Environmental Trust Fund

Do you have a green idea to make your community a better place? New Brunswick's Environmental Trust Fund could help make your idea a reality. Established in 1990, the fund supports projects focused on protecting, preserving, and enhancing the province’s natural environment.

Call for applications starts November 1, 2023

Call for applications closes November 30, 2023

2023-2024 Environmental Trust Fund Award List

The fund supports projects led by:

• community groups
• municipalities
• First Nations
• non-profit organizations
• institutions furthering sustainable development 

 Project proposals must fit into at least one of the five (5) priority areas:

1. Protecting our environment: Conservation projects or research focused on water, air, coastlines, and wetlands.  
2. Increasing environmental awareness: Projects delivering educational environmental information through schools, youth-based organizations, community groups, etc. 
   
3. Managing waste: Activities supporting waste reduction and management activities i.e., glass and other recycling programs, discouraging illegal dumping, and community clean-up projects. 
4. Climate change: Projects and initiatives in response to climate change and its impacts i.e., community-based transportation, carbon offset opportunities, renewable energy, etc. 
5. Building sustainable communities: New land-use and climate change initiatives to create greener communities and regions.

Note: Many submissions may fit into more than one priority area. When applying, choose the priority areas and measures that are most relevant to your project.   

Projects will be considered and evaluated based on the priority measures and how they fit into the priority areas. Initiatives that align best with these measures will be given funding priority. 

• 2024-2025 ETF priority measures (PDF)
• 2022-2023 ETF Annual Plan (PDF)

• An application can be saved and resumed later by using the "Save and Exit" button. An email will be sent to the provided address with a link to resume the application.
• If you do not have a required piece of information, you may leave that field blank and come back to it later. 
• An application can be edited until the "Submit" button is clicked. 
• Before clicking 'Submit’ on your application, save a copy by clicking ‘Print,’ which will give you the option to print or save as a PDF to your desktop.
• Once an application is submitted, it can not be edited using this site.

Certain projects will require licences or permits to undertake all or part of the activity. It is the applicant’s responsibility to:

• identify the licence or permits required; 
• obtain the licences or permits; and
• indicate that the project will comply with municipal, provincial, and federal regulatory conditions. 

You should begin the process to obtain the required licence or permit as early as possible because the review to obtain various supporting licences required may take some time i.e., the application for a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration Permit must be made at least two (2) months in advance of the anticipated starting date to ensure sufficient time for review.

Actual costs up to, but not exceeding, the approved amount for eligible projects are reimbursed. The letter of offer sent to successful projects explains reimbursement, time frames, and other procedures. The letter acts as a contractual agreement between the recipient and the provincial government.

Funding is for expenses within the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) in the year they are announced. Multi-year projects will need to re-apply each year for funding. The fund will not help restore environmental quality or undertake measures necessary to meet environmental standards when the responsible party can be held accountable.

Applicants are encouraged to explore other possible sources of funding to share in the project's costs. This third-party funding and/or in-kind contributions will enable the fund to extend assistance to a greater number of projects.

Before your project begins, you must have all licences and permits required to carry out your project. Funding approval does not excuse you from regulatory requirements.

In addition, the fund does not support projects where the recipient would gain an advantage over entrepreneurs in the same sector or a related sector of the economy.

Some activities are generally not supported by the fund, such as:

• Bank and shoreline stabilization measures other than natural and manual plantings
• Development, management, and maintenance of parks and trails
• Feasibility studies
• Septic upgrades
• Non "green" activities (i.e. sidewalk construction, paving, etc.)
• Activities that are required by legislation (i.e. Environmental Impact Assessments etc.)
• Acquisition of land
• Activities where other more appropriate funding programs should be accessed.
• Infrastructure and capital assets
• Instances when the recipient would gain an advantage over entrepreneurs in the same sector or a related sector of the economy

Over the years, the Environmental Trust Fund successfully supported thousands of projects. Community groups, New Brunswick local governments, First Nations, non-profit organizations, and institutions all shared their green ideas to make our communities a better place.

These projects have demonstrated tangible, measurable results, aimed at protecting, preserving, and enhancing the province’s natural environment.

• Environmental trust fund impact report - 2022-2023 (PDF)
• Environmental trust fund impact report - 2021-2022 (PDF)
• Environmental trust fund impact report - 2020-2021 (PDF)

• Environmental Trust Fund supports more than 200 projects

• Environmental Trust Fund invests about $8.6 million

• Applications now open for Environmental Trust Fund

• Environmental Trust Fund invests over $9 million in environmental initiatives