Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada's Post-Secondary Partnerships Program (PSPP) provides funding to eligible Canadian post-secondary institutions to design and deliver university- and college-level courses or programs tailored for First Nations and Inuit students – to help these students gain the skills they need to enter and succeed in the labour market.
The program was redesigned and re-named in 2013-2014 (formerly the Indian Studies Support Program). It is now a competitive, national, proposal-driven process based on merit and focused on meeting labour market needs. It supports projects that deliver a program of study or develop new courses and programs tailored for First Nation and Inuit students.
Priority is given to project proposals that:
- focus on the labour market, with specific outcomes and objectives
- lead to high-demand jobs in the Canadian economy or within First Nation or Inuit communities (such as governance)
- respond to the educational needs of First Nation and Inuit students
- use innovative and efficient delivery methods to increase the availability of education in remote communities
- have a plan towards financial self-sustainability
- contain short duration, undergraduate level courses
- include funding partners with a firm commitment to monetary participation.
Proposals are reviewed by a national selection committee and assessed against these criteria. Funding is provided through contribution agreements ranging from one to five years. The courses developed by institutions, through this funding, are open to all students, including Métis.
Eligible expenditures only include actual costs directly associated with designing and delivering programming. Capital expenses are not eligible.