Current Partnerships
BC Unclaimed
BC Unclaimed is the not-for-profit administrator of British Columbia’s unclaimed property program, designated by the province to safeguard unclaimed funds and reconnect them with their rightful owners. Through a partnership with Vancouver Foundation, unclaimed funds are used to support critical work in the non-profit and charitable sector—including housing, food security, environmental conservation, and Indigenous-led projects. No matter how long it takes, BC Unclaimed ensures that funds remain accessible to the owners while also creating a lasting impact for communities across BC.
Neighbourhood Small Grants
Launch: 1999
Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) helps build communities. We work with local partners across BC to distribute grassroots grants of $50 to $500 to people who want to strengthen neighbourhood connections. NSG has supported thousands of project leaders in making communities stronger, safer, and more welcoming.
Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants
Launch: 2010
Vancouver Foundation delivers the Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants (DTESSAG) program in partnership with the Carnegie Community Centre. DTESSAG offers grants between $500 and $1,000 to support, showcase, and celebrate the work of scores of artists in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.
Greenest City Fund
Launch: 2012
The Greenest City Fund distributed almost $2 million to support community-led green projects to help Vancouver become the greenest city in the world by 2020. We offered these grants through our Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) program as part of a four-year partnership with the City of Vancouver. Today, some NSG communities continue to offer Greenest City Grants.
Endowment 150
Launch: 2015
Endowment 150 helps British Columbians with disabilities to learn about and access tax benefits that will help them save for the future. We fund this program in partnership with Plan Institute , Disability Alliance of BC , and the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society . As part of this initiative, Plan Institute distributed a one-time $150 gift to help low-income BC residents with disabilities start growing their RDSP.
Past Partnerships
Community Prosperity Fund (CPF)
In 2024, The Community Prosperity Fund (CPF) was created in partnership with the Government of BC, Community Foundations of Canada and over 50 local community foundations to invest $25 million into BC’s non-profit sector —  empowering community foundations to support their local charities and non-profits that are reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion. Vancouver Foundation distributed $3.7 million to community service organizations in Vancouver, New Westminster and Burnaby.
Lighthouse Organizations Fund (LOF)
In 2024, the Lighthouse Organizations Fund (LOF) was created through a $22.9 million dollar investment by the Government of BC. LOF distributed multi-year operational grants of $993,000 to charities in BC that are  addressing poverty reduction and social inclusion across the province. The recipients of LOF are large, multi-service organizations with a provincial or regional footprint. This funding will support their important work to reduce poverty and help alleviate the growing demand on their services.
Community Response Fund (CRF)
As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began, Vancouver Foundation moved quickly to bring rapid funding relief to non-profits and charities, especially those working on the frontlines. In partnership with Vancity, United Way Lower Mainland, and the City of Vancouver, we launched the CRF just days after the province declared the COVID-19 pandemic a public health emergency. In three months, Vancouver Foundation had distributed a total of $19.2 million in pandemic response funding, a large portion of which came from the CRF.
Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF)
The Government of Canada launched the ECSF in 2020 as a national rapid response fund to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ECSF provided grants of up to $50,000 to Vancouver-based charities working with vulnerable populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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We partnered with the Community Foundations of Canada to distribute $2.8 million to address vulnerable groups’ urgent social inclusion or well-being needs.
Investment Readiness Program (IRP)
The IRP is an initiative by the Government of Canada that funds social purpose organizations like charities, non-profits, co-ops, and social enterprises. We gave IRP funding to projects that strengthened their viability and expanded their business.
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We granted to organizations based in Metro Vancouver in partnership with the UBC Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing and Vancity Community Foundation. We also granted to organizations based in areas of BC that another IRP partner did not cover.
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Vancouver Foundation distributed more than $1.9 million over two granting cycles from 2019 to 2021. Learn more about who we funded through IRP.
Fund for Gender Equality
From 2019-2020, the Fund for Gender Equality supported organizations in BC working to advance gender equality for women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people through community-level initiatives. Organizations could use this funding to:
- pilot new initiatives
- address community needs
- support pandemic recovery
In total, distributed $755,000 to 21 organizations.
Tax Aid DABC
From 2016-2017, Vancouver Foundation partnered with Disability Alliance BC to fund a grant program that provided simple income tax filings, information, and referrals for those struggling with their taxes. This program was for those receiving the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefit or the Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers (PPMB) benefit.
Greenest City Fund
The Greenest City Fund was a unique, four-year partnership between the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Foundation. From 2012 to 2015, the Fund distributed almost $2 million to support community-led green projects to help Vancouver become the greenest city in the world by 2020.