Aquatic Invasive Species

Partnership Program


Manitoba is home to an abundance of freshwater lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Supporting and sustaining the health of these waterbodies is essential for maintaining aquatic biodiversity, healthy fisheries, and ecological integrity. These waterbodies are also at the heart of many communities providing a broad suite of recreational opportunities to the public. However, aquatic invasive species (AIS) can pose a risk to the overall health of Manitoba's waterbodies, and thus, prevention is critical.

Increasing prevention capacity and reducing the risk of spreading AIS is not a task that can be undertaken by government alone. Through collaboration, Manitoba will support communities, municipalities, Indigenous governments, and non-government organizations in preventing the introduction of AIS into local areas of social, economic and/or ecological importance. The goal of the Partnership Program is to partner with interest and Rights-based holders to facilitate and build local, community-driven programs to prevent AIS introductions or mitigate AIS threats to Manitoba's Crown waters.

Recognizing the importance of maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems, and of the partners that use them, the Manitoba government is implementing the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund, with the intention to build and strengthen AIS prevention through collaborative partnerships. The fund will provide support and resources to applicants based on a variety of prevention streams. To learn more about the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund, click the tab below.


Additional resources are available below.


Partners interested in applying for funding to introduce local AIS prevention capacity during the 2025 open-water season can contact Manitoba's AIS Unit directly to discuss their needs and available provincial supports, by contacting AIS@gov.mb.ca. Please include "Partnership Program 2025" in your email header.

The below information applies to the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund application process, which will take place in fall 2025 for fund disbursement in the 2026/2027 fiscal year.

The Manitoba government recognizes the negative impact that AIS have on Manitoba's aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, and the importance of increasing AIS prevention across the province. AIS pose a social, economic, and ecological risk to Crown waterbodies and the public, and thus the prevention of outward AIS spread, and containment of AIS, is vitally important to all Manitobans.

The Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund provides application-based funding to a variety of applicant groups to support a range of AIS related prevention projects.

Apply for the Manitoba Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund

The priorities of the fund are to:

  • Contribute to the prevention of AIS introductions into uninvaded waterbodies.
  • Promote AIS education across Manitoba and enable educational experiences in local areas.
  • Contribute to the protection of biodiversity of Manitoba's waterbodies.
  • Mitigate the social and economic impacts of AIS invasions.
Who can apply?
  • Indigenous communities, organizations, or governments
  • Municipal and local governments
  • Research and academic organizations
  • Non-government organizations
  • Community and resource-user groups
What does it fund?

Eligible project/program streams may include, but are not limited to:

  • Physical Prevention – Contributing to the direct physical prevention of AIS entering uninvaded waterbodies, such as:
    • Inspection and/or decontamination efforts related to Municipal or Indigenous governments.
  • Education, Communication, and Outreach – Promoting activities that relate to AIS prevention and education, such as:
    • Development and distribution of education materials within local areas.
    • Erecting signage related to the AIS prevention, regulations, by-laws, or best practices.
    • Outreach and education efforts outside of the broad public outreach conducted by the province.
    • Promoting Clean, Drain, Dry as a standard for AIS prevention and containment.
  • Monitoring – Contributing to the early detection and monitoring of AIS, such as:
    • Implementation of a passive monitoring program at a localized level.
    • Implementation of an active monitoring program in collaboration with Manitoba.
  • Response – Contributing to AIS response efforts, such as:
    • Control and eradication of some AIS.
  • Management – Contributing to the containment of AIS within invaded waterbodies, such as:
    • Manage the outward spread of AIS from an established population.

For a more detailed description of eligible and ineligible expenditures, and all other components, please review the Application Guide document.

When is the application deadline?

The application intake for 2026/2027 will be open from November 3, 2025, to December 31, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST).

Important deadlines:

The following timeline is approximate, and subject to change.

Application Intake Period Nov 3rd 2025 - Dec 31st 2025
Application Deadline Dec 31st 2025
Initial Application Screening Jan 16th 2026
Program/Project Review Period Jan 19th - Feb 27th 2026
Grant Recipient Notification March 2nd - April 3rd 2026
Grant Payment Release April 13th - May 1st 2026
Project Delivery Period April 6th - Dec 31st 2026
Project Completion Deadline Dec 31st 2026
Final Reporting Deadline Dec 31st 2026
Supporting Documents and Resources

Manitoba's Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Response Plan was released on July 9, 2024. The plan provides information on:

  • AIS of most concern in Manitoba and outside of Manitoba, how to identify them, where they are located and how they can be inadvertently transported from one waterbody to another;
  • Actions the Manitoba government is taking to manage aquatic invasive species proactively; and
  • Actions that individuals and communities can take to prevent the movement of aquatic invasive species.

Everyone has a role to play in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. Read Manitoba's Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Response Plan (Disponible en français) to learn more about what you can do.

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