Community & Cultural Development
Supporting Strong, Vibrant Communities
The NunatuKavut Community Council offers a wide range of programs that support vibrant, healthy communities while celebrating Inuit culture, resilience, and identity.
Whether focused on housing, youth engagement, cultural revitalization, or community celebration, these services reflect our commitment to supporting strong, vibrant communities for our people. Like health care, some programs are delivered directly by NCC for NunatuKavut Inuit, while others are offered in partnership with external organizations.
NunatuKavut Youth Action Project (NYAP)
The NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) is pleased to introduce the NunatuKavut Youth Action Project (NYAP). It is a two-year project that helps youth gain marketable skills, confidence and experience that they can carry with them for years to come. It is open to up to 40 Inuit and non-Inuit youth between the ages of 12 and 30.
Through transformative volunteer work, youth will be active in their communities through participation in one of the following three groups:
- Culture and Communication Team (CCT) – 15 youth;
- NunatuKavut Ecology Action Team (NEAT) – 15 youth; or
- NunatuKavut Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) – 10 youth.
Youth will have to commit to 120 volunteer hours within their chosen group for each year of the project.
NYAP promotes civic and democratic engagement among youth and strengthens their resilience by providing them with opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, and experience to make a positive contribution to their communities. It helps them build strong relationships with community groups and organizations and help increase their knowledge of NunatuKavut Inuit history and culture. Over the coming months, participants will receive certification in a variety of areas.
Towards the end of the project, the Culture and Communication Team will work with participants from all three groups to develop a final video that will showcase what they each have learned throughout the project. The video will show footage of the various activities that each group worked on and interviews with participants to be shared on our social media channels.
A final gathering for all participants will be held in the spring of 2027. Elders from across the territory will be invited to attend this gathering which will allow participants to mentor one another and share their skills and knowledge learned throughout the project. It will also give them the opportunity to exchange traditional knowledge with our Elders. This gathering will be held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
We are incredibly excited at the launch of this project over the coming days and we look forward to working with youth as they start this exciting journey with us.
For more information, or to register for the project, please contact:
Wanda Lee Mesher, Manager
nyapmanager@nunatukavut.ca
Home Repair Program
Please note: Intake for this program is suspended pending approval of new funding.
The Home Repair/Home Modification Program provides funding to:
assist homeowners with low-to-moderate income who require renovations to their homes to complete structural and related repairs, with improvements to basic heating, electrical and plumbing services; and
assist homeowners with low-to-moderate income who require accessibility changes to their residence, to enable individuals to remain in their own homes for a longer period.
Applicants should meet all the following eligibility criteria:
Be a NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) Full Member – Resident;
Have a combined applicant/co-applicant income at or below $65,000, as per line 236 on a most recent income tax return;
Provide proof of homeownership, by way of a deed of clear title or affidavit;
Must be the applicant/co-applicant of the principal residence;
Be at least 19 years of age; and
Have an eligible repair item.
Read more:
Application: *Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out the forms electronically. Download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
Contact Information:
All enquiries about this program can be directed to:
Trent Acreman
Housing Inspector
1-709-702-7823
tacreman@nunatukavut.ca
Benita Penney
Home Repair Program Officer
1-709-702-7817
bpenney@nunatukavut.ca
Labrador West Indigenous Service Centre
The Labrador West Indigenous Service Centre delivers effective, culturally appropriate programs and services to assist all Indigenous peoples living in or transitioning to Labrador West, and operates similar to a friendship centre.
A resource room is equipped with two computers and an assortment of resource materials. Visitors are welcome between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (closed for lunch from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.). No appointments are necessary.
The address is:
610 Tamarack Drive, Upper Level
Labrador City, NL A2V 2M6
Housing supports
Struggling with housing or homelessness? Contact your nearest:
- NL Housing Corporation office (Goose Bay: 1-800-563-4434)
- Salvation Army
- HVGB Housing Liaison Worker 896-5977
- Labrador West Housing Support Worker 944-3757
- Housing and Homelessness Coalitions:
Dog Team Driver Grant
Dog teams remain an integral part of life in NunatuKavut. In the past, they helped families travel (“shift”) to their seasonal homes and hunters and trappers provide for their families. They allowed people to travel throughout our homeland and connected people with one another.
Today, they continue to connect us to our traditions and our culture. There are several NunatuKavut Inuit in our communities who own dog teams. Understanding the cost of carrying on this important tradition, the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) introduced the Dog Team Driver Grant Program in January 2023 to help subsidize the costs.
Grant Amount: Increased up to $1,500 per dog team per calendar year in celebration of NCC’s 40th anniversary as a governing body in 2026.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants must be located in a community within NunatuKavut and own a team with five or more husky dogs. Only one grant will be approved per dog team and per household.
Reporting: NCC will be following up with successful applicants for feedback and photos.
For inquiries about this grant, please contact:
Shandy Smith
Communications Officer
ssmith@nunatukavut.ca
T: 1-709-702-7806
C: 1-709-899-2243
Applying: *Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out the forms electronically. Download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
George Roberts Community Grants
The George Roberts Community Grants Program was established in December 2013 to assist communities and groups in NunatuKavut to celebrate their culture while improving economic, social, physical and mental well-being. Grants of up to $4,000 are available to any non-profit or community group.
It is named after the late George Roberts, a proud NCC member from Norman Bay whose years of volunteering and commitment contributed to the betterment of his community and the communities of others.
Applications are accepted throughout the year, with four deadlines: January 15, April 15, June 15 and September 15.
Completed applications can be submitted one of two ways:
Email: grcg@nunatukavut.ca
George Roberts Community Grant Program
C/O Shandy Smith
Communications Officer
NunatuKavut Community Council
200 Kelland Drive
PO Box 460, Stn C
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1C0
For enquiries about this program, please contact:
Shandy Smith
ssmith@nunatukavut.ca
T: 1-709-702-7806
C: 1-709-899-2243
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the following projects were funded to date, totalling $10,300.
Battle Harbour Historic Trust (Battle Harbour Seniors Day 2023)
Battle Harbour Assisted Living Corporation (Indigenous Day Celebrations)
Cartwright Volunteer Fire Department (Enhanced Communications)
Sandwich Bay 50+ Club (National Indigenous Peoples Day)
Port Hope Simpson Town Council (National Indigenous Peoples Day)
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation Programs
For Rental Applicants:
- Rental Housing Program
Homeowner Support:
- Down Payment Assistance Program (DAP)
- Provincial Home Repair Program (PHRP)
- Home Modification Program (HMP)
- Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP)
For Contractors, Developers, and Non-Profit Groups:
- Provincial Homelessness Fund (PHF)
- Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH)
- Partner-Managed Housing Program
- Supportive Living Program (SLP)
For further information, please visit website:
Homelessness Partnering Strategy (capital & capacity-building funding):
Contact Person: Crystal Cater – Town of Grand Falls-Windsor
Tel: (709) 489-0436;
Email: hps@townofgfw.com
Website
Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC):
Contact Person: Glenn Furlong –
709-772-4949;
Email: gfurlong@cmhc.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s Point of Service
Dorset Building; 6 Mount Carson Avenue, Suite 106; Mount Pearl, NL; A1N 3K4
Phone: 709-772-4400
CMHC SEED Funding: Contributions and Interest-Free Loans
Website: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/afhoce/afhoce_001.cfm
CMHC Proposal Development Funding (PDF):
Website: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/first-nation/financial-assistance/non-profit/proposal-development-funding.cfm
CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance Flexibilities:
Website: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/afhoce/afhoce_007.cfm