First and Last Mile Fund (FLMF)

Insider Tip

This fund is NOT a direct SME application channel. If you are an SME or Indigenous organization, your path in is as a partner, supplier, or implicated community on a proponent-led project. Map the critical minerals projects in your region (lithium, nickel, copper, rare earths, graphite hubs) and introduce yourself to proponents and provincial ministries BEFORE the federal consultation begins — invitations are shaped by who provincial and Indigenous stakeholders name. Indigenous nations near an invited project should request the Indigenous EOI stream directly from NRCan for capacity-building support (engagement costs, legal review, technical advice) separate from the infrastructure funding itself.

Success Profile

Invited proponents are typically mid-to-large mining companies, provincial infrastructure Crown corporations, Indigenous development corporations, or regional port/rail authorities with an advanced-stage critical minerals project (lithium, nickel, copper, cobalt, rare earths, graphite) that has completed initial feasibility work and has demonstrated provincial/territorial and Indigenous partner support. SMEs succeed by being named suppliers or co-proponents on these invited applications.

Evaluation Criteria

Projects are selected through consultation rather than scored against a public rubric. Government of Canada prioritizes: (1) strategic value to Canadian critical minerals supply chains; (2) Indigenous leadership and meaningful participation; (3) confirmed provincial/territorial co-funding; (4) construction-ready status or clear path to construction by 2030; (5) environmental and regulatory viability; (6) economic benefits including domestic processing capacity and jobs in critical mineral regions.

Application Steps

Required Documents 8

Eligible Expenses 8

• Enabling infrastructure construction (roads, power lines, water systems)
• Rail, port, and transportation corridor upgrades
• Mine access and first-mile infrastructure
• Processing and midstream facility construction
• Environmental assessment and permitting costs
• Indigenous consultation and capacity-building (dedicated stream)
• Engineering, design, and project management
• Land preparation and site remediation directly tied to the project

Ineligible Expenses 5

• Routine mine operating costs
• Exploration drilling not tied to enabling infrastructure
• Activities already completed before invitation
• Lobbying or government relations
• Foreign-based infrastructure or processing

Intake Periods

Continuous pipeline — no public intake windows. NRCan invites applicants on a rolling basis as consultation identifies priority projects. Fund runs through fiscal year 2029-30.

Deadline Notes

No public deadline. NRCan identifies eligible recipients on a rolling basis through consultation with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, then invites them to submit an Expression of Interest, then a full application. Indigenous nations and communities implicated by a project have their own EOI stream for engagement, participation, and capacity-building support. If you are an SME or Indigenous organization potentially affected by a proposed critical minerals project, engage the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence early to be identified during the consultation phase — before proponents are invited.

Ineligible Organizations

• Non-invited applicants
• Foreign-domiciled entities without a Canadian operating subsidiary
• Organizations with unresolved federal debt or suspended status

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

Federal contribution agreements include recovery provisions if milestones are not met, if Indigenous consultation commitments are abandoned, or if the project does not deliver the committed critical-minerals supply chain benefit. Clawback risk is moderate — NRCan tends to renegotiate rather than recover on complex infrastructure projects, but repayment can be required on abandoned or materially-changed projects.