formal proposal, nor impose mandatory reporting on the grantees. However, it puts an emphasis on the relationship building and maintains connections with the grantees through meetings, events participation, collaborations, etc.  

Besides this reserved grant envelope, the Foundation’s Strategic Granting Framework sets a target minimum of 50% of its own grants going to six historically marginalized populations, including Black, Indigenous,  and People of Colour (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQ+, women and girls and people living with disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Thus, Indigenous-led organizations and initiatives are generally given priority in the selection process for the FGM Collective Fund for Climate and Ecological Transition, the Collective Fund for Social Equity, the Women Impact Montreal Collective Fund, as well as the federal granting programs occasionally administered by FGM. 

FGM’s vision and objectives in terms of Indigenous and reconciliation-focused granting

In the past four years, the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund has allowed FGM to build relationships of trust in many First Nations and Inuit communities of Greater Montreal and support a great diversity of causes and organizations, including the early-stage Indigenous-led initiatives. 

In the spring 2024, FGM started consultations concerning the perspectives of scaling the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund in terms of outreach, financial capacity and number of grantees, while preserving and deepening trust-based and relationship-centered approaches that have been the hallmarks of the Fund since its inception. 

Guided by the advice of our partners and the leadership of the Indigenous members of our board, the Foundation has chosen to pursue the path of a long-term sustainable growth of its Indigenous and reconciliation-focused granting portfolio by putting in place the following strategies: : 

  • Create an Indigenous-led advisory body with the mandate of: 
    • determining the priorities, decision-making mechanisms and granting framework of the FGM Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund; 
    • reviewing the applications to the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund and deciding on the grant allocation;
    • providing feedback and advice concerning FGM’s overall progress in terms of reconciliation and decolonization of practices, as described in the Roadmap towards Reconciliation adopted by the FGM board of directors in 2023.
  • Put FGM’s operational capacities and grantmaking expertise (including our experience in trust-based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, capacity building and support of grassroot and early-stage organizations) in service of advancing the priorities and objectives determined by the Indigenous advisory body and the communities it represents.
  • Gradually move towards a sustainable model of engagement that recognizes and honours Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of thinking and being, creates space for dialogue and deepening relationships and upholds the values of reconciliation.
Transformation pathway

The Foundation of Greater Montreal believes that recognition and active support of the self-determination of Indigenous communities and organizations is at the heart of reconciliation. Therefore, the first essential step towards transformation and scaling of our Indigenous- and reconciliation-focused granting and community engagement strategies is transferring the priority-setting and decision-making power to the representatives of the Indigenous communities of Greater Montreal while providing structural and operational support for this decision-making. 

The present mandate addresses the initial set-up phase and the pilot phase of the new Indigenous-led decision-making process of the FGM Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund, including the creation of the Terms of Reference and composition of the inaugural Indigenous Advisory body, facilitating the co-creation of the decision-making and grantmaking mechanisms, facilitating the work of the advisory body through the pilot granting cycle and evaluation of the pilot cycle. 

Roles and responsabilities

The overall leadership and guidance of this transformation process will be ensured by the Indigenous members of the FGM Board of Directors. 

The Consultant will play the role of operational leadership of the process: creating Terms of Reference and a competence matrix for the Indigenous advisory body, leading the recruitment and onboarding process, supporting the Indigenous advisory body in the early stage of its operations. 

The FGM Community Engagement team will provide operational support to the Consultant and the Indigenous advisory body and remain responsible for the overall cohesion and implementation of the process. It will also ensure the liaison with the internal (FGM’s Board, committees, CEO and staff) and external (other foundations, current and prospective Indigenous grantees, other organizations) stakeholders.  

Duration of the mandate, scope of the work and deliverables

Starting April 2025. The realistic timeline and schedule of deliverables will be agreed with the chosen candidate prior to the signature of the contract.

Preparation and launch phase 

  • Stakeholder mapping of the Indigenous non-profit and charity ecosystem of Greater Montreal;
  • Drafting comprehensive Terms of Reference for the inaugural FGM Indigenous advisory body;
  • Determining essential competencies for the Indigenous advisory body and creating a competency matrix;
  • Co-designing recruitment process for the inaugural Indigenous advisory body, participating in the identification and outreach to the suitable candidates and advising the selection process;
  • Creating and leading the onboarding process for the inaugural Indigenous advisory body, facilitating the co-creation of the workflow, decision-making and priority setting mechanisms and putting in place appropriate cultural protocols; 
  • Advising the team on how to better align the processes and grantmaking mechanisms of the Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund with the priorities and expectations of the Indigenous advisory body.

Pilot phase 

  • Facilitating and advising the decision-making process during the pilot grant cycle of the new Indigenous Initiatives Support Fund; 
  • When necessary, providing training, coaching and/or support to the members of the Indigenous advisory body; 
  • Leading the evaluation process of the pilot phase and formulating recommendations for moving forward. 
Budget

Between $20,000 and $35,000. Interested candidates are asked to include budget estimations in their proposals, including their hourly rates, the projected number of hours and estimated timeline for the project. 

Desired qualifications
  • Preference will be given to the First Nations, Inuit and Métis candidates; 
  • Proven track record in creating and operationalizing Indigenous- and reconciliation-focused granting programs, creating or animating Indigenous advisory or similar bodies;
  • Knowledge of Indigenous and non-Indigenous philanthropic sector in Canada and practical experience collaborating with its stakeholders; 
  • Knowledge of the First Nations and Inuit communities and non-profit sector of Greater Montreal, including urban Indigenous communities, the communities of Kahnawà:ke and Kanehsatà:ke and experience of collaborating with its stakeholders is strongly desired; 
  • Understanding of culturally appropriate models and approaches and experience in creating and/or animating discussion and decision-making spaces that do not recreate harmful dynamics and power imbalances present in traditional philanthropy;  
  • Bilingualism (French-English) is strongly desired; 
  • Experience working with equitable and anti-oppressive philanthropic approaches (trust-based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, etc.) is a plus. 
Proposal submission

Please, submit your service proposal, including a budget and overall timeline by March 14, 2025. In addition to the proposal, please send your CV and any references to past projects and collaborations relevant to the present mandate. 

Proposals and CVs must be sent by email to Marie-Andrée Farmer, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement at marie-andree.farmer@fgmtl.org 

Upon reviewing the proposals, the FGM will invite candidates for a screening interview.  

The FGM retains the right to reject proposals without an interview, if the outline of proposed services or budget do not meet the conditions of the project or if the candidate does not demonstrate desired qualifications.  

In case of rejection, the FGM guarantees that it will not use the information contained in the proposal for its own purposes. FGM may keep the proposal on file for future references or collaborations with the consent of the candidate.  

The FGM reserves the right to ask for reasonable modifications of the successful proposal.