A brief profile of the EcoAction program is presented in this section as well as the roles and responsibilities of the different entities involved in its delivery.
2.1.1 The EcoAction Community Funding Program
Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program is one of several programs managed by Environment Canada that provide funding and support for community-based projects that have positive, measurable results for the environment. While the program was formalized in 1995, its roots date back to 1989 and the Environmental Partners Fund (EPF).
The EPF was established in 1989 to provide funding for the development and implementation of local, action-based projects that preserve the environment. In 1994, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) made recommendations regarding the EPF’s ability to achieve environmental results and, in response, Environment Canada created Action 2Action 21 had a closer alignment with governmental priorities as well as a more focused approach towards achieving environmental results. Budget allocation for sunsetting EPF was transferred over to Action 21 and the program operated under the existing terms and conditions of the EPF from 1995 to 1998. New terms and conditions were approved by the Treasury Board Secretariat in 1998 and the name of the program was changed to EcoAction2000 at that time. Although the name of the program was subsequently shortened to EcoAction in 2000, it continued to operate under the same terms and conditions established in 1998 until they were updated in the spring of 2004. These terms and conditions are to be renewed in the spring of 2010–11.
EcoAction focuses on supporting community-level projects led by non-profit organizations including, for example, environmental groups, community groups, service clubs, associations, youth and seniors’ organizations, and First Nations’ and Aboriginal organizations. While national in scope, the program is managed in the regions through a network of Environment Canada offices across Canada. The objective is to offer a level of project support to EcoAction clients and to monitor funded projects closely.
Eligible projects may be funded up to a maximum of $100,000 per project, which makes EcoAction a funder of small projects by design (average funding is about $25,000 per project). In order to be funded, applicants must lever a minimum of 50% of the total value of the project from sources other than the federal government (with some exceptions). The maximum duration for EcoAction funding is two years and projects that are designed to become self-sustaining after this period are encouraged.
2.1.2 EcoAction Objectives and Funding Areas
As described in program documents, the objectives of the EcoAction program are to:
The objectives of the EcoAction program are to be achieved through funding community-based projects that have positive intended results for the environment in one of four priority program areas. These are:
Despite supporting these general, long-term national priorities, the EcoAction program is flexible, shifting the emphasis among these categories or emphasizing different program areas depending on the priorities of the Government of Canada, the priorities of specific governmental departments as well as the priorities within specific regions. For example, EcoAction supported Canada’s One-Tonne Challenge (OTC) from 2003 to 2006 by emphasizing funding for community projects designed to reduce personal GHG emissions. The OTC was an important component of the Climate Change Plan for Canada which was developed to address climate change, a major environmental priority for the federal government.2
2.1.3 Program Resources
From 2004–05 to 2007–08, a total of $7.16 million per year was allocated to the EcoAction program. Of this, approximately $5.5 million per year was allocated towards G&C. The remainder supported salaries and program O&M. Resource data, it should be noted, are not recorded specifically for the EcoAction program but also include salaries and O&M for the delivery of four other programs: the Environmental Damage Fund (EDF), the OTC (for the duration of that program), Ecosystem Initiatives, and Education and Engagement (E&E).
Program documentation indicated that program delivery involved between 20.5 and 31.0 full-time equivalents (FTEs), although this includes FTEs involved in the delivery of the other programs. FTEs include managers, program officers and program and administrative officers across Canada. In order to obtain a more defined overview of the program’s human resources, program staff were asked to provide an estimate of EcoAction FTEs for the scope of the evaluation. Their information was compiled in Table 2-1.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | EcoAction FTEs | Other FTEs Charged to EcoAction1,2 | Total FTEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY Average | 24.61 | 6.95 | 31.56 |
| 2004-2005 | 24.02 | 7.98 | 32.00 |
| 2005-2006 | 24.50 | 8.50 | 33.00 |
| 2006-2007 | 25.42 | 5.08 | 30.50 |
| 2007-20082 | 24.50 | 6.25 | 30.75 |
1 Other FTEs charged to EcoAction include those for the Environmental Damage Fund (EDF), the One-Tonne Challenge (OTC), Ecosystem Initiatives and Education and Engagement (E&E).
2 The drop in FTEs in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 is due to the cancellation of the OTC in 2006.
Source: email correspondence with program staff.
For the evaluation period, the delivery of the EcoAction program involved on average 24.61 FTEs yearly, while all other related programs charged under EcoAction, such as the EDF, the OTC and the Ecosystem Initiatives, involved an average 6.95 FTEs.
Although EcoAction is a national program, it has a citizen-centered focus that allows communities to identify their own solutions to environmental issues at the local level. The regional structuring of the program necessitates that the EcoAction program is delivered by Environment Canada centres within each region of Canada (Pacific & Yukon, Prairie & Northern, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic). A national coordinating body (the National Coordination Unit or NCU) exists in the NCR.
Proposals that are submitted for EcoAction funding undergo a three-stage review process: an administrative review by regional program staff to ensure that proposals meet all eligibility and funding criteria; a technical review by experts in the field to ensure the technical merit of proposals and feasibility of carrying the projects to completion; and a review by the Review Committee, which is composed of Environment Canada staff in each region, to ensure that environmental, social, and departmental priorities are considered. The Review Committee’s recommendations are approved by the appropriate RDG at Environment Canada, who is fully accountable for the management and delivery of the EcoAction program and has signing authority for the distribution of EcoAction funds. A contribution agreement outlining the funding terms and conditions is then negotiated with each successful project recipient. Generally, the NCU office is invited to participate when the DG and RDG in each region are briefed on the projects being recommended for funding. NCU provides national input, if necessary.
Program data are maintained in an MIS. While regional staff are responsible for ensuring that information in the MIS is kept up to date, the system is managed by a working group composed of project officers from each region and a representative from the NCU. This group is responsible for the annual scheduling of modifications and improvements to the MIS.
Nearly two thousand applications (1878) were submitted to the EcoAction program between 2004–05 and 2008–09. This period of time includes funding rounds 21 (approved in 2004–05) to 29 (approved in 2008–09), with two funding rounds per fiscal year, in October and in February. Of the submitted applications, 750 (39.9%) were approved and, at the time of the evaluation, 486 (25.9%) projects were completed. The distribution of these projects by region, category, requested EcoAction contribution and requested project value are shown in Table 2-2.3
As can be seen from the table, most applications:
Characteristic |
Applications |
Approved |
Completed |
|||
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
|
Region |
||||||
Pacific and Yukon |
259 |
14% |
92 |
12% |
52 |
11% |
Prairie and Northern |
254 |
14% |
108 |
14% |
61 |
13% |
Ontario |
384 |
20% |
139 |
19% |
95 |
20% |
Quebec |
512 |
27% |
176 |
24% |
107 |
22% |
Atlantic |
469 |
25% |
235 |
31% |
171 |
35% |
Priority Area |
||||||
Clean Air |
59 |
3% |
22 |
3% |
14 |
3% |
Clean Water |
409 |
22% |
178 |
24% |
111 |
23% |
Climate Change1 |
717 |
38% |
263 |
35% |
168 |
35% |
Nature |
638 |
34% |
287 |
38% |
193 |
40% |
Not Identified |
55 |
3% |
– |
– |
– |
– |
Requested EcoAction Contribution (may differ from approved or actual contribution) |
||||||
Less than $10,000 |
170 |
9% |
63 |
8% |
42 |
9% |
$10,000 to $24,999 |
615 |
33% |
265 |
35% |
201 |
41% |
$25,000 to $49,999 |
544 |
29% |
237 |
32% |
136 |
28% |
$50,000 to $74,999 |
240 |
13% |
98 |
13% |
52 |
11% |
$75,000 and higher |
309 |
16% |
87 |
12% |
55 |
11% |
Requested Project Value (may differ from approved or actual value) |
||||||
Less than $25,000 |
175 |
9% |
58 |
8% |
40 |
8% |
$25,000 to $49,999 |
296 |
16% |
128 |
17% |
97 |
20% |
$50,000 to $74,999 |
362 |
19% |
157 |
21% |
107 |
22% |
$75,000 to $99,999 |
250 |
13% |
116 |
16% |
74 |
15% |
$100,000 to $199,999 |
486 |
26% |
191 |
26% |
102 |
21% |
$200,000 to $299,999 |
180 |
10% |
62 |
8% |
46 |
10% |
$300,000 and higher |
129 |
7% |
38 |
5% |
20 |
4% |
1 A focus was put on Climate Change projects in light of the OTC
Source: MIS data (Project Status, Final Decision, Region, Category, Requested Contribution and Requested Project Value)
2 The OTC was cancelled in 2006.
3 Actual contributions and project values are available for approved/completed projects only. Requested EcoAction contributions and project values are available for all applications.