AN IMPACT-DRIVEN NONPROFIT
The Trebek Initiative
We support a community of emerging Canadian storytellers, scientists and conservation leaders whose work helps Canadians better understand the country they share and the importance of preserving it.
WE INVEST IN PEOPLE, NOT JUST PROJECTS
Behind every project is someone driven by curiosity and passion. We believe lasting impact begins with people.
By providing early funding and guidance, we help emerging storytellers, scientists and conservation leaders
turn promising ideas into work that informs research, strengthens conservation and engages Canadians.
56
PROJECTS FUNDED
13
PROVINCES & TERRITORIES
5
YEARS OF DISCOVERY
"My role is to weave Western and Indigenous knowledge together so that I'm learning from them and they're learning from me.
It's all about trust, and that trust continues to grow as more communities share in these burning practices."
2023 Trebek Grantee - Kira Hoffman
Fighting Fire with Food
Trebek Grantees are documenting environmental and cultural change as it unfolds. Viewed together,
their work is building a deeper understanding of the environmental and cultural changes shaping Canada.
Explore the map to learn more about each project.
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Project Focus Area:
Land
Water
Wildlife
History & Culture
TRACKING THE FORCES SHAPING CANADA
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Explore the Issues Below
FOCUS AREA | LAND
Landscapes in Flux
Fire is changing the composition of forests and the ways communities manage them.
Kira Hoffman works with the Gitanyow Nation to study cultural burning and forest renewal.
Dorian Gaboriau uses lake sediments to trace the long-term impact of fire on forest recovery.
Ellen Whitman studies where forests struggle to recover after wildfire.
Wildfire and Forest Change
Logging is reducing some of Canada’s oldest forests, along with the habitat and ecological records they hold.
Featured work: TJ Watt | Annie Sakkab | Maia Wikler
Living in a Warming Arctic
Thawing permafrost and coastal erosion are altering northern landscapes and the communities built on them.
Featured work: Kaitlyn Van De Woestyne, Jenine Otto, Pat Kane
Ancient Forests Under Pressure
FOCUS AREA | WATER
From Ice to Ocean
Lakes, rivers and coastal waters are responding to rising temperatures and human activity.
Andrew Budziak explores the microscopic ecosystems that thrive beneath frozen lakes.
Nick Hawkins documents the migration and decline of Atlantic salmon in eastern Canada.
Dalal Hanna studies how forestry and land use are reshaping freshwater ecosystems.
Warming Waters
Ice loss is changing northern lakes, watersheds and marine environments.
Featured work: Bruno Tremblay, Anna Crawford, Kasia Staniszewska
Life Beneath the Surface
Kelp forests, seagrass beds and other underwater habitats offer a record of changing marine conditions.
Featured work: Ryan Eagleson, Nicole Holman, Brian Timmer, Nicolas Winkler
Changing Ice and Northern Waters
FOCUS AREA | WILDLIFE
Adapting the Change
Caribou, lynx and shorebirds show how movement changes as habitat and conditions shift.
Malkolm Boothroyd follows the return of the Fortymile caribou herd in the Yukon.
Isabelle Groc follows shorebirds coastal migration on the East and West coast.
Kateri Monticone documents wildlife corridors that help species move across the Northeast.
Wildlife Migration
Heat, disease, and nutritional deficiencies are affecting wildlife health and survival.
Featured work: Zenon Czenze, Susan Kutz, Robert Masaki Hechler
Sharing Space with Wildlife
As development reaches farther into wildlife habitat, encounters between people and animals are increasingly common.
Featured work: Mitch Bowmile, Sam Rose Phillips, Rhiannon Kirton
Species Health Under Stress
FOCUS AREA | HISTORY & CULTURE
Living History
Fieldwork and new technologies are uncovering physical records of the past.
Taylor Roades documents ancient ice patch artefacts emerging as alpine ice melts.
Kirsten Kennedy uses LiDAR and Indigenous stories to map deep history in Georgian Bay.
Jessica Houston sails the Northwest Passage to document stories of women in the Arctic.
Documenting History
Northern communities are adapting to environmental change while maintaining strong connections to land and culture.
Featured work: Patrick Kane, Shelly Elverum, Sara Hylton
Living Memory in Forests
Cultural knowledge passed between generations records relationships with forests that extend far beyond written history.
Featured work: Maia Wikler, Sam Rose Phillips
Food, Land and Identity
The 2025 Impact Report explores how Trebek Grantees are sharing important discoveries from the field with audiences across Canada.
Read the 2025 Impact Report.
2025 IMPACT REPORT
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Support Emerging Talent
Meaningful work rarely happens in isolation. Your support helps emerging storytellers, scientists and conservation leaders turn promising ideas into lasting impact.