Glows Indigenous Health Grant: Guiding Local Opportunities for Wellbeing

The GLOWS Indigenous Health Grant: Guiding Local Opportunities for Wellbeing is a co-created initiative between CAAN Communities, Alliances & Networks and Gilead Sciences Canada that seeks to advance health equity within Indigenous communities by enhancing engagement in cultural, HIV and viral hepatitis care.

Offering a financial commitment of $3M USD (approx. $4M CAD) over three years, the grant is designed to support Indigenous-led solutions which address the unique needs of Indigenous peoples living with or at risk of HIV and viral hepatitis. CAAN and Gilead Sciences Canada are supported by the Indigenous Advisory Circle, a national group consisting of seven representatives who reflect the diverse Indigenous population across our nation. These individuals will play an important role in shaping our program to align seamlessly with the vision and priorities of Indigenous communities. We are grateful to for their guidance and wisdom.

Funding Priorities

The program is a step forward in supporting Indigenous peoples’ rights to autonomy specifically as it relates to our health and well-being and enabling us to deliver traditional medicines and healing practices within our communities. It aims to fund initiatives that align with at least one of the following funding priorities:

Education: Build awareness of HIV/viral hepatitis symptoms, drivers of transmission, and available care and treatments through Indigenous-ledculturally appropriate health information and services that support improved screening and diagnosis.
Peer Support & Navigation: Improve access to HIV/viral hepatitis care services that align with Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, helping to create safe environments for Indigenous people to navigate care settings, seek care and continue receiving care.
Holistic Care: Enable holistic healing with tools and services that enhance the capacity to deliver HIV/viral hepatitis and traditional care, helping to address the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of Indigenous people.
Capacity Building: Support Indigenous-led organizations in strengthening staff skills and capabilities, infrastructure and administrative support, to continue delivering HIV/viral hepatitis services and expand organizational sustainability and community-based leadership.

Application for Year 1 of the GLOWS Grant are now closed. Thank you to all organizations who shared their programs for consideration! Details for Year 2 will be shared soon.

The nine organizations selected to receive the GLOWS Indigenous Health Grant include:

Carrier Sekani Health Services (CSFS) in Prince George, BC brings 30 years of experience working to offer holistic wellness services to First Nations people in Carrier and Sekani territory. The grant will support its program, HIV and AIDS Education and Awareness for CSFS Member Nations.

Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society aims to improve and promote the physical, emotional and spiritual health of individuals in the urban Indigenous community in Metro Vancouver. The grant will be applied to its program, Our Circle Is Strong, which will be expanded to offer low-barrier, culturally-grounded pathways to health and healing for community members affected by HIV and viral hepatitis.

Aakom Kiyii Health Services in Brocket, AB serves the Piikani people and their families with a full range of community health and home care. The grant will support its program, There Is No Indigenous Word For HCV!:Incorporating Cultural and Traditional Experiences to Shape and Change HCV Testing in the Piikani Nation.

Sandy Beach KImamow Ataskanow Foundation in Onoway, AB is the only rural, land-based Aboriginal HIV/AIDS service organization in Canada. With the grant, it will support the organization’s Indigenous Health Equity Access Response (IHEAR).

All Nations Hope Network Inc in Regina, SK works to prevent and raise awareness about HIV and Hepatitis C among the community’s Indigenous population through culturally sensitive HIV and Hepatitis C education and will use the grant for its Indigenous Medicine Practitioning.

Ka Ni Kanichihk in Winnipeg, MB offers Indigenous-led programs for education, job skills and mentorship. The grant will build on the organization’s Mino Pimatiwsiwin Sexual Wellness Lodge Kookum’s Council to include teams that support linkages to HIV care and expanded harm reduction practices and pathways.

Sunshine House Inc. in Winnipeg, MB is a community drop-in and resource centre focused on harm reduction and social inclusion. It offers programming that meets people’s social, community, and recreational needs. The organization will use the grant toward The Chickadee Program, which will deliver the organization’s harm reduction approach to prevention and testing, as well as expand abilities to support individuals newly diagnosed with HIV and viral hepatitis.

Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (OAHA) provides culturally respectful and sensitive programs and strategies to address the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic among Aboriginal people in Ontario. It will use the grant for its program, Strengthening OAHA’s Capacity for Community Development with Indigenous Communities Across Ontario.

Call Auntie started during the Covid-19 pandemic to create connection for the Indigenous community in Tkarōn:to and expanded to provide prenatal and postnatal support for First Nations, Métis and Inuit families in the Greater Toronto Area. The grant will go toward its program, Building the Circle, Creating Systemic Pathways for HIV And Viral Hepatitis Services.