THUNDER BAY — The newly established $200 million McLean Legacy Fund has launched its first call for applications nationwide, which will run until the end of September 2025.
“It's incredibly rewarding and humbling to have reached this pivotal moment, which marks both the culmination of a comprehensive engagement process but also what we firmly believe will be the start of a powerful and restorative healing journey for Survivors and communities impacted by Federal Indian Day Schools," said Elder Claudette Commanda, CEO of the McLean Day Schools Settlement Corporation.
The fund is part of the $1.47 billion Federal Indian Day Schools Class Action Settlement.
From the mid 1800s until the early 2000’s around 200,000 First Nations and Inuit children were forced to attend the federally operated day schools. This resulted in a loss of cultural connections, cultural practices and language, said a media release.
Indian Day Schools were located on First Nation and Inuit reserves and kept the children in daytime, sending them home in the evening.
First Nations where there was a day school are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 to establish their own survivor committees. Individual Survivors are not eligible to apply directly.
The communities must be listed in Schedule K of the settlement. There are more than 60 Northwestern Ontario schools on the list; a map is available on the McLean Legacy Fund website.
Communities with established survivor committees can apply for available for anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000 in either annual (for up to four years) or one-time contributions for community programs and projects.
The McLean Day Schools Settlement Corporation was created as part of the Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement Agreement to manage and deliver the $200 million Legacy Fund. This fund is intended to support healing, wellness, language, culture, commemoration, and truth-telling for Survivor Communities of Federal Indian Day Schools, according to the release.
"One of the most important things about the Legacy Fund is that decisions about funding are being guided by Survivors, for Survivors,” said Elder Gloria Wells, a settlement corporation board member. “Every part of this process respects the voices of our people and puts communities in the lead, where they decide what they need to heal and provide support not just for Survivors but for future generations.”
Six national outreach sessions and an online survey were conducted to gather survivor and community input on how the fund should operate in the future.
“The Legacy Fund was built to create space for Survivors to gather, share their stories, and create positive pathways for support for Survivors, communities and their families,” said Roger Augustine, another board member.
The fund honours Garry McLean, a member of the Lake Manitoba First Nation who represented hundreds of thousands of survivors as the lead plaintiff in the class action case.
Designed to empower survivor committees and communities, the fund works to develop and deliver programs and initiatives that reflect what healing means to them, said a media release.
There are two categories for funding applications, the first call for funding provides up to $25,000 for communities with Schools listed in the schedule K of the Settlement Agreement to establish their own Survivor Committees. While the second option provides anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000 (per year for up to four years, or as one-time only funding depending on each pillar) for community programs and projects, said a media release.
To learn more about the submission process and the resources available to help communities submit their requests, visit here.
