Access to sport, health supports, cultural connection, and leadership programming should not depend on postal code or budget. But for many remote and rural Indigenous communities across Ontario, those barriers are real. Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (ISWO) is helping shift that reality by funding community-led, culturally grounded programs that support holistic health and wellness.

Through targeted grant programs, ISWO supports First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities, organizations, and groups across Ontario to build opportunities that strengthen physical activity, mental wellness, belonging, confidence, and community capacity. Keep reading for an overview of our key funding programs.

How ISWO Supports Community Health and Wellness Through Grants

ISWO’s funding programs are designed to help communities create and sustain programming that supports wellness in a broad sense, including:

• Physical health through increased access to sport and recreation
• Mental and emotional well-being through belonging, confidence, and routine
• Cultural connection through community-led, culturally grounded approaches
• Leadership development that supports youth, mentorship, and long-term capacity

Each grant program fits into that bigger picture.

The Grants Making an Impact

Power 2 Play Equipment Grant

In many communities, the cost of equipment is the first barrier that keeps people, especially youth, from participating. The Power 2 Play Equipment Grant helps remove that barrier by providing up to $5,000 for sports equipment, or the option to request 10 to 15 sets of Bauer hockey equipment per applicant organization.

What makes this program especially meaningful for wellness is that it enables communities to build programming that is more accessible, inclusive, and consistent. Proposals that show how culturally grounded sport and physical activity opportunities can enhance overall wellness are strongly encouraged.

Timeline: Accepting applications in the summer

Northern & Remote Communities Recreation Fund

For remote and rural communities, access challenges often go beyond equipment. Travel, facilities, staffing, and limited local programming can all restrict participation. The Northern & Remote Communities Recreation Fund is designed specifically with those realities in mind, offering up to $10,000 for new, existing, or expanded projects that support community social development through sport, recreation, and physical activity.

Because it supports programs that bring people together, this fund can strengthen community connection, healthy routines, and overall wellness, especially when projects are community-led and culturally grounded.

Timeline: Accepting applications in the fall

Women & Girls Sport Fund (WGSF)

Wellness includes feeling safe, supported, and encouraged to participate. The Women & Girls Sport Fund (WGSF) focuses on creating more opportunities for Indigenous women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity while building confidence, skills, and knowledge.

Funded by the Government of Canada through Sport Canada’s Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities (SSDIC) initiative, the WGSF awards $5,000 grants to successful applicants, with 10 grants available each year.

Timeline: Accepting applications in late fall

Community Sport Fund (CSF)

Sport can be more than activity; it can be a tool for connection, confidence, community pride, and positive social outcomes. Part of ISWO’s Well Nation program, the Community Sport Fund (CSF) supports projects that use sport as a driver for positive social change in Indigenous communities across Ontario.

 ISWO encourages applications from:

• Remote and rural communities where sports opportunities are limited
• Large urban Indigenous populations where participation rates are low

Successful applicants must demonstrate how their project will:

• Lead to new or continued sport participation opportunities
• Increase the number of people involved in organized sport in their community
• Build community capacity to deliver sport, recreation, and physical activity programming
• (Stream 2 applicants) Encourage and enhance women and girls’ participation in sport through all stages of life

Timeline: Accepting applications annually in the spring

CLAW Fund (Standing Bear Program)

Community wellness also depends on leadership, especially youth leadership that is rooted in culture, identity, and community priorities. Originally launched in 2021 and now revived through ISWO’s Standing Bear program, the CLAW Fund focuses on Indigenous youth leadership development in Northern Ontario.

In 2026, grants ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 were available to eligible programs in Sudbury, surrounding areas, and across Northern Ontario. Programs must be Indigenous youth-focused and centred on leadership, wellness, or cultural initiatives.

Timeline: Accepting applications annually in the winter, subject to funding availability

Who Can Apply?

These funds are available to eligible organizations and groups in Ontario, including:

• First Nation, Métis, or Inuit (FNMI) community associations
• Established Indigenous youth groups
• Indigenous not-for-profit organizations
• First Nation, Inuit, or Métis governing bodies, or Indigenous provincial/territorial organizations or authorities
• Not-for-profit organizations, clubs, and associations that directly support organized sport delivery in Indigenous communities, in consultation and collaboration with those communities

Does ISWO Provide Funding for Individuals?

It is important to clarify that ISWO’s funding is community and program-based, not individual. ISWO does not cover individual registration fees, personal equipment costs, travel expenses, or competition-specific costs for individual athletes.

This approach is intentional. ISWO’s funding is primarily public and partnership-based (more context here: ISWO’s role in supporting sport and wellness), so resources are directed where they can create collective impact, including long-term programming and sustainable opportunities across urban, rural, and on-reserve communities.

If you are an individual athlete or family looking for direct financial support, other avenues to explore may include:

• Band or community funding programs
• Local Friendship Centres or community organizations
• School-based bursaries or support programs
• Municipal recreation subsidies
• National or provincial sport organization grants
• Charitable foundations or scholarship programs focused on sport

Speaking with a local community coordinator, school counsellor, or band office can be a good starting point.

Supporting Wellness for the Long Term

ISWO’s grant programs reflect a broader commitment: that every Indigenous community in Ontario, no matter how remote, deserves access to sport, wellness, culture, and leadership opportunities. By investing in community-led programs rather than individuals, ISWO helps build infrastructure, capacity, and cultural connections that support wellness for generations.

If your community or organization has an idea for a culturally-grounded program, these grants can be a powerful way to turn that idea into something lasting.