The Invasive Species Action Fund (ISAF) is a grant program designed to facilitate on-the-ground management and monitoring of invasive species in Ontario. The program is made possible thanks to the support of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).
See the list of Invasive Species Action Fund recipients here.
On this page:
Fund Information
Program Goal
Ontario continues to be one of the highest-risk provinces for the introduction of new invasive species to Canada. With an abundance of invasive species and finite resources to address the issue, allocating resources to the most strategic projects is critical to make effective progress.
Many municipalities, Indigenous communities, conservation authorities, community organizations and other partners continue to see invasive species establishing and spreading in their areas with few resources to work proactively to detect, prevent and eliminate these species prior to the requirement for long term control and management action.
ISAF will enable successful applicants to catalyze action on invasive species management in Ontario in 2025, while also supporting them in planning and quantifying needs to complete work in the future.
This program will also support goals identified in the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan including:
- To prevent new invaders from arriving and surviving in Ontario,
- To slow, and where possible, reverse the spread of existing invasive species, and
- To reduce the harmful impacts of existing invasive species
Objectives
- Supporting prevention, control, and eradication activities to reduce the threats posed by Ontario’s highest risk invasive species
- Enabling planning, mapping, monitoring, and management actions at the local level
- Assessing the impact of control activities and supporting planning for future work
ISAF Funding Streams
| Stream | Funding Cap | Project Completion | Reporting Requirements |
| Stream 1: Microgrants | $3,500 | January 2026 | Agreement Interim Report Final Report |
| Stream 2: Accelerated Impact | $15,000 | January 2026 | Agreement Interim Report Final Report |
| Stream 3: Transformative Action | $50,000 | January 2026 | Agreement Interim Report Final Report |
Funding Priorities
- The Microgrants stream continues to support local communities with invasive species needs. Key themes include, but are not limited to, volunteer stewardship and collaborative action.
- Priorities for Accelerated Impact and Transformative Action streams are more specific and can be found in the Applicant Guide. There, you will see a range of species, geographies and key themes that have been identified as ISAF priorities for 2025. Applicants are encouraged to submit projects that meaningfully address at least one priority species and key theme.
Additional Fund Information
Click on the titles below to learn more about applicant criteria:
Eligible Applicants
The following organizations and landowners located in Ontario are eligible:
- Non-government organizations and charities
- Municipal and local governments
- Universities, colleges, and schools
- Indigenous Communities/Organizations
- Conservation Authorities
- Landowners (only where projects align with collaborative ongoing efforts on public lands)
Ineligible Applicants
- Federal government departments and agencies
- Provincial government ministries
- Private landowners (Note: in exceptional situations, private lands directly abutting onto public property with a comprehensive public invasive species management plan could be part of an application from an eligible participant above)
Eligible Costs & Activities
- Salary costs directly related to the project
- Contractor costs directly associated with the project
- Purchase and rental of equipment, supplies and materials directly related to the project
- Administration costs not exceeding 10% of ISAF contribution to a project
- Convening multi-partner collaborations on invasive species management to address landscape-level prevention and management work
- Prevention, control and management plans for invasive species
- Training youth and youth engagement activities
- Costs associated with training and/or licensing of current employees to increase capacity for invasive species removal
- Communications costs (signage, advertising)
Ineligible Costs & Activities
ISAF does not fund:
- Salary costs for full or part-time municipal employees that would continue to be employed without ISAF funding. However, ISAF funding can be used to support new positions or contract extensions that are solely intended to meet ISAF project outcomes.
- Projects with a primary focus on invasive species education and outreach
- Projects that focus on invasive Phragmites. Ontario Phragmites Action program’s Invasive Phragmites Control Fund for these projects. We expect to share Information on future cycles of the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund shortly. See more information: Invasive Phragmites Control Fund.
- Projects that are undertaken exclusively on privately owned property
- Land securement
- Capital equipment purchases exceeding 20% of the total ISAF request
Additional Information for Applicants
- All invasive species prevention and control projects must demonstrate how their project will be using established Best Management Practices for their species of focus. Should a BMP not be available, the proponent must demonstrate how their proposed approach builds on existing knowledge for effective control
- Applicants are required to obtain all permits, licenses and authorizations prior to completing the proposed work. Furthermore, applicants are responsible for obtaining landowner permission to access and complete work on any private property. It is the responsibility of the applicant to understand the legal parameters required under each project and said responsibilities rest with the applicant, project partners, and/or contractors alone.
- Proposals require a formal matching of 1:1 in cash contributions or in-kind support (please see “Non-ISAF Contributions” section below for additional details
- Projects that support positive outcomes in controlling multiple invasive species are encouraged
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit any invasive species distribution data collected under ISAF supported projects through EDDMapS and/or iNaturalist
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to describe how the project links and supports municipal or other plans and policies
- An organization can submit more than one application to ISAF for consideration. In situations where multiple submissions are made by a single organization, reviewers will strive to ensure the strongest projects from the most applicants are supported.
- Letters of support are encouraged when submitting a project for ISAF consideration
Award Terms
The 2025 ISAF has received funding from the MNR to support projects in Ontario. The Fund strives to support a number of projects in three different streams with up to $3,500 for each successful applicant receiving a Microgrant, up to $15,000 for Accelerated Impact grants, and up to $50,000 for Transformative Action grants. Successful applicants will receive their award, once determined, for activities to be completed by January 2026.
Award recipients agree to provide project updates, stories, and photos to be used by the Invasive Species Centre to communicate project outcomes and raise awareness about invasive species in Ontario. Award recipients agree to report on specific key performance indicators that will be used to communicate project outcomes. Award recipients will also communicate project outcomes and raise awareness of invasive species stories when appropriate.
Applicants may also be asked to participate in an Invasive Species Centre led event to share a short presentation or poster about the project and outcomes.
Proposed Notification and Reporting Timelines for FY 2026
| Phase | Expected Start | |
| Request for Proposals | November 15, 2024 | Close: January 15, 2025 at 11:59pm |
| Successful recipients notified (target date) | February – March, 2025 | |
| Agreements | May, 2025 | |
| Initial Payments (Target Start) | May, 2025 | |
| Interim Reporting | September 20, 2025 | |
| Final Reporting and Payments (all streams) | February 6, 2026, final payment contingent on approval of final report | |
Projects that exceed the funding cap for the Transformative Action Stream may be considered on a case by case basis. To discuss project eligibility for these exceptional circumstances please reach out to Kendra Jolley, kjolley@invasivespeciescentre.ca by December 10, 2024 to discuss your project and eligibility.
* Eligible expenses for successful project will be permitted from notification date.
Virtual Information Sessions
General
Thursday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. ET | Register here.
Focused
Developing a Budget and In-Kind Contributions: Thursday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. ET | Register here.
If you are unable to attend any of the live sessions, a recording will be posted on the ISC YouTube page.
Applicant Guidelines
Access a PDF of the FY 2026 Applicant Guidelines here.
Online Application Forms
Interested applicants must complete an online application form via Good Grants by January 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications cannot be accepted by other means such as email.
Contact Information
Please contact Kendra Jolley at kjolley@invasivespeciescentre.ca to discuss the Invasive Species Action Fund.