First Nations Information Governance Centre

What First Nations Information Governance Centre does

The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) is an independent, apolitical, non-profit organization operating under a special mandate from the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly (Resolution #48, December 2009), incorporated on April 22, 2010. Headquartered in Akwesasne, Ontario, with operational offices in Ottawa, FNIGC is the national coordinating body responsible for collecting, governing, and providing access to data on First Nations people living on reserve and in northern communities across Canada — work it has conducted, through predecessor bodies, for over 25 years. Its foundational framework is the trademarked OCAP® principles (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession), which establish how First Nations data is collected, protected, used, and shared, and which are widely recognized as the de facto standard for Indigenous research in Canada.

FNIGC's core offerings center on five national surveys — the First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS), First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey (FNREEES), First Nations Labour and Employment Development Survey (FNLED), First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS), and First Nations Community Survey (FNCS) — alongside the First Nations Data Centre (FNDC), which provides tiered data access ranging from free online tools (FNIGC Knowledge Lodge, Data Online) through custom tabulations ($300–$1,300) to on-site research data centre access ($200/hour). The organization also delivers bilingual OCAP® training (The Fundamentals of OCAP® / Fondamentaux des principes de PCAP®) at $500 per individual registration, hosts the annual $2,500 National Student Bursary program, runs the Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative, and stewards the First Nations Data Governance Strategy. Survey methodology has been independently verified by Harvard University (2005) and Johns Hopkins University (2012).

Commercially, FNIGC is essentially grant-funded rather than revenue-funded: its primary inflows are recurring Canadian federal government grants — anchored by $13.7M per year ongoing from Budget 2019 and supplemented by $73.5M over three years from Budget 2021 for the FNDGS, with an additional ~$51M secured for Phase One FNDGS implementation. Supplemental commercial revenue streams (data access fees, OCAP® course registrations) are comparatively small. Governance is exercised by a Board of Directors drawn from 13 regional member organizations spanning every province and territory, embedding FNIGC structurally within Canada's regional First Nations governance ecosystem. The CEO is Jonathan Dewar, PhD, who returned to the role in January 2024.

Name

First Nations Information Governance Centre

Legal name

The First Nations Information Governance Centre

Website

https://fnigc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) is a Canadian national non-profit that conducts First Nations-led surveys and stewards trademarked OCAP® data sovereignty principles on behalf of 634 reserve and northern communities across Canada, funded primarily by federal government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cornwall

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: FNIGC operates with special mandate from the Assembly of First Nations and receives federal government funding. Budget 2019 committed $78.9 million over seven years starting 2019-20 with $13.7 million per year ongoing for surveys. Budget 2021 invested $73.5 million over three years for FNDGS development and implementation.
2. Data Access Fees: The First Nations Data Centre offers data access on a pay-per-use basis for academic research, policy development, and program planning and evaluation. Custom table pricing ranges from $300-$1,300 depending on cell count. On-site Data Centre access is $200/hour ($1,500/day) plus setup fees.
3. The Fundamentals of OCAP® Course Registration: Individual registration in The Fundamentals of OCAP® online course costs $500 (plus applicable taxes). Discounts available for First Nations students, First Nations organizations, non-profits, and groups of 10 or more learners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FNIGC is an independent non-profit that conducts national First Nations surveys (health, education, employment, oral health, community) and operates the First Nations Data Centre, which provides tiered access to First Nations data under OCAP® principles. It also delivers OCAP® education and training, including the Fundamentals of OCAP® online course and tailored workshops, to support First Nations information governance and data sovereignty.

Product overview

FNIGC operates as a unified national organization offering a portfolio of data governance products and services centered on First Nations data sovereignty. The core offerings include five national surveys: the First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS), First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey (FNREEES), First Nations Labour and Employment Development Survey (FNLED), First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS), and First Nations Community Survey (FNCS). These surveys feed into the First Nations Data Centre (FNDC), which provides data access through two channels: the FNIGC Knowledge Lodge for free published data visualization and the FNIGC Data Online tool for exploring charts and tables. The education portfolio features The Fundamentals of OCAP® online course (available in English and French) and OCAP® Workshops. Supporting programs include the FNIGC National Student Bursary, the Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative (DSRC) for applied research, and the First Nations Data Governance Strategy (FNDGS) as a strategic framework. The Power of Data Series provides knowledge translation through community stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS/RHS) National First Nations health survey collecting wide-ranging information about First Nations people living on reserve and in northern communities based on western and Traditional understandings of health and well-being. Targeted at First Nations communities, governments, researchers, and policy makers.
• First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey (FNREEES) National survey addressing a long-standing data gap around early childhood education and development, youth and adult employment and education, and labour-market conditions in First Nations communities.
• First Nations Labour and Employment Development Survey (FNLED) National survey initiative that gathers labour market information about employment, labour, jobs, and skills in First Nations communities across Canada.
• First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS) First and only national-level survey collecting data about the oral health conditions of children, youth, and adults living on reserve and in northern communities across Canada, conducted in partnership with Health Canada.
• First Nations Community Survey (FNCS) Unique initiative providing a holistic view of First Nations communities, allowing exploration of relationships between community-level factors and individual well-being, covering shelter, infrastructure, housing, education, employment, and social services.
• First Nations Data Centre (FNDC) Knowledge translation resource providing access to published, unpublished, and record-level data from FNIGC's national survey work via five access levels (Data Online, General Purpose Custom Tables, Special Purpose Custom Tables, On-site Research Data Centre, and Collaborative Research Services). Targeted at researchers, academics, policy makers, and the general public.
• The Fundamentals of OCAP® Comprehensive online training course providing a foundation in OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) principles, information governance, and data sovereignty through seven modules with interactive elements, knowledge checks, and final assessment. Available in English and French. Individual registration $500 with discounts for First Nations students, organizations, non-profits, and groups of 10+.
• OCAP® Workshops and Presentations Interactive in-person or online workshops providing deeper insight into First Nations Principles of OCAP®, designed to equip organizations with knowledge to assert, respect, and promote OCAP® principles. Tailored to meet specific learner group needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Survey data informed development of Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, Aboriginal Head Start Program on Reserve, Children's Oral Health Initiative, Maternal Child Health Program, and National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Algonquin CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaborated with FNIGC to develop The Fundamentals of OCAP® online course. Algonquin College's Corporate Training division helped develop the course launched in 2015, providing unprecedented access to FNIGC's knowledge about OCAP® principles.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Independently reviewed and verified FNIGC's survey work in 2012. Concluded that the Regional Health Survey is a powerful tool for collecting data on First Nations communities and is a landmark victory for building research capacity.
• Office of the Chief Dental Officer at Health CanadastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Partnership with the Office of the Chief Dental Officer at Health Canada to conduct the First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS), the first survey of its kind looking at oral health conditions of children, youth, and adults living on-reserve and in Northern communities.
• Harvard UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Independently reviewed and verified FNIGC's survey work in 2005. Concluded that the 2002/2003 RHS was unique in First Nations ownership of the research process and explicit incorporation of First Nations values.
• First Nations Health CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing British Columbia First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC, contributing to national surveys and data sovereignty efforts.
• Chiefs of OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Ontario First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Alberta First Nations Information Governance CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Alberta First Nations. Co-hosted the First Nations Data Governance Strategy Summit in Calgary in February 2019 with nearly 100 attendees.
• Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Saskatchewan First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (Nanaandawewigamig)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Manitoba First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Union of British Columbia Indian ChiefscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• First Nations SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• British Columbia Assembly of First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Assembly of First Nations Quebec-LabradorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Quebec and Labrador First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Dene NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Northwest Territories First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Council of Yukon First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Yukon First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• First Nations Education Initiative IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional member organization representing New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island First Nations. One of 13 regional members that form the governance structure of FNIGC.
• Assembly of First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-voting member organization. Passed Resolution #48/2009 mandating the creation of FNIGC as a stand-alone non-profit. Also passed Resolution #19/2011 mandating FNIGC to conduct the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey.
• Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFNIGC is a member of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance, collaborating on international efforts for Indigenous data sovereignty and community standards.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Statistics Canada: Canada's national statistical agency that conducts population surveys and produces national data. Directly relevant because FNIGC was created in part to address the 1994 exclusion of on-reserve First Nations from Statistics Canada surveys, and the organizations operate in adjacent survey and statistical infrastructure domains.
• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI): Canadian national health data organization providing comparable population health data infrastructure. Several FNIGC senior staff previously worked at CIHI, and both organizations produce national health datasets, though CIHI serves the broader Canadian population rather than First Nations specifically.
• Indian Health Service (US): US federal agency providing health services and health data infrastructure for American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Operates a comparable mandate to deliver population-level health data and services for Indigenous communities, with parallel challenges around data sovereignty and tribal jurisdiction.

Emerging players

• Turtle Island Institute: Canadian Indigenous-led organization working on data sovereignty, research ethics, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Operates in a directly adjacent space to FNIGC's OCAP® training and data sovereignty research initiatives.
• Métis National Council: National representational body for Métis people in Canada, adjacent to FNIGC's mandate. While focused on a different Indigenous group, it shares the broader Canadian Indigenous data governance and self-determination landscape with FNIGC.
• Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC): Australian peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in NSW, with comparable role in data governance, ethics oversight, and research capacity building for Indigenous health data. Functions as a regional data governance counterpart to FNIGC's regional partners.
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK): National representational organization for Inuit in Canada, comparable in governance mandate to the Assembly of First Nations. Has developed its own Inuit-specific data sovereignty framework (National Inuit Strategy on Research), making it a parallel Indigenous data governance organization in the Canadian context.

Direct peers

• Te Mana Raraunga (Māori Data Sovereignty Network): New Zealand-based Māori data sovereignty network that, like FNIGC, advocates for Indigenous data sovereignty principles and standards. Operates with similar OCAP-equivalent frameworks and represents a directly comparable Indigenous data governance organization serving a different national Indigenous population.
• Indigenous Data Network (IDN): Australia-based network supporting Indigenous data governance across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Operates as a peer Indigenous data sovereignty network with similar objectives to FNIGC's mandate to enable Indigenous-led data collection and access.
• Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS): Australian national Indigenous research institution conducting research, managing data collections, and developing ethical research protocols for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Highly comparable to FNIGC in mandate, structure, and research/data stewardship role.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fnigc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FNIGC
• Facebookfacebook.com/FNIGC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-nations-information-governance-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/fnigc_cgipn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about First Nations Information Governance Centre