REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) – Indigenous Trust Legal Services
1.0 Summary
The Future Generations Foundation invites proposals from qualified legal firms with demonstrated expertise in Indigenous trust law to review, assess, and recommend amendments to the FG Foundation’s 1975 Trust Indenture and related governing documents.
The successful proponent will provide legal advice and support to modernize the trust structure, ensure continued legal effectiveness and governance best practices, and support the Board of Trustees in positioning the trust for future generations.
2.0 Background of FG Foundation
The FG Foundation grants approximately $18 M in funding to individuals and qualified donees for varying education programs and studies every year.
FG Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to supporting First Nations individuals, communities, organizations, and community partners through cultural revitalization, education, and community development initiatives. As a trusted funder, FG Foundation is committed to fostering strength, opportunity, and self-determination for First Nations people and communities.
As stewards of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) funds, FG Foundation works to ensure responsible and effective allocation of funds to address the harm of residential schools. Our First Nations-led organization practices First Nations principles and values in our policies and decision-making processes, prioritizing meaningful assistance that creates lasting, positive change.
The Foundation operates under a Trust Indenture established in 1975, Federal Income Tax Act, Charities Accounting Act and common law. The Board of Trustees has identified the need to review and modernize the trust framework to ensure it remains relevant, effective, and aligned with contemporary governance practices, legal requirements, and the long-term needs of First Nations communities and beneficiaries.
Additional information can be found at www.fgfoundation.ca
3.0 Scope of Work
- Review the existing 1975 Trust Indenture, Trust Deed, and related governance documents.
- Assess the trust structure against current legal, governance, and operational requirements.
- Identify provisions that may be outdated, unclear, or inconsistent with current legislation, governance practices, or organizational objectives.
- Provide legal analysis, recommendations, and options for modernization considerations.
- Assist the Board and leadership in understanding the implications of proposed amendments.
- Draft amendments to the Trust Indenture and associated legal documents.
- Participate in meetings with the Board, committees, and other stakeholders as required.
- Support consultation and review processes necessary to finalize recommendations.
- Provide a final package of recommended amendments and implementation considerations.
Close Collaboration
The successful bidder will work closely with the Executive Director and/or members of our Board of Trustees, stakeholders, or others to develop the specific details of the planning process, including the timeline, and logistics.
4.0 Proposal Contents Requirements:
To make the evaluation process efficient and obtain maximum comparability, FG Foundation requires that all responses to the RFP be organized in the manner and format described below:
1. Executive Summary
A description of the understanding of the work to be performed, the ability to perform the work, time period provided and other pertinent information.
2. Service Approach and Timeline
Description of how the proponent’s firm will approach the proposed services including the type of assistance that will be required from FG Foundation team. Proposal should also discuss the proponent’s knowledge and experience of work with Indigenous clients, trusts and organizations. Finally, discuss the communication process used by the firm to discuss issues with management including the expected timeline.
3. Professional Experience
A description of the firm’s history, expertise and qualifications. The proponent must demonstrate experience advising, reviewing, and amending Indigenous trusts. Must have experience working with Indigenous organizations, First Nations communities, Indigenous charities, foundations, trusts, or other Indigenous-led entities is required.
Proponents should also demonstrate experience advising charitable foundations, large trust funds, or organizations with complex governance structures, as well as experiencing reviewing and modernizing trust and governance documents.
The proponent must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may result from the award of the contract or the services provided under the contract and confirm its independence with respect to FG Foundation.
4. Fees
Fee structure for the full duration of the project including any guarantees given regarding increases in future years. Also, the applicable billing rates and procedures for any further questions that may come up during the engagement.
5. References
A list of the relevant Indigenous and or non-profit, charitable clients the firm has served within the past three years that would be willing to provide a reference upon request of FG Foundation.
5.0 Selection Criteria:
FG Foundation will employ a comprehensive set of criteria to determine the most suitable consultant. Considering the pivotal objectives designated in this document, the assessment of proposals will be grounded in the following criteria:
- Indigenous trust law expertise and relevant experience (35%)
- Understanding of trust modernization and governance review (25%)
- Cost effectiveness and proposed fee structure (20%)
- Experience working with Indigenous organizations and governing bodies (10%)
- References and demonstrated project success (10%)
It is important to note that FG Foundation retains the discretion not to proceed with the engagement of any consultant following this Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
FG Foundation invites providers to submit proposals to perform this project.
6.0 Submission Instructions
Please submit your proposal electronically to Naomi Racette [email protected].
The deadline for proposal submission is November 17, 2026
Late proposals may not be considered.
Please direct all inquiries via email to:
Naomi Racette, Executive Director
E-mail: [email protected]
7.0 Rights of the FG Foundation
This is an RFP and not an invitation to tender. The reader is hereby advised that the FG Foundation reserves the right to:
- Accept a proposal without negotiation.
- Negotiate changes to the technical or financial content of the successful proposal.
- Cancel or reissue this RFP at any time.
- Reject any or all proposals received in response to this Request for Proposals.
- Accept any proposal, in whole or in part.
- Cancel and/or re-issue the modified version of a given RFP requirement at any time.
- Award one or more contracts.
- Verify all information provided with respect to a given RFP requirement, including the right to request confirmation of the bidder’s legal status and signed documentation; and
- Award contracts without competition for follow-up work, if any, to the selected bidder for a given project
FG Foundation thanks all providers for their interest in this opportunity.