"Advancing clean energy and transportation infrastructure projectsThe Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) will provide up to $1.5 billion in federal funding over 7 years for clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects necessary to enable the sustainable development and expansion of critical minerals in Canada.There will be calls for proposals launched over the course of this 7-year program. The first call for proposals is open now, with up to $300 million in contribution funding available under 2 streams"
1- "Funds preconstruction activities required to advance projects toward a shovel-ready state, including studies; planning; design work; assessments; infrastructure-specific consultation; knowledge sharing; and engagement with Indigenous communities and organizations, as well as other impacted communities.Stream 1 applications will be assessed and ranked after the application window closes.Projects requesting $10 million or less may be prioritized for funding."
2- "Funds shovel-ready projects, including site preparation, construction, rehabilitation or enhancement of infrastructure, as well as capacity-building activities and engagement in support of Indigenous and other impacted communities.Stream 2 will use a continuous intake process, meaning that applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis.Depending on demand, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) may stop issuing funding decisions when funding under this stream has been allocated"
Program details
"CMIF funding addresses key infrastructure gaps in the upstream segment (exploration and mining) of critical minerals value chains to:unlock new critical mineral resourcessupport improved environmental performance at mine sitesfacilitate market access for critical mineralsstrengthen supply chains (i.e., by connecting resources to midstream processing and refining, and downstream manufacturing)CMIF funded projects must be located entirely in Canada."
(20min delay)