With the Sovereignty in Action (SIA) Awards back in action, we’re dedicating this moment to spotlight one of our previous awardees: Indigenous Harm Reduction Team (IHRT). ICA was honoured to support the incredible individuals at IHRT, who are helpers in the community, by hosting a Two-Spirit Sundance. ICA believes in providing accessible Indigenous ceremonies to all community members through the powerful action of Healing Justice (HJ). Healing Justice is an essential role in collective sovereignty through the attendance of healing ceremonies like a Sundance.

As a reminder, SIA distributes up to $100K in support of Indigenous-led individuals, grassroots groups, and community projects that embody sovereignty in action. Each recipient receives up to $2,500 to support their work — whether it's on the land, in language, or acts of resistance and care, or in the case of Indigenous Harm Reduction, supporting transformative Healing Justice activities like offering ceremonies.

Who is Indigenous Harm Reduction Team? Honouring Past, Present and Ceremony

The Indigenous Harm Reduction Team (IHRT) began in 2020 in Lekwungen Territory, Victoria, BC, as a collective of Two-Spirit harm reductionists. At the time, there were no services in Victoria offering safe, culturally centered spaces for Indigenous substance users. The team at IHRT stepped in to fill that void, creating a vital outreach hub that included an art gallery, and an overdose prevention site space dedicated exclusively for First Nations, Metis, Inuit people.

Since then, the collective has faced the deep loss of two of the founding members who have passed onto the spirit world. The rest of the collective moved away to different areas of B.C. and Alberta, and the call to continue the work of harm reduction for the collective remained strong. The IHRT collective needed community support with mutual aid for the remaining members to make their way to the ceremony grounds, as we are traveling from different areas to attend.

ICA commemorates the work being done at IHRT in protecting Indigenous substance users, especially as there is an increasing amount of substance abuse happening with our community members. With that, we awarded IHRT with the Sovereignty in Action Award so that IHRT was able to continue their work towards community care and capacity building, ensuring that the incredible team at IHRT can continue to provide for their community members moving forward. It’s so important to provide accessible ceremonies to our people as ceremony is where healing begins.

“The Indigenous Harm Reduction team is a collective of dedicated decolonial justice warriors that believe in community grassroots organizing. Boots on the ground, ceremony and online is where our team works, providing care, education, and healing. Due to the heavy load we carry being helpers, ceremony together gives us time to connect to spirit, the land and our elders so we can continue this long process of unraveling colonial indoctrination that we did not ask for.”

Climate Justice is Also Community Care.

Climate Justice also means caring and providing safe support for our community members. IHRT provides the necessary needs to keep our communities from harm not only to themselves but also to our environment as substances are becoming increasingly dangerous. Initiatives like IHRT are crucial in sustaining our livelihoods for a better future within our communities, and the Sovereignty in Action Awards support those initiatives along with many other Climate Justice activities.

ICA intends to provide low-barrier supports to applications in order to pursue projects that align with ICA’s goals and framework by:

Awarding up to $100K annually through two intakes to support Indigenous grassroots organizations and individuals across so-called Canada and;
Recognizing and strengthening existing Indigenous initiatives. The Sovereignty in Action Awards is not intended to seed new projects, but rather uplift meaningful work already being stewarded.

ICA is proud to support sovereign Indigenous-led strategies for climate solutions. We recognize that Indigenous protection of Indigenous lands and territories are critical climate mitigation strategies.

Have a project in mind or want to nominate an individual for a project? This next intake of awardees could be you or someone you know!

How to Apply

ICA will accept nominations twice a year. This current intake runs from June 18 to July 15, 2025, with recipients to be announced later this summer. Dates for the Fall intake will be announced at a later date.

Timeline:

Deadline to apply:
July 15, 2025
Selection Process with Sovereignty in Action Committee:
July 21 - 24, 2025
Awardee Announcements to Recipients:
July 28 - 31, 2025
Social Media Recipients Announcements:
Announcements will be made periodically over the month of August 2025

Take Action to Support Indigenous-led Projects

Stand with Sovereignty – Stand with Us: Join the movement to uplift, support and empower Indigenous-led and grassroot initiatives.
Stand with Us – Share Your Vision: Indigenous Climate Action is proud to support YOUR sovereignty in action. Apply now for a chance to receive up to $2,500 to advance your Indigenous-led initiative.
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