New Multi-Year, Flexible, Operating Grants Available
July 9, 2024
Through LEVEL BIPOC grants, Vancouver Foundation is committing $9 million to invest in the leadership capacity of Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour (BIPOC) leaders in B.C. These grants offer flexible, multi-year operational funding to BIPOC-led, BIPOC youth-led and youth-engaging organizations, empowering BIPOC leaders across the province and laying the foundation for the next generation.
As a trust-based funder, providing flexible, multi-year grants allows us to partner with organizations and their leaders, building deeper and more intentional relationships.
LEVEL BIPOC grants is launching its third cycle, embedding lessons we learned from previous cycles and LEVEL Youth grants, acknowledging the barriers and inequitable access to reliable funding faced by BIPOC charities and non-profits in B.C.
What’s new this year?
We’ve made some tweaks to this cycle, prioritizing BIPOC youth leadership and an equitable funding distribution. That said, a lot will remain the same. Applicants can expect a low-barrier application process for flexible operating funding reviewed by our Community Advisors.
This year, at least 60 grants will be available, distributed through two grant streams: BIPOC Leadership and BIPOC Youth Leadership. Each award is $150,000, to be distributed in equal amounts over three years.
How we’re prioritizing BIPOC youth leadership
When applying, applicants will need to self-identify as BIPOC-led, as defined in our application guide and glossary. During last year’s cycle, we heard the need for core funding from applicants, specifically for BIPOC youth-led and/or youth-engaging organizations.
There will be 20 grants available in the BIPOC Youth Leadership stream. Organizations will be asked to self-identify as both BIPOC-led and BIPOC youth-led and/or youth-engaging. You can review pages 4 and 5 of the application guide to see the full eligibility criteria for both grant streams.
Are you a registered non-profit society in B.C.? This change is for you. We’ve changed the eligibility criteria to include registered non-profit societies, removing the need for eligible non-profits to apply for a LEVEL BIPOC grant without a sponsoring organization, i.e. qualified donee.
Next steps
The online application will open July 15 until August 15 at 12pm PT. We encourage you to review the application guide to determine which grant stream is best for your organization.
We’re also hosting two online information sessions , on July 16 for the BIPOC Leadership stream and July 17 for the BIPOC Youth Leadership stream. Information sessions allow applicants to connect with grant managers before applying. If you can’t attend live, we’ll share the recordings on the resources section of the LEVEL BIPOC webpage.
If you have questions regarding eligibility or the application process, you can review our FAQ resource or email the LEVEL granting team level@vancouverfoundation.ca